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Camelot is staying!

Ive never been to the park, reason being theres beter things to do with my time, My sister whos only 4 wouldnt enjoy it because of all the knights and stuff, and well I want the big thrills like Nemisis, air, Manta... ect the good stuff, Knightmare looks alright, but how many times could i ride it without getting bored, if it was £15 a person, i would probably go... with a mate on the train or something, but £22 just looks excesive for what you get.
 
£22 is a massive rip-off! I've driven past the park a couple of times in the last week, and never once did I get a pang of disappointment that I couldn't go in. Its just a really disjointed place, there's no flow to it, and there's nothing to draw me there either, despite it being just over half an hour from my doorstep. Even when you look at an aerial view of the park (try it on Google), it looks like two separate places, the little bridge from the knights and stalls area to the fields and rides area is just not built for purpose.

All that said though, i'd be sad if it went, because ever since I was young, I have strong memories of looking across at it from the M6.
 
Camelot, it seems, is in a bad location to be a meh park.

It's okay, Knightmare is okay, but won't be going back. It's too far out of the way for most people. Personally, I'd rather it closed and those coasters found new homes elsewhere.
 
I find this thread quite sad. To say it's got a new lease of life and you're pretty much all wishing it would close (despite, from some comments, it appears some haven't even been).

Camelot may not have the fastest or the best coasters, but it's great family park (which is probably why none of you like it), it's a little tired these days (there's things there that haven't been spruced up in over 20 years...) but it's still an enjoyable day out, I think so at least.

As for the park staying open, I went yesterday, not only was it rammed full, I've been told that the lease from the developer (who rents the land to knights leisure) has just extended it by five years and Camelot are now looking to install a bobsleigh coaster to go around section 2 (where knightmare, whirlwind, etc are) with the station being where the rack has been removed from. This info, by the way, is what my brother told me who has been a ride op there this season.



Oh and to the person who said the Dragon flyer is always broken, you must be about the unluckiest person in the world, as I've never once seen it brake down in the 20 years or so I've been going.
 
^^^^^ well said!


I hate to see any theme park struggle, we need the small parks as much as the big ones! I really hope they invest some money into the park over the next few years, I dont see a new coaster coming in but maybe a few good flat rides and a good tidy and repaint would do wonders.

I dont think all the stories of will it, wont it close has done much good for them either, I live about 20/30mins away and people round here think it closed for good last season! I havnt heard any radio advertising or leaflet drops happening, they need to let people know they are still open! (I know attendences have been good for the past 18months, but I feel it could be better).
 
Camelot may not have the fastest or best coasters, operations, food, staff, theming, atmosphere or shows, but it's a mediocre family park ... it's very tired these days (there's things there that haven't been spruced up in over 20 years...) but it's still a credit whoring, couple of hours out, I think so at least.
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Fixed. :)

(which is probably why none of you like it)
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Eh?
Some of the best theme parks in the world are family-orientated parks. Try Disney for example. Isn't Europa Park, a park many consider to be the best in the world, also a family park?

To say that a group of enthusiasts don't like a park because it's family based is ludicrous.
 
I love family parks. I often take my family to family parks. I love Twin Lakes, The Milky Way, Paultons Park and Wicksteed.

Some of these, are even complete tosh with nary a decent ride between them. I love them though because they're clean, well loved and offer a huge amount of fun and entertainment for the family for a full day.

Camelot I've been to a few times with the family. It's an awful park for the family. It's grotty, in poor state of repair and just generally a bit unpleasant. It has very few redeeming features compared to much lesser parks.

I don't want it to close, I want somebody to come in and look at the park and seriously shake it up. It used to be a fairly decent place, but it's been sliding downhill for years. As much as I like Knightmare, I'd rather the management had invested those millions in sprucing up the entire park. THEN I'd have rushed back.
 
Can't agree more. My chances of persuading my theme park hating wife to visit Camelot are nil. Chessie, on the other hand, who tend to spend more on theming and upkeep than rides, is one of the few that she does actually like, likewise Legoland. Camelot should be a theme park, instead it comes across as a funfair with a Knighty flavour. I may as well go to the Hoppings, if that is what I want...if you erm...swap Knights for Gypsies...
 
