Yesterday my cousin and I took a trip to Camelot! We’d never been before so I was looking forward to riding the coasters especially Knightmare, and getting a general overview of the park. We got there at around quarter to 11 and used a 2 for 1 to get in. First of all, I was quite impressed by the entrance and first area you walk into, it’s all very nice and makes good use of its surroundings.
Yet, once we had finally found the path you take to get to Knightmare, the area that it’s in is rather tacky. Anyway, as we walked past the food court we saw Knightmare with an empty train so opted first for Whirlwind. It was about a 10 minute queue then we were on. I sat right hand side going backwards.
I’ve got to say my first ride on it was pretty decent. Wasn’t really jolty or bumpy at all and ok layout. Still, nothing great though and it’s appearance could be easily improved with a lick of paint.
Next up was Camelot’s feature attraction, Knightmare! It was running two trains and we realised the empty train was one of the trains being sent around with weights in. We got in the queue and again it must have been about a 10 minute wait and we sat row 3, not knowing what to expect.
The bumps you get as you leave the station didn’t fill me with confidence, but as we headed up the spiral lift hill, the ride seems higher than it first appears.
The first drop, turn around and hill are all taken with a good speed but the transitions are horrid. However, the rest of the ride is brilliant IMO. The “psycho drop” is fantastic and the rest of the layout is pure force with helixes and tight turns. Great coaster if a bit jolty in places.
We walked back over to the other part of the park after and got in the queue for Dragon Flyer. Again it was around 10 minutes and I didn’t really have high hopes for it, but I actually thought it was pretty good, not as a coaster but for getting great views of that side of the park. The ride op at the front looked enthralled. :lol:
We then walked on the water slide things, Pendragon’s Plunge. Nice feature how you can race, though one of the two slides open was obviously shorter than the other which kind of defeated the object of racing. Still they were good, though their layouts were quite short and we got a little wet.
Seeing as we were already wet, we went on the Log Flume. It was walk on at the time we went on (around 10 past 12) though seemed to become busier later on in the day. We got told to shuffle forward in the boat or else it would “tip over”.
It was ok, simple enough with a bit of theming and a good drop which got me very wet. The water’s pretty murky though.
We then walked on Caterpillar Capers and I sat at the back, was good enough for a Big Apple. Could do with painting though.
By now it was about 10 minutes until the Jousting Show started and there were already a load of people in the arena so we thought we’d take our seats. Unfortunately, though it was dry on the day, the surface was boggy so no jousting could take place so it was only foot combat. Still it was a great show and I really enjoyed it. I mean, they had a flaming flail, what more could you want?
The show finished at about 1 so we were both hungry so headed to the food court. I had pie, chips and a drink and I’ve got to say it was good quality and a good price.
My cousin then wanted to go on the ghost train thing, Dungeons of Doom. We queued about 10 minutes for it, the cars were pretty unique and it didn’t really do a lot, but it was decent.
We then strolled down to the Birds of Prey and Animal Centre which was pretty cool. There was quite a lot in there including a massive rabbit!
After we decided on a re-ride on Knightmare. We entered the queue which looked a little longer than earlier. However, they were now running both trains with people in and the front row was empty and they were asking for a 2 so we duly obliged.
Front row was even better and definitely more enjoyable than the previous ride, and I got airtime on the hill!
As I found Whirlwind all right, we walked on for a re-ride. This time I sat on the left going backwards and it was much worse than before. It’s rare I actually complain of a ride being simply terrible or rough but it wasn’t in any way enjoyable in that seat. The shaping is just bad.
Back over to the other side of the park, we got back on Dragon Flyer after about a 5 minute queue as it was quite enjoyable before and again it was good. It is fast enough to actually provide a bit of a feeling of speed but also lets you see the whole area.
Next we walked on the swinging ship, Pirate Galleon. Not as good as Blade (the only other pirate ship I’ve been on) but it had a pretty long cycle.
We went back on Pendragon’s Plunge but swapped sides this time and again it was a fun ride. I got soaked on my back though.
By now it was about mid-afternoon, so we headed back over to the other side of the park and I grabbed an ice cream. Another ride on Knightmare was on the agenda, so after a short wait we decided to be brave and go back row.
Again great ride, but the seatbelt can dig in at some point which hurts and some of the entrances to helixes bashed you against the side. Very intense in the back though and the brakes are very harsh!
We saw the last coaster we had to get had no queue, so we went on Junior Dragon Coaster. I sat at the back (like it makes a difference) and we got four circuits. I did get partly thrown to the side on the first corner though as I was sitting in a rather casual position.
Then we popped back in the Birds of Prey centre as some of the birds had been missing due to being involved in the show when we looked earlier on, then finished the day with a row 6 ride on Knightmare, Dragon Flyer and the Dodgems.
As we walked back up to Knightmare, we unfortunately saw a train hit a seagull on the track. Luckily, there was no-one on it as the weights had been put back in, but it was a horrible thing to see.
Despite this, it was a great day and Camelot is a good little park that was better than what I was expecting. However, without re-rides you wouldn’t really have enough to fill your afternoon. The variety of rides is great and in parts, some things are themed well, but closing at 5 in peak season without any substantial queues throughout the day is obviously a problem. Still, with some TLC and a few new rides, I think it could be a great place. I’m glad I’ve been but I don’t think I’d go back without anything new being added. It was good enough for £13 each though. :--D
Ride count:
Whirlwind x2
Knightmare x4 (Front row)
Dragon Flyer x3
Pendragon’s Plunge x2
Log Flume x1
Caterpillar Capers x1
Jousting Show x1
Dungeons of Doom x1
Birds of Prey x2
Pirate Galleon x1
Junior Dragon Coaster x1
Dodgems x1
Yet, once we had finally found the path you take to get to Knightmare, the area that it’s in is rather tacky. Anyway, as we walked past the food court we saw Knightmare with an empty train so opted first for Whirlwind. It was about a 10 minute queue then we were on. I sat right hand side going backwards.
