One of the UK's oldest theme parks opens new log flume water ride – the first in 25 years
Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
A BEACHSIDE theme park that is one of the UK's oldest has brought back a much-loved water ride in time for summer.
Dreamland, in Margate, has opened their new Wild River log flume ride.
Sign up for Scottish Sun
newsletter
Sign up
4
Margate's Dreamland has launched a new log flume ride
Credit: Dreamland
4
Wild River is the first water ride for the park in 25 years
Credit: Dreamland
The new ride will have two "high-thrill" drops with both a 50ft plunge and 30ft plunge along the way.
Not only that, but guests at the park can use nearby water guns to spray riders as they go past, with coin-operated pistols.
Guests can buy ponchos before boarding the water ride if they want to avoid getting too wet.
A Dreamland spokesperson said: 'This summer, we are delighted to welcome a brand new headline attraction to Dreamland's ride lineup.
"The Wild River is a welcome return of the classic Log Flume to the park and we can't wait for guests to take the plunge!'
Guests can purchase a £3 Ride Token to go on it.
The last time the theme park had a water ride was 25 years ago, only for it to be sold off and removed from the park.
Dreamland's operation manager Jack King previously said: "Anyone that works in the attractions industry or is an avid fan of all things Theme Park will appreciate the dying breed that is a UK based classic Log Flume.
"It is so exciting to actually say Dreamland Margate will be opening its first Log Flume in about 25 years."
Dreamland is one of the UK's oldest theme parks, celebrating it's 105th birthday this year.
Best of British: Margate's beach and numerous attractions make it the perfect getaway
(The oldest theme park award goes to Blackgang Chine in the Isle of Wight, which is over 180 years old.)
However, Dreamland dates back as far as 1880, when there was an amusement park, albeit under a different name "Hall by the Sea"
The theme park faced a number of problems over the years, and was forced to close.
Yet it reopened in 2015 after a multi-million project, followed by a much bigger relaunch in 2017.
Now, there is the famous Scenic Railway, one of the few remaining scenic railways in the world and the oldest rollercoaster in the UK
The ride still has a manual person operating the brakes, who is on the ride while it goes around.
4
The theme park reopened back in 2015
Credit: gjheming
There is also the Rock 'N' Roller rollercoaster, as well as the Big Wheel, Dodgems and Pirate Ship.
It also has its huge indoor arcade area, which has its retro Roller Disco rink.
This year, the Roller Room arcade has introduced new VR games as well, which can be booked in advance on the website.
And also new this year is the park's payment system, which includes new £24.99 day wristband that allow unlimited ride access.
Guests can still opt to pay per ride, with the theme park itself being free.
Otherwise the theme park is also known for its huge Summer Sounds music acts.
Famous acts this year include Haim, Basement Jaxx, McFly and Billy Ocean.
In the mean time, here is everything you need to know about visiting Margate, often dubbed Shoreditch-on-Sea.
It even has a very famous lido that lots of tourists don't know about.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scottish Sun
26 minutes ago
- Scottish Sun
Spanish city introduces strict new limits on tourists and it affects thousands a day
Plus, what exploring one of the city's top destinations is like SI-YA Spanish city introduces strict new limits on tourists and it affects thousands a day Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) THE popular Spanish city destination of Barcelona is due to limit the number of cruises entering the city. New plans to demolish two terminals at the Port of Barcelona have been revealed. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 3 Barcelona is reducing the number of cruise terminals in its port Credit: Reuters Two terminals will be completely demolished - A and B - with terminal C also being demolished to make way for a new terminal on the site. In total, the number of terminals will be reduced from seven to five. As part of the €185million (£160.95million) scheme, the new terminal will serve around 7,000 passengers "at any given time". However, the changes will mean that Barcelona's maximum cruise capacity will reduce from 37,000 passengers to 31,000 per day. The reduction in cruise terminals follows increasing local backlash against overtourism impacting the city. The cruise hub is one of the key hubs in the Mediterranean. According to Travel Weekly, Barcelona mayor Jaume Collboni said: "For the first time in history, a limit is being placed on the growth of cruises in the city." Cruise passengers increased by 20 per cent between 2018 and 2024, without any capacity limits. The Mayor added: "The current management of tourism involves setting limits and managing better." In a statement, the Port of Barcelona said: "The agreement signed today acknowledges that maritime tourism is an economic sector with a significant weight in the city, but specifies that it requires planning and