A full day of fun and adventure at the best theme park on the planet!!
14th August 2024!
I have been visiting this park since 1994 and this trip was the best day i ever spent. I started the day as usual by going for a wonder around the area as i had arrived early before the park had opened! I have always wanted to see St Catherines Lighthouse from the top of the cliff, so i ventured to the exact point and i wasnt disappointed! It was a breath-taking view of the lighthouse and the amazing landscape of the area!
After the walk, it was time to enter the park, and to say i was excited was a understatement because i had a surprise later on in the day. The park was full as it was the summerfest day, and it had plenty of entertainment throughout the day! In the car park i managaed to have a catch-up with a mate and fellow Blackgang fan who is lucky enough to work there!
I started my trip by getting soaked on Water Force. I made this my first trip as i wanted to try out the new photo option and it was brilliant! Its going to be fun to see this expanded to other rides in the park!
It was then a trip to Evolution to see the amazing views from the top, for a few seconds, before plummeting to the ground again. It was then off to go upside down on Exctinction. This has got to be my favourite ride in the park, with the views and just the whole experience of going upside down! I always try to get at least one ride on each ride before it gets too busy so to spend less time in queue and more time to explore the park!
After the rides it was time to explore the rest of the park! I started with Nurseryland, as i love going to view the amazing cliffs from the viewpoint. It so good to see this quiet part of the park still get love and attention. I always stop to view the elves in the musical tree and watch Humpty Dumpty!
During the Summerfest, there was also a Cowboy Show so after exploring Nurseryland, i headed up to Cowboy Town. I have seen the cowboy show since 2018 so was looking forward to seeing the updated and it was amazing! The cast was brillaint and funny and it went on longer than i thought it would, 30mins. There was gunfire and dynamite explosions. I don't think i have ever seen the park that busy!
After the Cowboy show i headed one of my favourite parts of the park, Rumpus Mansion. It doesn't matter how many times i walk through the attraction, the jet of air near the beginning still makes me jump!
Next up was Underwater Kingdom. No trip to the park is complete without seeing Giuseppe and helping him look for his missing kids. Even after all these years seeing the giant whale above the path on the exit of the land still makes me go "WOW".
I then went to explore Restricted Area 5. It was brillaint to see everything working, and well maintained! I love dodging the squirting dinosaur and watching the T-Rex wake up! It was then on to Giant Bug Walk, and all the animals had been freshly repainted. I even spotted a returning creature who wasnt there in July, a dragonfly!
It was then time for one of the highlights of my trip to the park. I had been approached by Laura, Head of Marketing, to visit the Room of Nostaliga. Im not going to lie i was shaking with excitment to see what this room had inside. When Laura opened the door, to say i was blown away was a understatment! I got to finally see the Weather Wizard again and of course my favourite Darwin! Even seeing small parts of the old Rumpus Bridge made me smile. I love all the new additions to the park like Underwater kingdom and the Dodos but the Blackgang that really puts a smile on my face was in that room!
I dont think i stopped asking questions the whole time, and Laura was just as enthauastic in the answers. . If there was ever a dream job, Laura has got it at Blackgang. If you happen to read this Laura, Thankyou for inviting me to see inside that amazing room!!!
After the amazing trip to see Blackgang's past, i had to sit down and recover with some of their yummy doughnuts with chocolate sauce, overlooking the chine. These are some of the best doughnuts i have ever eaten!
By this point Pirate Cove was starting to fill up ready for the SummerFest party and foam. I have never seen this area so busy, it was tricky to find a spot that wasnt in someones way. The evening started with DJ Omar playing some amazing music, along with the foam cannons covering some of the crowd. I "accidentally" forgot to bring any dry clothes to change into so couldn't go near the foam. As the sun was setting, the top of the cliff gave the perfect spot to view the amazing sunset!
From 8 till 9.30pm it was just one big party on pirate cove with DJ Omar and the characters from Cowboy Town. Normally this would not be something i would take part in, but even i was jumping up and down, dancing and having fun!
At 9.45 it was time for the fireworks. Everyone in pirate cove was counting down and then wow the sky was full of breathtaking fireworks all choregraphed to music, with a touch of Blackgang Nostalgia thrown in. I won't lie i was standing there, filming with tears of happiness rolling down my face as this was the perfect ending to a perfect day at Blackgang! After they finished i have never ever seen so many people walking along the path from pirate cove to the exit, it was heaving but organsied. I stood at the bus stop staring at the giant with the biggest grin and still crying with happiness.
That was by far the best day i have EVER spent on the Isle of Wight. Even writing this i have tears of happiness in my eyes as it was perfect! Its been over a week now and i am still talking non-stop about it to my collegues at work
The park was perfect, meeting Laura, seeing all the nostaligia, the DJ and the fireworks! If you are looking for somewhere to visit go and support this amazing park.
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