The WORST park of the UK trip??!! | Drayton Manor Vlog Jul 2024

[@97channel]

Drayton Manor is a shadow of its former self. I've lived within a 50 minute car journey of the park all my life, and between 1987 and 1995 I would go there on the annual end-of-term summer school trip. It was a great place, back then. Yes, it was a relatively small park. Yes, it was always struggling to keep up with the big boys of theme parks in terms of thrill rides. But it punched above its weight, and offered a really nice balance of slightly scaled down thrill rides and more child-friendly family attractions. The zoo wasn't amazing, but again it was an enjoyable experience on a smaller scale. It didn't excel in any field, but it was an enjoyable day out. Unfortunately, the Drayton Manor you see today does not live up to that. It has declined badly. It's a shame that many people today will never have known the park at its height. But for me, I have great memories of real fun times at that place. I'd love to see it restored to its former glory, but its future doesn't look too promising right now.

[@edbrown2998]

I grew up with Drayton Manor too, and have fond memories of past attractions - the Snake Train was epic, but obviously Pirate Adventure is a massive loss to the park. But I disagree that the future doesn't look too promising - I think 3-4 years ago that was definitely the case, but the park has had a new lease of life in the last couple of years. It's getting investment and heading in the right direction. It might not be the high-thrill direction that you'd like to see, but it's pulling in crowds and looking more like the popular park it used to. The zoo definitely needs some investment, or they need to go in a different direction entirely with that area of the park. Bit by bit, year by year it's getting better though.

[@MelMar_hellopigcats]

No Drayton manor is amazing now

[@derelictCHEESEBURGER]

Drayton used to be one of my fav parks I’d choose to go there over Alton at one point! Then they started getting rid of all the best rides! Pirate adventure, G-force , pandemonium & then apocalypse 😭😭 also used to be a boat ride based on Excalibur with fire effects and a castle. Shame, it looks so boring now

[@reputation8383]

I loved that boat ride! Apart from Storm Force 10, that was always our favourite ride when we visited in the 90s/00s. I agree the park has gone downhill, its lost many of its good rides

[@technoandrew]

Really enjoying this content from your UK visit! Glad you had a nice time at the park (the video title and thumbnail had me worried!). A shame that you missed the new coaster Gold Rush (as we now know it). I think it does provide that signature coaster you mentioned the park needed. The flume ride (Storm Force 10) is also quite something for warmer weather.

[@MaloneysCoasters]

I have my issues with Drayton Manor - mainly the operations and (at least at the time I visited) the lack of a signature attraction. But while I would maybe describe it as the worst park of the trip, I would say it was just average in my opinion, not awful. I certainly enjoyed certain attractions and had a lot of fun even on a day with rough operations!

[@koasterlover1045]

Can I just say that your beard is absolutely EPIC.

[@CarsNCoasters]

Beardboy

[@Coaster_Crazy]

Best bit about this vlog lol

[@klinikle5445]

Was that powered coaster Buffalo Stampede from American Adventure?

[@reputation8383]

Nice to see you visit one of the smaller parks! Drayton Manornwas iur closest park in the 90s/00s, and Shockwave (now The Wave) was my first "big" rollercoaster. They uaed to have an amazing boat ride themed to King Arthur that was a partocular highlight. The park is much more branded for families with younger children now, whereas when we were teens it was a good all-rounder park. Are you doing FlamingoLand? I was surprisingly impressed with it when i went last year.

[@RomanSecundus]

drayton manor sounds like a haunted house

[@hazza5999]

Great vlog, fair assessment. Good illustration of the fact that though we may have more coasters in the UK than Aus, we just don't have the weather. The gods give and they take away. Even more interested to see how the Blackpool visit goes...Valhalla + North Sea...it ain't the Gold Coast 😂😂😂.f

[@donsimonc]

Who shat themselves?

