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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

to ask if you ever rode the Grand National ride at Blackpool?

81 replies

Moghedien · 28/10/2014 18:17

I've just seen in the news that a man has been seriously injured on this ride, my first thought was obviously how awful for him and his family and hoping that he recovers quickly.

But I remember riding this when I was small. Tall enough to go on according to them. I slipped up out of my seat and my Dad caught me. My Dad's a gentle man, but I've never seen him so cross as he was with the ride operator. This was the 80's, he complained and left.

Reading the news comment section (first page) brought up stories similar to mine. We complained, but as far as I know it was never followed up or anything reviewed.

I cannot believe this ride is still going, even after a revamp.

Anyone else rode this ride and had similar? (I am sorry if this subject feels ghoulish given the news, but that day at Blackpool is one of my worst memories and this has got me thinking about it all)

OP posts:

sickntiredtoo · 29/10/2014 08:48

According to the article he was found lying on the bottom of the cart which sounds to me as if the restraint wasn't closed properly.Looking at the pictures it seems to be like an iron bar.The man was 'big' so there is no chance he could have slithered beneath it

Taz1212 · 29/10/2014 09:58

I think the Steeplechase is far scarier than The Grand National- it's like a carousel on speed! DD(9) rode it over and over and over again last summer and I watched with my heart pounding, willing her to hold on tight!

I feel terribly sorry for this man and his family. What an awful accident.

Ev1lEdna · 29/10/2014 10:17

Yes when I was a teenager I shot into the air and was about to crack my head on the overhead sign but someone pulled me down quickly - could have been nasty. Wouldn't happen now thought I'm not nearly as slight as I was.

Nicknacky · 29/10/2014 10:18

That steeplechase looks like an accident waiting to happen!

I hate wooden rollercoasters after I basically for whiplash on the wooden coaster at Busch Gardens, I was agony for weeks and it was the most uncomfortable plane journey home ever!

specialsubject · 29/10/2014 11:03

this is such a sad story and I too hope for a miracle.

all roller coasters have a warning 'don't use if you have a back problem'. I take my hat off to the family for their sensible attitude, and again hope for a miracle.

MinionDave · 29/10/2014 13:21

We were at BPB a couple of weeks ago, and the Grand National was pretty scary - I loved it but DH complained (to me, not to the workers) that he jerked his neck on the first bend. I'm sure it was a seatbelt and harness though, so we were secured in well.

I remember going on the steeple chase years ago and being terrified - never again! I went on the bloody carousel a couple of week ago and that was bad enough. I sat behind DD and felt like I was slipping off, all to the sound of Abba being played on the Wurlitzer -it was hell on earth

MinionDave · 29/10/2014 13:25

ApprenticeViper · 29/10/2014 13:50

I love rollercoasters and want to go on The Big One every time I'm in Blackpool - I actually insist on it! However, the Grand National is the scariest thing I've ever been on and will never go on it again. I've been on it twice (gave it the benefit of the doubt first time) and it was a thoroughly unenjoyable experience. Too bumpy (nothing like riding a galloping horse!), too rickety, inadequate restraints (this was back in the 80s/90s so may have been upgraded since then) and just didn't feel safe. I know the whole point of rollercoasters is the adrenaline rush, but I still like to feel that I'm secure and I just didn't get that on the Grand National.

Sympathies to Mr Sycamore and his family

Labtest7 · 29/10/2014 14:11

It's my favourite ride at Blackpool and in the summer my 7 year old was finally tall enough to ride it. She loved it too. It does throw you around a bit but in my experience The Mouse is a million times worse. I also think there must be different settings on the GN as some rides seem smoother than others but I could be wrong

Rafflesway · 29/10/2014 14:39

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

JellyDiamonds · 29/10/2014 15:32

Would you believe that back in the day there were NO restraints on the Grand National? No bar, seatbelts, nothing. You were thrown about like nobody's business.

Whiskwarrior · 29/10/2014 15:42

God, I have a horrible memory of the Grand National. Went to Blackpool with ex about 17 years ago and the plan was that we were going to work our way up to The Big One because I'm such a wuss! So we started with The Grand National and it terrified me so much I wouldn't go on any other coasters that day.

Like Jelly says there was no seatbelt, no bar, nothing and I kept coming up out of my seat and forward out of the carriage - nothing I did seemed to stop it. I was almost crying with fear, thinking I was going to be thrown out of the ride.

It's weird because the previous year I'd been on Nemesis at Alton Towers with no problems at all and, because I felt so safe and secure, I loved it, but I hated the Grand National.

YourMaWithCurseBackOfMyHearse · 29/10/2014 15:51

Minion I haven't been on that carousel in years but I bloody love it! It's the closest I'll ever get to riding a real horse. :o not sure I'd let my kids go on it until they were older. It is extremely fast and you only have the reins to hold on.

