2-3
September 2008 We took a short break at |
||||
ß
Thanks to an early start (5.45 am) we arrive at 8.15 am, guided by the Satnav
on the windscreen. Just time to check
in, leave our bags and collect our two-day park tickets before leaving for
the park We walk from the hotel car park to the monorail terminal,
photographing Jay outside the hotel on the way à |
||||
|
ß
We compare footwear while waiting for the gates to open at 9.0 am Our monorail departs after the short journey à
|
|
||
The early morning view down |
|
|
||
|
ß
Teresa pauses in front of the gardens and the temple Roger and Jay joke on the grass – the old buildings in the background
à |
|
||
|
At the first attraction – |
|
||
One of Teresa and Jay’s favourites – the Runaway Mine Train. It was so quiet that they got to ride at
the front on one of their many trips à
|
|
I should point out that hotel guests get
an hour from 9 am to use selected rides before the park is open to all at 10
am. Roger, of course, kept off the
fiercer rides – he’d been inveigled on to the Mine Train once years ago and
didn’t like it then. Now the warning
notices provide a cast iron excuse. |
||
The warnings didn’t apply to the |
Approaching the waterfalls – another
soaking |
|||
|
On the second day, Jay needed time to recover from Nemesis, so Roger
and Teresa went round by themselves.
The water was quite rough, however, so they got wet for their
pains. Jay spotted them passing and
took the photograph à
|
|
||
|
ß
Much more gentle pleasures – Roger and Jay on the Carousel We head for the children’s area –
Storybook Land, where we revive old memories on Squirrel Nutty’s ride, the
Riverside Eye Spy and Macdonald’s Tractors Squirrel Nutty’s ride à
|
|
||
But all that was for the faint
hearts. Teresa and Jay put their
courage to the test by going for the big ones … Air, Nemesis, the Corkscrew,
Rita and the Flume. (The Corkscrew is now in its last year,
and the Black Hole has come and gone.)
But they did not tackle Oblivion or the Spinball Whizzer – maybe next
time. Jay thinks she clocked up nearly 30 rides
each day (including the monorail) and it would have been more except that the
Skyride was not running. This meant a
bit of extra walking for us all and Teresa returned with the blisters to
prove it. Other rides enjoyed included the Ug
Swinger and the Beastie (for Teresa and Jay), Duel (for Teresa and Roger) and
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (for all of us); the latter has replaced
Toyland Tours, and includes some very clever effects in the glass lift |
||||
ß
Teresa and Jay enjoying Air … … and the Corkscrew à |
||||
|
ß
Back in the hotel, Teresa seemed strangely diminished by the experience |
|
||
|
In the evening, we walked round the
grounds, before repairing to the bar, a quick drink and an early night -
exhausted Overlooking the carp pond à |
|
||
We had similar lunches each day in the park
at Rita’s Chicken and Ribs, and a magnificent and comprehensive ‘serve
yourself’ breakfast in the hotel; otherwise we existed on snacks in the park We were lucky with the weather, dry and
sometimes sunny, if a little cool, until lunchtime on the second day, after
which we had intermittent drizzle until just before we left, when the heavens
opened. It was an unpleasant drive
back in heavy rain, but uneventful in the end. We were guided safely back home by Satnav
at about 8.30 pm. |
||||