management measures, just as is already happening in other tourism sectors such as accommodation, mobility, public spatial planning or taxation. The ultimate cruising experience - From Universal Studios to Florida's Everglades onboard the Icon of the Seas "This agreement consolidates the joint commitment of both the Port and the City Council to move towards a more orderly and efficient maritime tourism model that respects the urban and environmental setting of Barcelona." The plans also include a regular shuttle service for passengers. Information screens will be installed in the terminals too, providing real-time information to help better spread out visitors and reduce crowds in the busiest areas of the city. Work on getting rid of terminals A and B will start by the end of 2026 and the entire project is set to be completed in 2030. Additionally, there is a €50million (£43million) plan to overhaul the area where terminals A and B currently are - eventually offer travellers improved services. And there will be a €90million (£77.9million) expansion to the Porta d'Europa bridge which links the wharf with the city. Once complete, the bridge will have bike and walking routes. 3 Overall, the port will reduce from seven terminals to five Credit: Getty In 2024, Spanish ports received 12.8million cruise passengers - 3.7million of whom were to Barcelona port. Barcelona first started to scale back cruise operations to the city in 2018, when it moved most operations from the city centre to Adossat Wharf. By 2023, the city had closed the North Terminal - which is located at the end of the famous Las Ramblas. And in the past years, Barcelona has more widely battled against issues of overtourism with many locals taking to protesting about the number of holidaymakers in the city. Last year, the city also announced that by 2029 it would ban all short-term rentals in an attempt to ease the current housing crisis. Exploring Las Ramblas in Barcelona TRAVEL reporter Cyann Fielding shares her thoughts on one of the biggest tourist traps in the world, that happens to be in Barcelona. According to Nomad - an international eSim company, Las Ramblas is the second worst tourist trap in the world and the top in Europe - based on 826 reviews. But the spot actually holds so much history and is one of the most fascinating destinations to explore - and it has come a long way from it's origins. As you wander down the street, make sure to stop off at Casa Beethoven - essentially Harry Potter's Ollivanders but for sheet music not wands. Just down from Casa Beethoven is La Boqueria market - one of Europe's largest and most famous food markets. Heading on from the market, make sure to look out on the floor for a mosaic by artist Joan Miró, who lived in Barcelona. Carrying on, make sure to take a detour down Carrer Nou de La Rambla to see Palau Güell - which people often miss not knowing it is there. I think part of the reason why so many people walk away from Las Ramblas either overwhelmed or disappointed, is because they don't know its history or the top places to explore. And there are pickpockets, so you just need to be wary. But by taking your time and exploring the routes different sections and side streets, it makes a great day out immersing yourself in Spanish - and more specifically - Barcelonan culture. More widely, Spain has also just introduced rules that can cost Brits £5,992 at the border – it's an easy mistake that thousands could make. Plus, the little-known way to travel across Spain by train for free this summer.
Scotsman
an hour ago
- Scotsman
Theatre reviews: The 39 Steps
Sign up to our Arts and Culture newsletter, get the latest news and reviews from our specialist arts writers Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... The 39 Steps, Pitlochry Festival Theatre ★★★ The Last Laugh, Theatre Royal ★★★★ In a world where credible futures seem in increasingly short supply, it sometimes seems as if cultural nostalgia is becoming our only jam. Rock music survivors from the 20th century stage ever-larger stadium tours, tribute musicals whisk us back to the 1960s or 70s; and here, in Pitlochry and Glasgow this week, are two stage shows which have their own special relationship with our cultural past. Alexander Service and Chris Coxon in The 39 Steps | Tommy Ga-Ken Wan Patrick Barlow's brisk two-hour stage adaptation of The 39 Steps - first seen in London two decades ago - is probably best understood not as a version of John Buchan's 1915 novel, but as an affectionate send-up of Alfred Hitchcock's hugely successful 1935 film, designed to extract maximum laughs from the absurdities of extreme fringe theatre, as a cast of only four try to tell a story featuring at least 20 characters, with much help from bad hats, and worse facial hair. