Well Well Well, what has happened to England? As most of you should know, the English weather isn't all that it is cracked up to be, well it rains all the time yet Thorpe Park in Surrey have taken the brave decision to have lots of water rides in their park. All of the main rides involve water in some way, but I think it is paying off!

A rather large space, but not filled with rides, is true for Thorpe, set in beautiful surrounds round a lake, its very spacious. Unfortunately though, Thorpe really isn't that much of a Thrill Park, with 2 possibly 3 real thrill rides, but 2001 and 2002 are big years for Thorpe Park.

The park mainly consists of family rides, and even has an outdoor swimming area!! But as I was saying all the Main rides get you wet!, X:\ No Way Out, has mist inside it, which gets you damp, Pirates 4D, throws water all over you, Depth Charge, is a water chute (your in boats though!) Loggers Leap, is a log flume, Thunder River, is River Rapids, and then the wettest of them all the New for 2000 Tidal Wave!

The Tidal wave is Europe's highest Shoots The Chutes ride, and as you can see from the pictures, don't expect to stay dry, even with the ponchos!

The story is that the town of Amity, which someone very funnily has sprayed CAL in front of it, has been hit by a Tidal Wave, and as you will see in the photos the whole area, even the KFC has been hit! There is mess every where and you can only just see the church spire sticking out of the water! You are being evacuated on boats, but oh no! The second tidal wave hits!

A very simple ride, which has mixed themeing! The splash down area, the (CAL)Amity Cover area and parts of the line have places where the themeing is amazing, such as an overflowing Toilet but then it lacks greatly in places. You board the boat, in the wonky station, and start the speedy climb to the top, then there is a rather quick turn around, and you look over the edge, before storming down the hill and smacking into the water, then you have 2 seconds to look and think, I'm going to be SOAKED, and SOAKED you are, the water suddenly falls all over you, and if you aren't in a poncho, you WILL need a change of clothes! Then another turn around and your back in the station! The splash is impressive, about 20ft high, as you will see from the pictures, but once you leave the station, you ride isn't over! You exit via a bridge, which has a great view of the boats falling down, and the splash, I took a lot of photos here, but very quickly ran away, why? Well the wave, reaches so far, that the water, goes right into and over the bridge, getting everyone once again soaking! This is an amazing experience, and it may be thrilling, but younger members of the family will also enjoy this one!

Along from the Tidal Wave there is the small family coaster, the flying fish, not at all thrilling, and I didn't even go on it but it is a nice introduction for the younger riders to coasters!

Near that you will find the attraction that was installed in 1999, Pirates 4D, the UK's first ever 4D cinema. What's 4D I hear you ask?... Well, it is a 3D film, with added effects such as in this case WATER!
The films lasts about 15 minutes, and holds 502 people in the cinema, while that is on another 502 people are in a holding pen outside waiting to go in, after collecting their 3D specs, so 1004 people every 20mins, isn't a bad capacity!
After having to endure the parrots jokes for 15 mins in the holding pen you are let in to the main cinema, the first thing you notice is the wet floor! When everyone is in, the lights go down and the film begins, staring Leslie Neilson and Eric Ideal. Its a typical comedy film, but the 3D effect mixed with the 4D usage of water, being thrown over you, buzzing seats, air jets, brings it all to life!   
The great thing about this style attraction is that it is for Everyone, teenagers, younger children, OAP'S, adults, they all love it, and it shouldn't be missed out!

In the park you will also find a large selection of side stalls, and eaterys, and a whole area, "Ranger County" devoted to the kids, with merry go rounds, and themed boat, and car rides! but back over towards Pirates 4D, you will find Thunder River, a simple River Rapids ride, which I won't really go in to detail about, nothing amazing, but worth a go!

Moving a bit further around the park you will find what I believe to be one of the fastest Log Flumes in the UK! Loggers Leap with its double bounce hill really is a speedy Log! The splash however looks rather small now compared to the Tidal Wave! The line is rather boring, no themeing and not much to look at but once you board the 5 seater logs, the fun begins! Hopefully the whole family have got on and you exit the station, and do a small turn left, and a small turn right into a tunnel. You then start to climb in the tunnel, and suddenly in the dark you drop about 15ft, yey!! You then leave the tunnel, and slowly meander round some more bends, then you start the climb to the top of the main hill. Slowly but surely you are going up, then you can see the bottom, as the log rapidly starts to go down, it hits a bounce, and goes down again, smile for the camera before slosh, the boat zooms into the water, breaking and getting you a little wet! Then two turns and back into the station to laugh at the photo! This is a good ride to take someone on, who is worried about the Tidal Wave, and gears them up to it, the speed on that drop though is amazing, it isn't as fast as the Tidal Wave, but it seams it!

What's that green and red pyramid, is one of the things I'm sure someone will ask as you enter the park, well you can now confidently say, "That is X:\ No Way Out, a backwards rollercoaster in the dark" Now this ride, like the rest of the park, isn't that thrilling, and really is a laugh though, and something different. Once you enter the pyramid, you have a long walk in front of you! Round dark corridors, with UV lights and sound effects, through space stations, and through a spinning tunnel before you might hit a line! Don't worry though, you won't be waiting for more than 20 mins or so in the line. You will eventually be let into the boarding platform, and you can get in the rather comfortable seats! The train then smoothly leaves the station, but BACKWARDS remember! There should be music and sound effects in the trains, but when I went they weren't working! Anyway, you slowly make your way up the hill, backwards and in the pitch dark, then the ride begins and basically consists of some helixes, bumps, turns, drops which take you round, and breaks! Strangely there are quite a few break runs which stop you, and send you forward, then backwards, teasing you, before letting you drop back into the ride! Its amazing fun, and the backwards sensation alone is different, but mixed with the dark, it really is unusual, and rather different. Its a thrilling mix, and not really recommend to anyone too young!

So what is Thorpe Park like, well its good fun, and with the investment of the new Tidal Wave this year, it is even better. Not really the best place for the Thrill Seeker, but still worth a trip for the family. Lets see what Thorpe do though for us Thrill Seekers, there was something this year, I wonder what is on the plans for next year? If you have a young family, then this is the park for you.

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