By Aneesa Malik
Described as “bags of fun for all the family” some of the team at Asian World decided to take the apocalyptic plunge and visit Drayton Manor Theme Park, located in the heart of the West Midlands. Our group constituted of three adults and a child.
In the peak of the summer holidays, we were geared up for unsavoury queue times and the overwhelming heat. However, upon arrival we were pleasantly greeted with a relaxed atmosphere surrounded by groups of families, friends and couples – all there to have a great day.
With the reliable map of the park in hand, we were able to easily plan our route for the day; concentrating on one area of the park at a time. There was a resounding agreement to head towards the water rides first- as these were likely to be the most popular. The queue was protracted- as anticipated, but the views of the surrounding park were enough to divert anyone’s attention. Having conquered the two water rides- Splash Canyon and Stormforce 10- we had a day of soggy shoes ahead. There were several human driers located around these rides but as time was of the essence, we chose to avoid this queue and bask in the damp. 11 year old Zak Hashmi who was part of our group was adamant that there needed to be far more water rides as he especially enjoyed getting wet on Stormforce 10.
It was at this point the group split, leaving myself and a colleague to head towards Shockwave – Europe’s only stand-up rollercoaster. As we climbed through the queue system, it was delightful to see that we had reached the front in a matter of minutes. Now the difficult part was deciding whether we wanted front row seats or not – especially as my nerves were already on the brink of explosion. However, with help from the friendly and reassuring staff we were able to conquer the front row with confidence.
It became apparent though that had there been a queue, we probably would have been waiting for quite some time. What would be far more ideal is if there was a “Fast Lane” option to allow riders to progress to the front at a small cost.
It was lunchtime and we were all famished. So we walked through the park until we came across somewhere we liked. We spotted “Chicken Diner” and decided to check out the menu. As we were all Muslim, we were prepared for a meat free meal as we had visited other parks previously and none had provided a Halal menu. But as one of my colleagues took the initiative to ask if the meat was Halal, we were reliably informed that it in fact was. Ecstatic at this revelation we received our meals and ate in confidence.
Re-charged, we were ready to tackle the mother of all rides. As we began to head towards it, The Apocalypse peered over us in all its glory. It was time to take the plunge. Literally.
As described by my colleague Salma, “It’s not for the faint hearted. It’s full of anticipation and you are literally thrown off your seat.”
Now that it was out of our system, we took some time out to enjoy the rest of the park. We took a walk through The Haunted castle, which was a great way to bring our group back together. We also decided to try our hand at a few games, where Salma was lucky enough to win a Minion teddy!
Overall, it was an eventful day filled with something to do around every corner. Everything was in easy access which saved us from excessive walking and the possibility of getting lost. With rollercoaster’s, games and rides, there really was something for everyone.