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad To judge by Barlow's programme note for this year's Pitlochry production, he also intended his adaptation to add a little heart to what began as a brusquely masculine tale of Richard Hannay, a British imperial adventurer at a loose end, who finds himself in a desperate race to expose a deadly network of foreign spies before they catch up with him. And in Ben Occhipinti's Pitlochry production of Barlow's version - which follows and surpasses Hitchcock in introducing some female love interest to the story - Alexander Service as a handsome Hannay, and Blythe Jandoo in stylish Thirties form as all the women with whom he falls in love, both bring a real touch of romance to their performances. The problem, though, is that almost all other aspects of the plot are reduced to such Monty Python-style absurdity - as supporting actors Chris Coxon and Stephanie Cremona conjure up a bewildering series of dastardly villains and spoof Scottish peasants - that it becomes very difficult to attach any real meaning to the story. Liz Cooke's set is charming, with its little train circling the front of the stage to the upbeat strains of Vivian Ellis's Coronation Scot. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad To my eyes, though, most of the comedy looks laboured and un-funny, in a post-1980s fringe theatre style that has had its day; and despite the best efforts of the actors - who received a well-deserved cheer from the audience as they took their bows - the show seems to me to lack momentum, and to be both less meaningful, and less seriously funny, than Barlow originally intended. The Last Laugh | Contributed There's a richer and more direct vein of comedy, by contrast, in writer and director Paul Henry's 80-minute play The Last Laugh, now on a UK-wide tour after its 2024 Edinburgh Fringe success. The show features a dressing-room conversation among three of Britain's most revered 20th century comedy stars; the great natural comedians Tommy Cooper and Eric Morecambe, and Bob Monkhouse, comedian and game-show host, who spent most of his life studying the structure of comedy. The Last Laugh follows other fine plays about comedy - notably Tom McGrath's Laurel & Hardy - in dealing with the strange, poignant relationship between comedy and death. Both Cooper and Morecambe died in mid-career, in the spring of 1984; and Hendy uses this fact to place all three stars in what turns out to be a dressing room on the edge of eternity. For most of its length, though, the show is a funny and fascinating exploration of comedy itself, as delivered by a generation of absolute masters. Damian Williams as Tommy, Bob Golding as Eric, and Simon Cartwright as Bob all make a brilliant job of evoking the special style and comic energy of the men they play; and they also bring an immense quiet skill to their handling of the play's huge range of emotional registers, from the daftly hilarious to the poignant, and finally to the tragic. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad
Scottish Sun
an hour ago
- Scottish Sun
Your go-to summer style guide according to your zodiac sign – from pastels to animal prints & how to shop from £7
All recommendations within this article are informed by expert editorial opinion. If you click on a link in this story we may earn affiliate revenue. IN THE STARS Your go-to summer style guide according to your zodiac sign – from pastels to animal prints & how to shop from £7 Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) IF you're always the one in the group chat asking 'what are you wearing?' or 'what's the vibe?' Zodiac styling is going to be for you. As a former fashion PR and astrologer, Ashleigh Skinner knows how astrology really can take your style to the next level. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 14 Ashleigh Skinner revealed the fashion must-haves for your horoscope Credit: Instagram/@creativebabesclub and iamcosmicgirl 14 You'll turn heads this summer with the astrologist's tips Credit: Getty It's wearing all the things that are designed for you, like finding the ideal shade of lipstick. And when it's combined with the horoscope, it makes getting dressed not just easy, but cosmic. Think unlocking your inner fashionista, and potential. If you want to upgrade your style this summer (and beyond), check out cosmic dressing with the below guide, costing as little as £7. Ps. If you're cosmically fluent and have an understanding of your birth chart, you may want to read for your rising and Venus sign, as well as your star sign. Aries Trend: Red Hot 14 Hot red witll suit fire sign Aries Credit: supplied Aries, the summer is about to call you back to your most flirty, creative, and generally fun-loving self. Put playtime at the top of your agenda, without the commitment, except if it's in red because this colour always looks good on you. A cute but seductive mini dress will help you tap into your flirting skills. Total outfit cost: £60 Exploring the Dark Side of the Zodiac: Worst Traits of Each Star Sign Taurus Trend: Relaxed Silhouettes 14 Laid back and relaxed suit Earth sign Taurus Credit: supplied Taurus, relaxing this summer has you in a chokehold, so it's only right that your fashion follows suit, but that doesn't mean compromising on style. Loosen up the silhouettes in playful stripes, tones, or prints, so that you can focus on hosting your closest friends this summer. Total outfit cost: £45 Gemini Trend: Polka Dot 14 Polka dots will bring the attention your way Credit: supplied Gemini, this summer is about stepping into your