After living in Manchester for over two years I’d never been out on a day trip. We talked about going to York, the Peak District or Chester Zoo, but these plans were always postponed and then forgotten. It’s funny then – when I mentioned that I’m terrified of rollercoasters and theme parks – tickets for Blackpool Pleasure Beach were immediately booked and trains confirmed.
One Tuesday morning we got up ridiculously early (before 10am), packed a lunch and headed to the station. It wasn’t until our train approached the sprawl of Blackpool that I began to feel nervous. It wasn’t the low brick terraces of the town or the iconic tower that turned my stomach. Down along the beach from the tower, the monstrous Pepsi Max Big One (all the rides have sugary sponsors) dominates the coastline. A mountain of metal supports push the ribbon of track higher and higher into the Blackpool sky.
The park wasn’t busy and we didn’t have to wait long before we were buckled in and climbing the 213ft to the ride’s summit. It’d be a nice view if you weren’t about to plummet to the ground sat on a glorified bench. It was the most traumatic three minutes of my life and it’s safe to say the mid-ride picture wasn’t pretty.
Spurred on by my conquest of ‘The Big One’, and my new adrenaline levels, I started to really enjoy myself. Highlights of the Pleasure Beach were the old wooden ‘Big Dipper’ and the suspended loops of ‘Infusion’. Only people who have seen it will believe me but there’s also a surprisingly good dancing fountain show. No lie.
Blackpool Pleasure Beach was a great day trip/therapy session. Even if there was a tad more G force than I’m usually comfortable with.
