Visiting Paultons Park and Funland Hayling Island with the ECC...
Visiting Paultons Park and Funland Hayling Island with the ECC...
The appropriately named South Coast Shuffle was a weekend European Coaster Club trip in September 2022 visiting the south coast around Southampton and Portsmouth. Following the success of 2016's Paultons All Wight trip we were back at Paultons Park on the Saturday. A smaller but select group went on to Funland Hayling Island on Sunday: a park I haven't visited since 2004!
We met up at Paultons Park's main entrance ready to begin at 8:45am
Entering through a gap in the hedge
Paul of Paultons
The park's magnificent Tornado Springs area
Croissants and hot drinks were laid on in the Route 83 Diner
Grabbing a coffee
After breakfast we were treated to a behind the scenes tour of the Storm Chaser Maintenance Shed
Following the tour, we had an ERS on Storm Chaser itself
Waiting to board
Checking restraints
Ready to go
Leaving the station
On the lift
Arms up
Passing overhead
Speeding helix
Outrunning the storm
On the brakerun
Welcome back riders
Back in the station
Storm Chaser is a hit
Alongside Storm Chaser, our ERS also included Paultons' brand new Farmyard Flyer family coaster
The ride has a nice crop dusting theme
It's a great family coaster and perfect for Paultons
A pair of very competent Trekking Tractors drivers
This windy castle is very windy
Dum dee dum dee dum dum ... Peppa Pig
A dinosaur in a box beats Peppa anyday
Taking a flight on a Pterosaur
Why ride one dinosaur coaster when you can ride two?
Give us a tour of the area please driver
We took a trip up Magma ...
... and slithered around Cobra
Lunchtime!
The cinema was showing 'The House of Magic 4D', a film which seemed to spend the entire time introducing the characters and setup, then promptly ended
All aboard the Rio Grande Train
Flags around the park were flying at halfmast to mark the death of Queen Elizabeth II
Meerkat (not a Russian one)
We ended the day with a sitdown in Tornado Springs
We said our goodbyes and made for the exit ... some people were travelling back home, while the rest of us were heading to various hotels for an overnight stay
The next day began with a drive over the bridge to Hayling Island, then across the island to the beach and Funland
Collecting wristbands
Making our way through the park: rollercoaster ahead!
We had an ERS on Spinosaurus before the park opened
Spinner-o-saurus
The fully adult-laiden train struggled to make it over the lift hill at first, meaning we experienced some awesome rollbacks!
Things were a lot better when we left a few empty seats
It was a really fun ERS
Hands up if you're having a good time
Winning spinning
Several of us had previously ridden the coaster when it was at Gulliver's Land
Banked turn
Spinning all the way back to the station
I've not been to Funland for 18 years and its remarkable how much the park has changed since then - almost all the rides I remember have been replaced
Funland's Runaway Mine Train opened in 2016
It seems to operate without the trim brakes turned on, making it an especially wild Wild Mouse
Funland is a small park, but it provided a great opportunity to spend a couple of hours relaxing and catching up with coaster buddies. Until the next time folks!