I’ve got to say my first ride on it was pretty decent. Wasn’t really jolty or bumpy at all and ok layout. Still, nothing great though and it’s appearance could be easily improved with a lick of paint.
Next up was Camelot’s feature attraction, Knightmare! It was running two trains and we realised the empty train was one of the trains being sent around with weights in. We got in the queue and again it must have been about a 10 minute wait and we sat row 3, not knowing what to expect.
The bumps you get as you leave the station didn’t fill me with confidence, but as we headed up the spiral lift hill, the ride seems higher than it first appears.
The first drop, turn around and hill are all taken with a good speed but the transitions are horrid. However, the rest of the ride is brilliant IMO. The “psycho drop” is fantastic and the rest of the layout is pure force with helixes and tight turns. Great coaster if a bit jolty in places.
We walked back over to the other part of the park after and got in the queue for Dragon Flyer. Again it was around 10 minutes and I didn’t really have high hopes for it, but I actually thought it was pretty good, not as a coaster but for getting great views of that side of the park. The ride op at the front looked enthralled. :lol:
We then walked on the water slide things, Pendragon’s Plunge. Nice feature how you can race, though one of the two slides open was obviously shorter than the other which kind of defeated the object of racing. Still they were good, though their layouts were quite short and we got a little wet.
Seeing as we were already wet, we went on the Log Flume. It was walk on at the time we went on (around 10 past 12) though seemed to become busier later on in the day. We got told to shuffle forward in the boat or else it would “tip over”.
It was ok, simple enough with a bit of theming and a good drop which got me very wet. The water’s pretty murky though.
We then walked on Caterpillar Capers and I sat at the back, was good enough for a Big Apple. Could do with painting though.
By now it was about 10 minutes until the Jousting Show started and there were already a load of people in the arena so we thought we’d take our seats. Unfortunately, though it was dry on the day, the surface was boggy so no jousting could take place so it was only foot combat. Still it was a great show and I really enjoyed it. I mean, they had a flaming flail, what more could you want?
The show finished at about 1 so we were both hungry so headed to the food court. I had pie, chips and a drink and I’ve got to say it was good quality and a good price.
My cousin then wanted to go on the ghost train thing, Dungeons of Doom. We queued about 10 minutes for it, the cars were pretty unique and it didn’t really do a lot, but it was decent.
We then strolled down to the Birds of Prey and Animal Centre which was pretty cool. There was quite a lot in there including a massive rabbit!
After we decided on a re-ride on Knightmare. We entered the queue which looked a little longer than earlier. However, they were now running both trains with people in and the front row was empty and they were asking for a 2 so we duly obliged.
Front row was even better and definitely more enjoyable than the previous ride, and I got airtime on the hill!
As I found Whirlwind all right, we walked on for a re-ride. This time I sat on the left going backwards and it was much worse than before. It’s rare I actually complain of a ride being simply terrible or rough but it wasn’t in any way enjoyable in that seat. The shaping is just bad.
Back over to the other side of the park, we got back on Dragon Flyer after about a 5 minute queue as it was quite enjoyable before and again it was good. It is fast enough to actually provide a bit of a feeling of speed but also lets you see the whole area.
Next we walked on the swinging ship, Pirate Galleon. Not as good as Blade (the only other pirate ship I’ve been on) but it had a pretty long cycle.
We went back on Pendragon’s Plunge but swapped sides this time and again it was a fun ride. I got soaked on my back though.
By now it was about mid-afternoon, so we headed back over to the other side of the park and I grabbed an ice cream. Another ride on Knightmare was on the agenda, so after a short wait we decided to be brave and go back row.
Again great ride, but the seatbelt can dig in at some point which hurts and some of the entrances to helixes bashed you against the side. Very intense in the back though and the brakes are very harsh!
We saw the last coaster we had to get had no queue, so we went on Junior Dragon Coaster. I sat at the back (like it makes a difference) and we got four circuits. I did get partly thrown to the side on the first corner though as I was sitting in a rather casual position.
Then we popped back in the Birds of Prey centre as some of the birds had been missing due to being involved in the show when we looked earlier on, then finished the day with a row 6 ride on Knightmare, Dragon Flyer and the Dodgems.
As we walked back up to Knightmare, we unfortunately saw a train hit a seagull on the track. Luckily, there was no-one on it as the weights had been put back in, but it was a horrible thing to see.
Despite this, it was a great day and Camelot is a good little park that was better than what I was expecting. However, without re-rides you wouldn’t really have enough to fill your afternoon. The variety of rides is great and in parts, some things are themed well, but closing at 5 in peak season without any substantial queues throughout the day is obviously a problem. Still, with some TLC and a few new rides, I think it could be a great place. I’m glad I’ve been but I don’t think I’d go back without anything new being added. It was good enough for £13 each though. :--D
Ride count:
Whirlwind x2
Knightmare x4 (Front row)
Dragon Flyer x3
Pendragon’s Plunge x2
Log Flume x1
Caterpillar Capers x1
Jousting Show x1
Dungeons of Doom x1
Birds of Prey x2
Pirate Galleon x1
Junior Dragon Coaster x1
Dodgems x1