[@DawsonsMemes]

The wave does have its issues with the restraints, thought they would have sorted it out by the time you went but no. It’s supposed to be much better with the new trains, il see if that’s true later this month

[@keithexpolerpage]

Wave used to be stand up roller coaster

[@hearingthesmells2500]

I went Drayton Manor on Monday. Was brilliant

[@LY-jm9vu]

I’m here for the beard. I like your ride reviews too. 👍🏻

[@jasonbakewell6831]

Drayton manor is brilliant if u have young kids they love it

[@ScaredyCatRidesRides]

Drayton Manor is technically my home park but i dont think of it as such. Very mid park IMO. Though you definitely missed the best ride, Stormforce 10 is really well done

[@Johnstur1976]

The new ride is gold rush

[@LegoYodaX]

Shame you missed the flume.. it's one of the best out there. yeah, Drayton is a lot of MID-TIER but you missed one of the upper tier rides! you do get VERY wet though so, weather dependent!

[@TVflix1]

With recent news the pirate adventure dark ride may be returning for next year, Drayton is about to get a lot better. Give it more time and this park will get a proper good ride line up

[@MaloneysCoasters]

I'm glad to hear it! Drayton has the makings of a good family park, so if Gold Rush and another addition or two can help improve it, I might even revisit one day!

[@TVflix1]

@@MaloneysCoasters it will be. A few years ago, Drayton were in a terrible place financially and they were essentially saved by the now owners the looping group. A few years ago the park was in a state but the group rethemed the area with the wave adding rides, added the vikings themed land and now gold rush really showing that Drayton can be a great park. This investment should be continuing and hopefully after the dark ride another family thrill coaster is being considered!

[@MGMutt]

@@TVflix1 The looping group doesn't exactly fill me with confidence though. They're worse than merlin for investing and then neglecting. Pleasurewood hills, their other UK park is a right dive

[@jasonbakewell6831]

They sold all of the theaming out of pirate adventure but I hope they do re-open it with all new theaming was the best dark ride in the UK by a mile

[@TVflix1]

@@MGMutt no they do all efforts are in Drayton and spending on accommodation at West Midlands because that makes most money I don’t believe pleasure wood hills can go that far

[@Rollercoastermadness24]

I’m off to the UK today😊

[@chrisogrady28]

Bro you skipped the best ride in the park haha. I've never actually been, I would have if they still had apocalypse (what was apparently the best drop tower in the country), G-force (the maurer x coaster), and shovkwave as a stand up, but they've just made themselves totally unappealing with their family rebrand

[@MaloneysCoasters]

As an Australian experiencing theme parks in the Northern Hemisphere for the first time, flume rides have unfortunately been my biggest struggle 😭 I really have to believe that it's going to be brilliant for me to think getting cold and wet is worthwhile, because to me, the weather here is constantly colder than what I would usually consider "swimming weather". I definitely regret missing Apocalypse and G-Force, those would have been the kind of attractions that might have completed the park slightly more for me. Also I definitely wish I got to ride Shockwave as a stand-up. I think the stand-up gimmick and the added whip in those inversions might have made it slightly more worth the wait. Thanks for watching!

[@chrisogrady28]

@@MaloneysCoasters hehe you're what is in Yorkshire would call a bit nesh. Although I bet you'd say the same about me in the heat, at the moment it's 25°C here and I feel at my limit, I'm constantly on the verge of a breakdown 😂

[@TowersAltonPlanCo]

2:27 Inatamin built Shockwave/The Wave NOT Giovanola

[@MaloneysCoasters]

Intamin subcontracted many of their construction projects at that time to Giovanola. Intamin would design, Giovanola would handle construction and some manufacturing

[@gingerbrummie]

I always thought the box track was because of the B&M brothers were working for Inatamin at the time

[@MaloneysCoasters]

Intamin sold the ride to the park as a type and basic design. It was then subcontracted to Werner Stengel to design the ride and do the calculations, then Giovanola did the fabrication work with their box type track and supports.

[@ThemeParkUK]

​@@gingerbrummie They were working for Giovanola I believe

[@themeparkplanet3210]

I wouldnt call the wave a family coaster whippy 4 inversions air time