Coaster reviews

First Drop Inversions

I think the only negative thing I can say about this ride is that you have to climb a lot of stairs to reach the station! Once on the train, the drops are forceful and the inversion is enjoyable forward and even more fun backwards, if only for the novelty factor.

Airtimes First Drop Location Rattle

I always enjoy a ride on The Big One. As its name suggests you can see it from miles around, and the first drop is very impressive. While it's a little rattly I don't find it particularly rough, and it's a good long track, with the nice surprise of an extra section around the back of the park.

Airtimes Layout Rattle Discomfort

Good layout spoilt by a very uncomfortable ride. The airtime hills would be a lot more fun if you weren't hit in the stomach by the lap bar by the car throwing you around.

Location Headbanging Discomfort Tear it down!

It's a Vekoma SLC, and it comes with all the associated rough riding and headbanging. Not recommended.

Theming Fun Duration Discomfort

Good fun family powered coaster, which winds around the Katanga Canyon area, and has good interactions with the adjacent rapids ride (it's customary to wave to any rapids boats you pass in the tunnel section). It can throw you around on some of the faster sections but it's still an enjoyable ride.

Comfort Fun Harness Theming Dead spots Intensity

Galactica (née Air) is a perfectly decent flying coaster, though it lacks the intensity of other similar rides I've experienced. The new portal is a welcome addition to an otherwise underwhelmingly-themed ride. The short-lived experiment with VR was a capacity disaster but they seem to be able to maintain a decent dispatch speed without it. While the layout is perfectly fine, there's very few memorable moments.

Inversions Location Intensity Too short

Still my favourite coaster in the UK. It packs a punch from the moment you come off the lift hill and doesn't let up until you hit the brakes. The vertical loop is a particular highlight. Ride it in the front row for the best view - it can be a little rough at the back but it's aged very well. The theming is still excellent even though the rivers no longer run red. Capacity is good, even on a busy day the queue moves well.

Airtimes Theming Fun Dead spots Layout

Beautiful theming and a fast, exciting ride, though with a few dead spots where it just seems to be trundling along waiting for the next drop. A worthy addition to the park.

First Drop Capacity Intensity Too short

Does what it does excellently. The slow, steep lift hill builds anticipation, there's a great view across the valley from the top. Then you're held at the top, over the misty hole. The drop is fast and intense, and much longer than it looks. After that, a small airtime hill, and the ride is over. It may be short but it packs a punch. On busy days running two stations the capacity is excellent. Only downside (other than the length) is that on quieter days, running a single station, the operations can be slow and you can end up sat on the brake run for quite a lot longer than the actual ride!

Airtimes Theming Inversions Rattle Headbanging Harness

A visually impressive ride, that's a lot of fun to ride. There's a hell of a lot of track squeezed in to a very small footprint, and the layout is well-paced. Depending on where you sit within the train it can be a rough ride, however. Inversion number 12 (near the shop) has always been badly profiled and tends to slam you uncomfortably into the restraints.