Thorpe Park is the thrill ride capital of the country, and I’m not talking roller coasters. The parks thrill rides are what help cement it as thrill central and in todays blog post we are revealing our official unofficial ranking of the Thorpe park thrill rides.
In at the bottom is Zodiac, the parks Huss Enterprise. Having originally opened as a temporary ride in 2000, and then promoted to a permanent ride in 2001, it’s taken many riders for a spin. The reason it ranks bottom for us is that it’s that much of a theme park staple that it’s become a bit dull and a boring.
In at 5th place is Quantum, the parks magic carpet. Tucked away near the dome this fun ride throws guests up and down. It’s a simple ride but I challenge anyone to come off this without a smile on your face. It’s just fun and it's a ride that the whole family can enjoy together.
4th place goes to Vortex, the parks KMG Afterburner. This ride opened in 2001 and is one of the first rides you see when you walk over the bridge. It's swinging and spinning make for a thrilling ride and it's one that is also fun to watch.
In at 3rd is Samurai. This Mondial Top Scan was originally at Chessington but moved to Thorpe in 2004. The ride was swapped with Eclipse, and has been thrilling guests ever since it opened. It's beginning to show its age a bit now but it's still one of the better thrill rides at the park.
In at number 2 is Detonator: Bombs Away. This Fabbri drop towers was supposed to be a temporary attraction when it opened after the great Thorpe fire of 2000. It was later decided that this drop tower would remain in the park and to date is still one of the scariest (if you hate heights) rides. What makes it even more thrilling is that this drop tower actually fires you towards the ground instead of letting gravity do its thing, creating a more thrilling and intense drop.
In at our top spot is Rush, the parks Screamin' Swing. It's a ride that is both terrifying and thrilling in equal measures. When the ride opened in 2005 it was the tallest ride of its type in the world. It not longer holds this but it's still pretty cool. The lap bar, instead of OTSR mean the ride is more open and makes you feel a bit exposed, adding to the terror. It's essentially a giant swing and who doesn't love a swing.
Whilst I have you, an honourable mention has to go to the parks longest SBNO ride.... Slammer. It opened in 2005 and operated on and off until 2016. It become the only operating Sky Swat ride in the world for a few years too. Slammer was a ride that felt like it could kill you at any moment but it was just ridiculously good fun and extremely thrilling.
So there you have it. A small look at my rankings of the thrill rides at the island like no other. Do you agree with this ranking?
(It's worth noting that Samurai, Vortex and Zodiac are rides I've never ridden due to the motion sickness I have)