I love the grand national and it's the first coaster we go on. The queues are always tiny. I do like the steeplechase, but hate the cat n' mouse ever since my leg got stuck. :( I like the big one but my fave ride is Valhalla. Nearly every time I went to Blackpool as a kid it was pouring with rain. I have happy memories of being with my cousins in the rain, getting soaking wet and not caring a bit. Did anyone else ever get dumped in the funhouse all day by boozy parents? Just us then. :o My cousins lived in Blackpool so we'd get a cone of chips and go back to the house, fight over the bathroom and keep each other entertained while our parents partied in the evenings.

poolomoomon · 29/10/2014 16:16

Oh yes... This is the ride that put me off rollercoasters for life. I wish I was exaggerating here but I haven't been on a proper rollercoaster since (have done the soft options like kids water rides, flying Dumbo's at Disneyland etc but no adult coasters). I'm absolutely petrified of them after that.

I was about eight when I went on it and it's an experience I will never forget. I almost slipped under the bars a few times, the woman I was with had to literally hold me in. It was rickety, seemed to be extremely close to breaking. I really thought I was going to be flung out of it and die. What a hideous, hideous ride. I'm mightily surprised it's still in existence.

Topseyt · 29/10/2014 16:17

I went on the Grand National in Blackpool more than 25 years ago. Big mistake. I hated every single second of it and felt sooooooo unsafe. The only restraint was a metal bar coming down from the back of the seat in front if I recall correctly. No lap belt, no shoulder straps. I felt completely loose in my seat and was certain I was going to fall out and be killed.

I am surprised it is still going to be honest. I can't imagine it passing safety tests unless it has been massively overhauled (doesn't sound like it has). It is an accident waiting to happen. My thoughts are with this poor man and his family. I am wishing for the best possible outcome.

Admittedly I am not a fan of white-knuckle rides (I am a wuss). My husband once persuaded me to go on Space Mountain in Disneyland Los Angeles. Another big mistake. That was 13 years ago, and I vowed never to go on another roller coaster again.

Rowgtfc72 · 29/10/2014 17:53

Loved the grand national! Not so keen on the roller coaster in the dark. Went on it once and when it came to the end of the ride we were hauled off just before the next set of carriages came through. Following day the two sets of carriages collided in the dark and a boy was seriously injured.

SilverShadows · 29/10/2014 18:18

I love wooden roller coasters, I call them "bone rattlers".

I'm glad his family don't seem to be after compensation currently, but honestly, it was so stupid for him to even consider going on the ride. He might get away with something smooth like Air at Alton Towers, but no chance a ride like that - you can hear as you stand near it that is wouldn't be a smooth ride.

ShakesBootyFlabWobbles · 29/10/2014 19:03

Been on GN (double wooden roller coaster) loads of times. The flick on the first drop is meant to make you feel like you are flying out, particularly if you are in the back seat, that's the point of it. Nobody had actually fallen out of it in nearly 80 years.

Steeplechase (horses on monorails) is pretty tame.

The scariest ride at BPB is the wild mouse. I can only go on it once per trip as I am convinced I am about to die. Always go back on it on the next visit though.

Stupidhead · 29/10/2014 19:05

Yeah again, me 20+ years ago. It's rickety and sounded like it was falling apart then. I think it's one of the last wooden roller coasters? Or oldest or something. It's shit and scary for the wrong reasons.

chockbic · 29/10/2014 19:09

Never have liked a rollercoaster.

The Ghost Train is fun.

MuddlingMackem · 29/10/2014 19:55

Just checked wikiepedia and it would appear that the carriages were replaced in 2004 after a fire destroyed the previous ones. According to info there is now a seatbelt and a lap bar.

I don't do coasters, at all, but husband and son are coaster fiends and son says he really liked the Grand National.

MrsItsNoworNotatAll1 · 29/10/2014 20:59

Didn't mind the Grand National ride but the Steeplechase was awful. Your just held in place by a belt. Looks tame but it's very precarious, wouldn't go on it again.

StickEm · 29/10/2014 21:09

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

NoNoDontEatThatBloodyHellFFS · 29/10/2014 21:33

Aye OP I almost went flying out of the Grand National when I was a kid also (90s) I also had a very shaken up and pale da pinning me to the seat for the entire ride My mum had to pin my older brother down in the same way, she nearly killed da afterwards as she hates rides and he'd told her the Grand National "just goes around and around a few times, not up and down..."

I seem to remember it was just an iron/steel bar across your lap to hold you in. Only it sits miles away from your lap or waist, and was too big to grip easily (as a child at least).

My da also remembers that ride very well, mostly due to the 'oh fuck' feeling he got when his youngest nearly flew off it.

Didn't put me off roller coasters though

(I also bagged a cuddly Husky toy that day. The two events may have been related.)

Graendal · 29/10/2014 21:36

I seem to remember it was just an iron/steel bar across your lap to hold you in. Only it sits miles away from your lap or waist, and was too big to grip easily (as a child at least). That's what I remember too.

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