Lew's finest Attractions

The most common type of question that I am asked by enthusiasts (and non-enthusiasts) is along the line of "What is your favourite ride?" or "What are your top ten rides"?

I always find this an almost impossible question to answer, as I have found that if I do give an answer, I will have changed my mind the next day. So, inspired by supermarket's recent ideas of providing average meals with a little extra pepper and advertising it as "Extra Special", here are some of my favourite attractions from around the world. I invite you to try out the attractions below. If you are like me, you will not be dissapointed. Not all these attractions are without their faults, but these are some of my favourites.

Dark Rides

Phantom Manor - Disneyland Paris
This ride is so lavishly decorated and themed. It looks and feels beautiful. Accompany a rich soundtrack and pile on the atmosphere, and you have a ride that is almost impossiblie to beat. It has a slightly dodgy middle part of the ride that seems a little out of place, but you can't fault much else.

Pirates of the Carribean - Disneyland Paris
I have no hesitation is saying that this is the best dark ride I have ever had the pleasure of riding. The story, the atmosphere, the ride itself, the theming, the decoration, the soundtrack... Everything is just perfect. This ride constantly sends a shiver down my spine. I love the pirate era anyway, but this ride is phenomenal. Miss this ride at your peril.

Hex - Alton Towers
Possibly surprising that one of my favourite dark rides is at a park that I find to be horrifically over-rated. But this is a fantastic ride brimming with originality. Sadly, many visiters and riders expect thrills and then get dissapointed when they don't get it. For dark ride fans, the stunning attention to detail, the rich story and the fantastic musical score should impress. Sadly, the park seem determined to let little faults like lightbulb failures detriment the ride. If you get lucky, this is one to remember.

Men In Black - Universal Studios (Florida)
The new trait for dark rides these days is for them to be interactive. Men In Black must surely set the benchmark for judging such rides, as as well as having great scenery and a fantastic ride system, the game is also far more addictive simply because it is harder to play. To score points, you must hit aliens eyes not once, but twice. The models move and try to evade you, bonus points are on offer and the finale is completely unexpected. A ride that you will want to ride again.

Professor Burp's Bubbleworks - Chessington World of Adventures
This is truly one of the UK's great dark rides. Full of humour, wit and the art of not taking itself too seriously, it also has some fantastically entertaining scenes and a faultless storyline that will keep kids enthralled and parents satisfied. If this was all the ride was, it would be a good, if a little tame ride. But we have the added pleasure of *that* ending. The Fruit Juice Fountain Finale is spectacularly superb - and ends the ride on a high for everyone involved, no matter how times you ride it. Not only does it count as one of the UK's top dark rides, but of all the dark rides I have ridden everywhere, this has the most charm, character and endearing quality of them all.

Water Rides

Splash Mountain - Magic Kingdom, Walt Disney World
You just can't beat it. For a start it's nearly 15 minutes long, yet never boring. For much of the journey, it's a dark ride. Never before have I wanted to re-ride so much. It's mountain setting and fantastic theming stand in favour for an already entertaing flume. The length of the ride flies by courtesy of some great animatronics and artistry. I have not ridden the Disneyland version, but Disney World's (which is newer) blew me away. For best effect, ride at night-time. The atmosphere is enveloping.

Wooden Rollercoasters

Grand National - Blackpool Pleasure Beach
If you forget the racing aspect, the rollercoaster is a fantastic blend of just the right amount of stupendous airtime, thrills and speed. If you only concentrate on the racing, then it is a ride that has a social feel to it that many other rides are crying out for. Mix the two together, and you have one of the greatest rides around at a park who thankfully seem to give the ride as much Tender Loving Care as it deserves.

Wild Mouse - Blackpool Pleasure Beach
There really isn't anything like it. It's so wild and so mad that it just leaps it's way into my heart. It sums up a lot of Blackpool's attitude. From ducking on the lift hill to avoid wooden beams, to returning to the station shaken to bits, it is a classic coaster. It just is. Unlike most of the rides on my list, this ride doesn't give you the urge to hop straight on again and go around as many times as you can before you are thrown off. But in this one case, this is the reason why I like it so much. Never before has such a ride lived up to its namesake.

Colossos - Heide Park
This ride gets a lot of stick for being "Too Smooth". Now, I agree that part of the charm of a wooden rollercoaster is the "Shake, Rattle and Roll" - but when you get a ride such as this, it succeeds on its own merits - not just because it is a woody. It's great fun, and the first drop is staggering. Try lifting your legs on the drops - and by gum you'll be thankful there is a lap bar there. Okay, it may take a lot of it's ideas from modern steel coasters. But i'm not going to let silly little arguments like that stop me enjoying this fantastic ride.

Steel Rollercoasters

Batman La Fuga - Movie World Madrid
In the intensity stakes it is similar if not ahead of Nemesis. But it's longer and boats some fantastic visuals. The ride itself isn't themed as such, but the sheer entertainment of the ride pushes it ahead of it's competitors and the queuline is also very competently themed. Nemesis would possibly feature in this list as well, if Alton Towers didn't seem so determined to leave it's theming to rot.

Euro Mir - Europa Park
Ok, it isn't a highly polished coaster layout such as Batman or Magnum Force, but you can't fault the style and execution of this ride that is SO unique. It is a spinning coaster, except the spinning (more rotating really) is powered and completely controlled. You skirt around some amazing mirrored towers, before the coaster part proper begins. It ain't smooth, this is true. And it ain't a great coaster. But for a ride? It sets a very high standard.

Magnum Force - Flamingoland
This is a twenty year old coaster that used the travel the German fairs. After it's years of service on the road, and a brief period in Malaysia (where it was painted pink!) this ride has found its way to Flamingoland. Is it a good ride? I think you could go so far as to say that this is the best steel rollercoaster ever desigend, period. The number of constraints that had to be considered for it to be a travelling ride, for example having all the brake runs directly on top of each other, and yet for the ride to still feel so natural is quite sublime. It never really lets up, and is gorgeusly intense and yet still great fun. Flamingoland present the ride very badly indeed, with rust and weeds abound - but not even that can hide the fact that this is my favourite steel coaster... ever.

Spin Rides

Vortex - Thorpe Park
As you may well know, I do not have a great love of spin rides, so when I expirience one that I really truly enjoy, it must be doing something right. Vortex at Thorpe Park is thrilling and exhilerating enough to be vastly enjoyable, but not intense enough to make me feel ill or want to get off. It's looks something special, and I think it must be the best theme park spinning ride anywhere in the UK. Now - if only those restrints accomadated me a little better!!

Sir Hiram Maxim's Flying Machine - Blackpool Pleasure Beach
Now over 100 years old, this exhilertaing jewel of a ride must be one of the most durable rides in history. Still run using it's ancient cogs and mechanisms, this provides a stunning ride over the pleasure beach without any hassle of restraints or intensity, but giving thrilling views and just an air of superiority. It oozes character, and the fact that even today it is running so well is testimony to the fact that not everything old needs to be thrown out. Excellent Stuff, and quite unique.