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UK's Best Roller Coaster/ Ride

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Butts

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Having just completed a mammoth tour around Blackpool Pleasure Beach, Thorpe Park, Chessington and Alton Towers over the last 10 Days, I have recovered my senses and my addled brain is now functioning and able to nominate a winner.

Smiler - Alton Towers

Honourable mentions to Ikon and Pepsi Max Big One at Blackpool Pleasure Beach.

Anyone else got a view on this or one I have missed. ?
 
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PeterY

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My winner would be The Pepsi Max big one at Blackpool.
 

lxfe_mxtterz

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Honourable mentions to Ikon and Pepsi Max Big One at Blackpool Pleasure Beach.
Re Icon (apparently the correct spelling, though "Ikon" does feel strangely familiar) - the only time I have been on the ride, I found the safety bars to be mightily uncomfortable. They were way too low which gave little sense of security and the awkward positioning meant that I came off the ride with a stomach ache where the bar had constantly jabbed into me.

Much prefer rides with those big safety bars which lower over your head and your arms loop around - a lot more comfortable.
 

telstarbox

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The Grand National also at Blackpool is fantastic. Big One is terrifying as you go up the first hill and you can only see the sky then briefly the sea!
 

Butts

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Have any of you been on Smiler ?

It knocks Nemesis, Grand National, Pepsi Max Big One and even Ikon for 6 :E
 

roversfan2001

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Rollercoasters that go upside down are my idea of hell so my choice is limited somewhat... The Big Dipper at Blackpool is a personal favourite, closely followed by Oblivion and Thirteen at Alton Towers.
 

Bald Rick

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Icon. Superb.

I won’t go on the Big One now, I don’t like the look of some of the track condition!
 

scrapy

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Valhalla at Blackpool is excellent (when all effects functioning) hopefully the refurb currently taking place will sort this.
 

OuterDistant

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Another +1 for Oblivion. The first ride I ever went on that goes upside down! Not a bad start, eh?

It's years since I worked at Alton Towers but I did get to ride Air (now "Galactica") before it opened to the public. Prone position roller coasters are just wrong, wrong, wrong!
 

Butts

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This UK "Coaster Tour" was a substitute for my son and I's kyboshed Florida Trip this Month.

One thing for certain nowhere else in the World has a greater concentration of good rides / attractions than the aforementioned USA State.

Busch Gardens alone has a plethora of World Class Rides and that's before you even move onto Universal and Disney.

Anyone been to Port Adventura in Spain - how does that measure up to Alton Towers ?
 

ABB125

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Anyone been to Port Adventura in Spain - how does that measure up to Alton Towers ?
I've been to its railway station... :D

I can't remember the last time I went to a UK theme park - must be at least 5 years ago (and I've never been to Alton Towers). I think the last one I went to was Gardaland in Italy in 2017*, but I can't remember any of the rides.

*I feel like I'm forgetting a more recent trip, but perhaps it was nearly 4 years ago!
 
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SteveM70

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The big one is genuinely “iconic” in its scale and simplicity. No frills, just bloody high and bloody steep and fast coming down.

I went on Smiler the year it opened and it was good, but if you factor in the absurd wait times it probably wasn’t worth it. The queues were much, much longer than for Nemesis, Air etc

Now, if you’d like to broaden it out to include the worst rides.....the erstwhile Mouse at Blackpool was horrific. Genuinely terrifying, but only because it felt so rickety and that there was a real prospect of the whole thing falling down
 

roversfan2001

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Now, if you’d like to broaden it out to include the worst rides.....the erstwhile Mouse at Blackpool was horrific. Genuinely terrifying, but only because it felt so rickety and that there was a real prospect of the whole thing falling down
I loved the Wild Mouse and was gutted when they knocked it down. There's not many of those left now, I think the one at Blackpool was one of 3 left globally.
 

Cowley

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This UK "Coaster Tour" was a substitute for my son and I's kyboshed Florida Trip this Month.

One thing for certain nowhere else in the World has a greater concentration of good rides / attractions than the aforementioned USA State.

Busch Gardens alone has a plethora of World Class Rides and that's before you even move onto Universal and Disney.

Anyone been to Port Adventura in Spain - how does that measure up to Alton Towers ?