Blimey, what a fantastic sounding place!
With all these wonderful reviews I don't know why I haven't been yet!
Can't wait till next season - I'll get my arse up there - love a bit 'o jousting me. And a field you say? A whole field?
What more could a coaster lover ask for?
:roll:
 
Enicomb said:
Camelot may not have the fastest or the best coasters, but it's great family park (which is probably why none of you like it), it's a little tired these days (there's things there that haven't been spruced up in over 20 years...) but it's still an enjoyable day out, I think so at least.
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Sorry, but that's a bit out of order. When you say 'great family park' I immediately think of Chessington, Paultons and Wicksteed, which like furie said, are actually decent, well kept parks that I find I can have a lot of fun in. Camelot is dirty, vandalised and grotty. If you went into that place when it was closed you could quite easily mistaken it for being abandoned, it's awful.

I'm in the same boat as furie on this one, I hate to see a UK park close and would rather someone went in and dealt with all the parks obvious flaws, that would make me happy.

Also, a park themed to Camelot has so much potential epicness it's insane that it is as bad as it is.
 
slappy mcguire said:
Was it any better, back when Granada owned it, or has it always been a monstrous carbuncle?
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The early days were much better - if you look at the old school rides, like the defunct Tower of Terror & Vemon/Beast, those rides really looked great.

Additions in later years though, not so much.
 
You can see where the theming used to be better too, but has just been left to rot in a lot of areas.
 
^ Very true. The thing about Camelot it has a fantastic theme that just isn't exploited anymore - and I suspect this is down to cost. I have some FANTASTIC memories of the place when I was younger and the park was still in its infancy, it was ground breaking - one of (the first?) true UK 'theme' park.

When TOT was removed and they were denied planning for the Invertigo, that was ultimately the turning point. The end of the Bembom rides (TOT & Excalibur) were the end of the Camelot glory days for me. However, if they had have gotten the Invertigo - that would have been a fantastic acquisition for the park and could have paved the way for many great things.

Very sad. As a side note, how the Invertigo was denied but they were allowed to build Knightmare, is beyond me.
 
rickydoodle said:
^ Very true. The thing about Camelot it has a fantastic theme that just isn't exploited anymore - and I suspect this is down to cost. I have some FANTASTIC memories of the place when I was younger and the park was still in its infancy, it was ground breaking - one of (the first?) true UK 'theme' park.
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I wouldn't know... When I first visited, it was the ballroom in Park hall, the "animatronics" at the entrance. A large woodland rope climb, a large inflatable thing, a cowboy shoot-out show and a western train ride.

The animatronics were the only thing in the slightest bit in theme. That WAS around 1981 though :lol:

rickydoodle said:
When TOT was removed and they were denied planning for the Invertigo, that was ultimately the turning point. The end of the Bembom rides (TOT & Excalibur) were the end of the Camelot glory days for me. However, if they had have gotten the Invertigo - that would have been a fantastic acquisition for the park and could have paved the way for many great things.

Very sad. As a side note, how the Invertigo was denied but they were allowed to build Knightmare, is beyond me.
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Yeah, it's kind of odd, but not really. The locals and council wanted it shut for development and to get rid of it. So it was denied because of people looking to get rich with the closure of the park.

Then the bottom started falling out of the new build market, and it appeared that planning permission was suddenly going to be tough, rather than immediately granted. All of a sudden, lots of people realised that if they weren't careful, rather than a mildly annoying theme park on their door steps that employed people and brought in cash to the area, they could end up with a Southport Pleasureland instead.

When you look at that, it makes sense suddenly for the fickle locals to support rather than to object.

Marc, if you head there, let us know and we'll join you. We're about an hour away :)
 
...Yeah, good call re; planning.

Camelot have made some bizarre decisions over the years and I think they have had a pretty long lasting effect on the park. Like the area where the outdoor swimming pool used to be - I spent my childhood there, it was a great kids area and it was all bulldozed in a not so well thought out plan to make it a year-round attraction.
 
rickydoodle said:
I have some FANTASTIC memories of the place when I was younger
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Same here. I went on a school trip back in 1988 (8 years old at the time) and absolutely loved it. Obviously, age and lack of theme park experience at that point has a lot to play in that, but I remember the atmosphere there being amazing. I went again a couple of months later after talking my parents into it, and again had a great time.

I haven't been back since, and even though there are some CREDZZ!!! that I haven't ridden, I'm really putting off going back as it would basically ruin any memory I have of the place.
 
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