era of self-love, attraction and aligning your (good) vibrations to be an energetic match for wealth. You have a playful approach to your style, and this energy invites you to be even more experimental. Try mixing and matching the polka dot trend, for extra fun points. Total outfit cost: £78.50 Cancer Trend: Summer Pastels 14 Pretty in pastels will suit emotional Cancers Credit: supplied Cancer, this summer will be one of the most abundant that you've had in years, as you're in a powerful time of attracting opportunities, from love interests, to your career and beyond. You will want to look your best for all eventualities, and pastels really suit your sweet and caring nature. Total outfit cost: £54.99 Leo Trend: Animal Attraction 14 Dress as bold as your personality Credit: supplied Leo, this summer Mercury is retrograding through your sign (sorry to be the bearer of bad news)! So it's the perfect time to experiment with your look and to play around with fashion, but please avoid anything permanent - like a transformative hair cut! You'll still want to wear something showstopping, but you may need something more casual whilst you're dealing with Mercury's mishaps. Total outfit cost: £65 Horoscope traits What does your star sign mean for you? Aries - The best and worst characteristics of the head of the zodiac Aquarius - The traits you need to know for the air sign Capricorn - What does this star sign mean for your personality? Cancer - The key traits for the sign include a keen love of food Gemini - The traits to be aware of for the sign with a symbol of twins Leo - The best and worst characteristics of the fire sign Libra - What does the seventh star sign mean for your personality? Pisces - The key traits for the sign include an interest in the arts Sagittarius - The traits you need to know for the fire sign Scorpio - What does this star sign mean for your personality? Taurus - The best and worst characteristics of the earth sign Virgo - The key traits for the sign include loyalty and kindness Virgo Trend: Sporty Spice 14 Comfortable and stylish is just what Virgos need Credit: supplied Virgo, you're in the mood for some team coaching this summer, even if it's just about looking the part with zero sweat whilst grabbing coffee with friends. We agree that it totally counts! Lean into your sporty spice side, for an on trend twist to your usual effortless style. Total outfit cost: £47.50 Libra Trend: Effortless Denim 14 Staing on-trend effortlessly? Sounds like a Libra Credit: supplied Libra, you're always on the hunt for something trend-led and that makes you feel effortlessly cool, even though there's nothing effortless about you. This denim playsuit will be your ultimate plus one for all the invitations that are pouring in this summer. You'll be feeling extra sociable, and this will get you noticed by others. Total outfit cost: £68 Scorpio Trend: Sheer 14 Mysterious and sultry - sheer fabrics are the way to go Credit: supplied Scorpio, this summer you'll want to explore the sheer trend, a perfect nod to your after-dark activities that doesn't stray too far from your usual black colour palette. Your mysterious sign may be dealing with some Mercury retrograde miscommunications, that have you craving an overseas trip where you can go completely incognito, with only your undies on show. Total outfit cost: £62.99 Sagittarius Trend: Micro Shorts 14 Short shorts have never looked better Credit: supplied Sagittarius, I'm sure it won't shock you to find out that your sign rules the thighs and derriere - which is why micro shorts are totally your summer fit. You'll be packing these for all your holiday destinations, as escapism, rest and recovery is top of your summer priority list. Your holiday season motto = buy the shorts, book the trip. Total outfit cost: £76.99 Capricorn Trend: Butter Yellow 14 Play ti sage with this summer's must-have colour Credit: supplied Capricorn, you like your summer wardrobe to work (and play) as hard as you, so each item must be rewearable for a number of occasions. Butter yellow is so versatile that it can be mixed and matched over the summer, so that you can focus on your closest relationships - a big theme for you will be quality time with your nearest and dearest. Total outfit cost: £58 Aquarius Trend: Standout Stripes 14 Stand out in summer stripes Credit: supplied Aquarius, you're not one for fitting in with the crowd, why would you do that when standing out is so much more fun? This summer is about experimenting with the way you have fun, and the stripe trend is your perfect plus one, casual enough for your usual social event hopping, but statement enough to not fit in. Total outfit cost: £68.98 Pisces Trend: Bohemian Romance 14 Keep it relaxed and femine with maxi skirts Credit: supplied Pisces, this summer calls you home to your bohemian nature. It's time to flex your creative juices and play, but also to indulge in romance, flirting, and dating. Floaty and feminine fabrics that make you feel free are your cosmic match, so that you can focus on romancing your life. Total outfit cost: £74.99 You can follow Ashleigh for a horoscope reading over on Instagram or at her website IAmCosmicGirl.
