I feel like I should write this blog about Drayton Manors Apocalypse. The ride is a 177ft Intamin Drop tower, the first of its kind to feature stand-up gondolas when it opened in 2000, a feat it held onto until 2005.
2 years after opening it was converted to have a 5th tower around its central column to facilitate a floorless standup gondolas.
Today, the 30th of October 2022 marks the last operational day for Apocalypse and it holds a special place for me. Alongside its distant cousin, Cliffhanger at Flamingo Land, these two are the two towers that setup my fear and eventual conquering of drop tower style rides.
In 2017 I rode Cliffhanger at Flamingo Land as the very first drop tower I’d ever do and it terrified me. It was a great feeling in some ways but scary in others as the ride reached its maximum height and began to fall back, my bum left the seat and despite being restrained properly, I’ll never forget that feeling of true terror, something I’ve yet to replicate on any ride since.
Anyway time passes and 2019 rolls around and our first visit to Alton Towers. This is the visit that cements my love for theme parks and is the trip I’ll officially state as the beginnings for Loops and Lapbars.
2020 comes around and COVID restrictions hamper access to parks but soon after we’re back at parks again. Besides Thorpe Park though, no Merlin parks have any drop towers so I begin to forget about my dislike of them as I choose to ignore Detonator and Ice Blast at Blackpool Pleasure Beach.
Our first visit to Drayton comes in 2021 and with it my first ride on Apocalypse. I’ve heard so many great things about this ride from plenty of other enthusiasts and it brings drop towers back to the forefront of my mind. Will I still feel the fear or will my understanding of how they operate make it easier to ride them?
I queue for Apocalypses alone as Tracy doesn’t want to try it, and I actually wanted to try the standup section first but found myself in the sit-down queue.
I board the gondola, get sat down and start to feel the adrenaline rush going somewhat into the unknown again. The ride starts and takes us all the way to the top and then holds us there for a few seconds. Tension mounts as you know it’s coming but nothing happens.
Then as quick as a flash the gondola drops and I feel the rush as we free fall back down to earth, reaching speeds of 50 miles an hour. Back in the station before I really knew what was going on, I get off and look back up at the tower. That was exhilarating and thrilling but not at all scary!
I don’t know if it’s something Apocalypse did different to Cliffhanger and I gather the restraints are different (and I’ve gained a bit of weight too since 2017), but whatever the case be, I really enjoyed the first drop on Apocalypse.
I’ve only actually ridden the ride 4 times since starting regular theme park visits. Only once have I done the standup side too as it’s been closed a lot since I got my first ride but that was on another level!
It’s in part thanks to Apocalypse that I enjoy drop towers as much as I do now. Since my first ride, I’ve now tackled Ice Blast at Blackpool Pleasure Beach, Cliffhanger at Flamingo Land again, Detonator at Thorpe Park and Vocalno at Fantasy Island.
I’m not sure if Detonator would have done the same if I’d ridden that first over Apocalypse, and I can speculate that it would have, however I rode Apocalypse first and not Detonator so Apocalypse gets the special treatment today. Detonator is a great ride though and I’ll still be able to ride that next year. Apocalypse is sadly going after the end of today and that’s a shame.
I will miss the big guy and to be honest I hope a smaller park buys it and adds it to their line up, renovates it and has it running at it’s best once again!
Thanks for the memories Apocalypse!
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