What an Adventure.....

Blah

 More like what a disaster!

Adventure Island is a small sea side amusement park on the east coast of England some 30 miles from London. Getting to the park via train is fairly easy, take a Southend Railway train to Southend Central station and walk maybe 1,500 feet toward the ocean (its easy to find... just follow the downward slope) and boom! Park/Coasters! Seems easy enough.... and I was honestly looking forward to visiting the park. Ok... So after my fun little run around London at the Eye and such I headed back to the Underground via Waterloo station. Got my Jubilee Line train to West Ham (lolol, HAM!) and was on my way to Southend! 

So when it comes to Public Transportation I feel I'm pretty good at understanding and using it well, although in this trip it was my first major use of systems with multiple lines with multiple platforms at the same station (outside of terminus') and since I ended up spending more time than planned in London I was "behind" although I had hours to still enjoy the park... I was in no rush when I missed the first my first train and then misunderstood the next....

 So like... West Ham

Oh man, rubber ducks!

And some penguins minding the gap!

(How British)

 Mhm.. Mhm... Southend Central, for Adventure Island.

 But first, let me take a selfie.

(Choo choo!)

 Well, just slightly behind schedule.. but I made it! It was around 4:40pm when I arrived in Southend but no worries, the park is opened till 8. 

Uh... Adventure Island is now the third park I've taken Public Transportation to?

(Others being Palace Playland and PortAventura)

 Southend On Sea, a typical seaside town in England.. Just follow the downward slope to the ocean and the park will be right in front of you.

 Walking up to the park it became obvious I wouldn't be riding the parks custom Tivoli coaster, Green Scream. It had stalled mid-ride and was being evacuated.

 But the Spin-Out was running, something I had planned to ride.

 As was the terrible Zamp Sky Drop, only the second one I've come across in my travels.

 SWEEEEET!

This is gonna be fun!!

And...............

WHAT THE HELL!

 So it turns out, while the parks website clearly indicates the park will be open until EIGHT PM they've since decided to CLOSE at FIVE......

 So now I'm frantically trying to buy tickets and run across the park to ride the 4 operating coasters....and being pissy about not having time to try any of the parks flats.

 So with about 15 minutes to go before closing I have my 4 ride tickets, as the staffer selling me the tickets claims that's all I'll need to ride the 4 coasters..... So annoyed.

Ok, here we go. The park is split in two by Southend Pier, the longest "pleasure pier" in the world... Over a mile long and with its own railway to take guests to the end! 3 of the parks coasters are on the right side and 2 are on the left (one being Green Scream, the stalled coaster) so I started on the right...

  First up was Kiddi Koasta, the second built Zamp "Speedy Coaster" and the first I've ridden. 

You get two laps for your ride, but I was set after the first as I was in a rush. The ride itself was rather fun for a kiddie coaster, a step-up from the standard Wacky Worm.

Up next was the Mighty Mini Mega.

Built on the roof of the parks arcade. This ride also gave two laps as a single cycle... Again making me impatient to rush off to the next coaster, located right next door.

Barnstormer, the parks second, smaller, custom Tivoli coaster.

 "I'm having fun!"

(no, not really....)

 And again with the two-lap cycle... Once pulling into the station for the second time the operator announced "that's it everyone! Parks now closed for the day" (but with a British accent) My heart sank at that point.. realizing I'd be missing the parks "star" coaster (if you can really call it that)

RAGE, the fourth Euro-Fighter coaster built... and the original to the clone built at Canobie Lake Park in 2011. I still ran over as fast as I could to try and catch the last loaded train...

 Running up to the station I was told the ride had closed for the day and that I should try back again tomorrow. After explaining to the staff how the man selling me my tickets barely 15 minutes ago assured me that I would be able to ride all 4 coasters and sold me the tickets. I also explained how I had visited all the way from America.... and that in 13 hours I would be flying to Denmark, therefore I was unable to "try back again tomorrow" they were almost about to let me on the ride.... until they found out I only had a single ticket and Rage requires two... Again, I explained how the man who sold me the tickets said I had all I needed... But noting became of it.... 

So I missed out on Rage.

DAMMIT

I would have liked to have ridden it.. but in reality, I had ridden its clone just a week earlier.... So outside of not getting my "+1" it wasn't a true loss and I did manage to get on the more unique coasters within the park.

Whatever, I'm never coming back to this crap-hole again....

(well, I say that now... but we'll see)

On my way to the exit... being almost pushed out by park security doing sweep, I took some photos of the rides I wish I had been able to ride....

 Fireball, the parks neat awkward looking Ferris Wheel

 and Time Machine, an in-park built ride that I was almost actually upset about missing.

Its like a mini-enterprise with rotating seats...

SEE VIDEO HERE

 Aw, and the parks amazing looking Wave Swinger. :(

  (Hey Jeff!)

 Oh, and the parks now infamous Ferris Wheel.

(that the park closed for the day with riders STILL ON IT...)

 (and left them!)

 Don't care. Not coming back.

Um... a hotdog!

With noting better to do, I just kinda walked around the outer perimeter of the park and took a stroll down the boardwalk and observation deck across from the park before making my way back up to the train station.

 The ocean and stuff... The beach was pretty nasty and there was (sadly) trash everywhere.

But it looks like they at least try and make the area nice.

Um, good to know... I guess?

Can you go back and find me looking pissed off?

 naughty-naughty

 Neat little Ferris Wheel flower baskets.

 And then I was gonna rock down to....

 Making my way back up to the train....

I stopped at the 99P shoppe and got a bigass Sunny D and a bag of chips for the ride back to London.

 Honk honk.

Oh hey look, back at West Ham

(haha, ham... still funny to me)

And then I saw this crazy power line/pole/thing...

 At Joey's stop.
Where I then made the short walk back to his house... Once arriving, telling them all of my misadventure and hearing Kyle proclaim how awful Southend is. <3

Oh hey, and a bonus photo of Joey's birds

Being in the rush I was in at the park and my annoyance level pretty much being at max.. I didn't even take the time to Tweet or take a photo of the area with my phone... So uh, no bonus tweets this time. Oops.

Yup