Paulton's Park

October 27^th, 2023

With the kids and Gemma off from school (Gemma’s an executive head teacher) along with Sid and Sonia off of work, we decided to take the opportunity to go to an amusement park called Paultons Park located near Southampton, about an hour and twenty minutes from Auntie Shirley’s place.  I had been there before with the kids about 5-6 years ago when it was known primarily as Peppa Pig’s World, which was more up their alley at the time.  The park has since added some bigger and more adventurous rides for big kids and adults and the girls had outgrown Peppa Pig.

 

Since it was half term for all school kids, I figured the place would be packed.  It was, but the longest we waited for a ride was 25-30 minutes and most wait times were 10-15.  My cousin Gemma has three girls and her brother Sid has two.  They all happen to be about 9 months apart in age, with Gemma’s oldest Pippa followed by Sid’s oldest Amelie.  Then it is Gemma’s Annabel, Sid’s Penelope (aka Pops) and finally Gemma’s youngest Rose.  You can imagine the craziness that can happen between these sisters and cousins. 

 Rose's chicken impression:

There must have been 3-400 pumpkins laid out in a few fields.

The family by the Cobra roller coaster, which everyone went on.

Amelie, Annabel and Pippa on the Cobra:

Entering the Lost Kingdom:

Me, Rose and Pops on the Velociraptor roller coaster:

Rose ready to go!

Well 7-year-old Rose latched on to me for the day as her ride buddy.  I think I sat beside her for every ride but one.  And she was not afraid to go on anything, including the biggest ride, the Cyclonator.  I was impressed…none of the other adults apart from me wanted to go on that ride!  I really enjoyed that ride too as you experienced a brief moment of weightlessness as

 

Waiting in line for the Cyclonator:

I took a quick couple of sneaky pics before the Cyclonator started:

What the ride looks like.  The wheel spins as well as swinging up and down.

Our brief foray into Peppa Pig Land:

In what seems to be a tradition, at the end of the day the girls wanted to ride on the “Raging River Ride” which in England they call a “log flume”.  Rose begged me to go on it with her but I knew that I would get wet and it was the end of the day and the sun was getting low in the sky.  I didn’t really want to sit for over an hour in the car back to Auntie Shirley’s in wet clothes.  We got to the ride and the restrictions were that you had to be 8 years or older to ride by yourself.  That’s okay for Pops as she’s 8, and Rose said she’d tell the guy that she was 8, but she was rejected…so I had to go…not just once, not twice, but three times!  I didn’t get too wet, thanks to my rain jacket, but I did get a wet butt from the seat.  Still it was fun, a good way to end the day.

Yeah, a bit wet...