Forbidden
Valley : Blade
(Pirate Ship 1980
- 1996)
Why?,
Where?, When?
Back in 1980, when Corkscrew
was the main attraction at Alton Towers, another ride was
added that still exists today. The Pirate Ship, a typical
fairground ride of the late '70s and early '80s, was installed
in the Springfield Centre alongside the Cine 2000, along with
most of the other attractions in this new area of the park.
The ride was very
popular during the '80s although many people made the mistake
of riding the Pirate Ship, then heading straight into the
Cine 2000, promptly decided to part company with their lunches.
Not a pretty site.
It stayed in its
place while other attractions around it came and went, and
wasn't until the end of the 1996 season, that it was relocated
into Forbidden Valley, given a fresh lick of paint, and it
became Blade, taking up the vacate space left by Thunder Looper.
But
What Is It Like?
The Blade is also
meant to be a piece of shrapnel dug out of the Nemesis hole,
the ride is very similar to a normal pirate boat but it is
themed to look more post-nuclear with large blades covered
in what appears to be blood on the end of the gondola.
The middle rows
of the boat are rather un-thrilling although are generally
filled with younger children and older people braving the
ride, the very back rows supply you with repeated zero-g moment
when you float out of your seat and leave your stomach behind.
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click
image for larger version
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Present
Day
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Pictures
from the past
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Construction
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No
pictures available
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Submit
your photos
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If
you have photos we can use, especially from the past
or construction periods, then please email them to
us at pictures@towersalmanac.com
(No bigger than
100k please)
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