The UK's tallest rollercoaster towers over the Blackpool seafront...
The UK's tallest rollercoaster towers over the Blackpool seafront...
| Theme Park | Blackpool Pleasure Beach |
|---|---|
| Type | Rollercoaster |
| Audience | Thrillseekers |
| Opened | 28 May 1994 |
| Manufacturer | Arrow Dynamics |
| Model | Hyper Coaster |
| Height | 213 ft |
| Length | 5497 ft |
| Inversions | 0 |
| Max Speed | 74 mph |
| Drop | 205 ft |
| Duration | 3 minutes |
The Big One
Towering over the seashore, The Big One is the tallest rollercoaster at Blackpool Pleasure Beach, and indeed in the UK.
The ride, initially sponsored by Pepsi Max and titled The Pepsi Max Big One, opened in 1994. With the high profile openings of Nemesis at Alton Towers and Shockwave at Drayton Manor also occuring the same year, 1994 was named as the UK's Year of the Roller Coaster.
Blackpool Pleasure Beach religiously markets The Big One as being 235ft tall, although it is actually 213ft high: the 235ft measurement is its height above sea level. Even so, at 213ft with a 205ft first drop, it is the tallest rollercoaster in the UK and is a landmark on the Blackpool skyline. There are small circular signs placed every 50ft up the lift hill just to ensure riders know exactly how high they are climbing!
With the huge height and sweeping track which runs all the way up and down the Pleasure Beach, you might rightly expect The Big One would be an outstanding ride. Unfortunately though its just, well, pretty average. The large hills have been built with such graceful swooping that sadly they produce almost zero airtime.
The Big One's lift hill towers over Blackpool
Given that Blackpool Pleasure Beach is so packed with rides, there are some interesting moments where the Big One track interacts with other rides such as Steeplechase and the Big Dipper. However, the big highlight is the first drop: while the rest of the ride could be described as a bit boring, nose-diving 205ft towards the Promenade and the beach beyond is thrilling. Not many rollercoasters can boast such a spectacular and scenic start.
Sitting next to the sea with the constant barage of wind and salt water is not the ideal environment for a rollercoaster, and perhaps understandably sections of The Big One have become a bit rough over its lifetime. To help address the worst spots, several sections of worn out track were replaced over the winter of 2019-2020.
While it may not be the ultimate rollercoaster, The Big One is clearly an icon for the park and draws visitors in. It's interesting to contemplate what might have been: imagine if it had been built 15 years later as a B&M Hyper Coaster rather than using the then state-of-the-art Arrow technology with its mass of support structure.
Entrance sign
The Big One's glass and metal station
Inside the station
Boarding gates
A train leaves the station
Setting off
Entering the tunnel
A Big One train climbs the lift hill while people in the queueline look on
Icon's track drops through the Big One's lift hill
A train nears the top of the lift hill
Going over the top
Beginning the first drop
The twisting first drop
Dropping 205ft down
The Big One takes its place at Blackpool Pleasure Beach next to Infusion and the Big Dipper
Large hill
Sailing over the hill
Arms up
Turn around at the opposite end of the park
Big One riders
Climbing up
Wind in the hair
The Big One has a lot of slightly odd looking completely straight sections
Bending round
Returning to the station
On ride photos
The Big One leaving the station in its original paint colours
Climbing the lift hill
Huge hills
Cresting the hill
The Big One's trains were originally silver with blue, yellow and pink stripes
Turnaround over the park entrance
One of The Big One's hills seen from the ride's queueline pens
The Big One station
The lift hill and first drop
Towering 213ft over Blackpool
The ride was originally sponsored by Pepsi Max, and trains still pass through a Pepsi Max can themed tunnel before engaging the lift hill
The Big One's lift hill in the distance, from the other end of the Pleasure Beach
The rollercoaster towers over Blackpool sea front
Old track sections from The Big One which were replaced in 2020