I was wondering reading this thread if this other thread could be linked... ;)
 

Shimbleshanks

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I'm far from being an expert on rollercoasters but the Lightwater Valley near Ripon in Yorkshire claims to be Europe's longest. From the videos, there seem to be quite long flat stretches through the countryside so perhaps it's a bit more a normal railway experience than some of the theme park or fairground rides. https://www.lightwatervalley.co.uk/rides/view/the-ultimate
Website currently states that it is closed.
 

jb108822

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Theme park enthusiast here. :D Favourite coaster in the UK has to be Nemesis at Towers, especially when it's been running all day at Scarefest or Fireworks and it's gone dark. It's a totally different beast at that point.
 

Bald Rick

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20 years ago, I did Nemesis with a Grade B hangover. Two of the party were Grade A. They had an urgent call on the big white telephone shortly afterwards.
 

61653 HTAFC

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I'm far from being an expert on rollercoasters but the Lightwater Valley near Ripon in Yorkshire claims to be Europe's longest. From the videos, there seem to be quite long flat stretches through the countryside so perhaps it's a bit more a normal railway experience than some of the theme park or fairground rides. https://www.lightwatervalley.co.uk/rides/view/the-ultimate
Website currently states that it is closed.
Built using British Rail engineering know-how and technology, too!

It does have a few slow sections, including after the lift hills... but it is near Ripon so the views on those sections are quite spectacular on a clear day. I however would NOT suggest that it is gentle or tame. The latter part of the ride has a section weaving through forest through a series of banked reverse curves which is quite thrilling. The riding was always a little bit on the rough side (haven't been in several years) but as I was used to a less glamorous example of BR technology (the Pacer of course!) back then, it didn't bother me so much!
 

Butts

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The big one is genuinely “iconic” in its scale and simplicity. No frills, just bloody high and bloody steep and fast coming down.

I went on Smiler the year it opened and it was good, but if you factor in the absurd wait times it probably wasn’t worth it. The queues were much, much longer than for Nemesis, Air etc

Now, if you’d like to broaden it out to include the worst rides.....the erstwhile Mouse at Blackpool was horrific. Genuinely terrifying, but only because it felt so rickety and that there was a real prospect of the whole thing falling down

Platinum Express Unlimited sees that off, straight on and off as many times as you like.

It was worth it on a Day with moderate queues (60mins top), on a Bank Holiday it must be like nirvana.
 

C J Snarzell

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Although no longer around - my own favourite roller-coaster was the Cyclone at Southport's Pleasureland.

It was one the UK's oldest traditional rollercoaster rides. When the original Pleasureland closed it's gates in 2006, the ride was dismantled and there was a public outcry in the town.

CJ
 

Shimbleshanks

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Built using British Rail engineering know-how and technology, too!

It does have a few slow sections, including after the lift hills... but it is near Ripon so the views on those sections are quite spectacular on a clear day. I however would NOT suggest that it is gentle or tame. The latter part of the ride has a section weaving through forest through a series of banked reverse curves which is quite thrilling. The riding was always a little bit on the rough side (haven't been in several years) but as I was used to a less glamorous example of BR technology (the Pacer of course!) back then, it didn't bother me so much!
One thing I've noticed from videos of it is that there are sections where it appears to fun alongside farm tracks and paths without any fencing between the two. Presumably there is no public access to these areas - otherwise it could be very dangerous if a person decided to stray across the tracks. Though that wouldn't prevent an animal from doing the same, presumably?
 

61653 HTAFC

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One thing I've noticed from videos of it is that there are sections where it appears to fun alongside farm tracks and paths without any fencing between the two. Presumably there is no public access to these areas - otherwise it could be very dangerous if a person decided to stray across the tracks. Though that wouldn't prevent an animal from doing the same, presumably?
I heard somewhere (can't recall where unfortunately) that in periods when animal incursions are more likely (deer rutting season for example) they monitor the track more closely.
 

Ianno87

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I miss the Wild Mouse at Blackpool Pleasure Beach. Otherwise you can't beat the likes of The Grand National.
 

Peter0124

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Haven't been on any rides in the UK, but if we broaden the topic to ones in Europe, then Shambhala in PortAventura, Spain is a force to be reckoned with.
 

Urobach

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I miss the Wild Mouse at Blackpool Pleasure Beach. Otherwise you can't beat the likes of The Grand National.

I like my bones in one piece :lol:

Used to visit theme parks regularly, haven't been for myself since before Smiler got built and sadly not been able to sample it.

All time favourite was Saw the ride at Thorpe Park, Nemesis at Alton Towers very close second with Big One at Blackpool in third.

Would love to have visited Florida to experience their creations
 
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