Top 5 most underrated UK roller coasters

We’re quite lucky that on this little island of ours we have so many good coasters to choose from, but there’s a few that people stick to a lot more than others. The likes of Nemesis, The Swarm, Icon, Stealth. These rides have got a lot of hype and always show up in people’s UK top 5s. But there’re a few coasters in the UK that get overshadowed, either because people hate them or they just completely slip under the radar. So I wanted to write this blog post to draw attention to some underrated UK coasters. Maybe this list will help you appreciate some of our rides more, or just remind you that they exist. Either way, I hope you enjoy it!

Vampire - Chessington Worlds of Adventure

Image by Thomas

This one’s at the top of the list because it’s still a fairly popular and significant UK Coaster, but it definitely exceeded my expectations.

I had a lot of people tell me going in that it wasn’t very good, that it was painful and not as swingy now that it has the Vekoma trains, but I ended up really really enjoying it. 

I didn’t find it painful at all, it was smooth, long and quite chaotic and fast in places. Now, I never rode it with the Arrow trains, nor have I been on any of the Arrow suspended coasters in America, but I still found that it had some decent swinging, especially in the low to the ground sections.

The way it interacts with the surrounding area is really cool as well, often flying right over the heads of people in the plaza around it. Finally, the theme holds up great, and it’s supposed to have been done up even better for this year which is great considering it’s now 30 years old!

Grand National - Blackpool Pleasure Beach

Image by Blackpool Pleasure Beach

To be fair, this ride does have a fair amount of fans in the UK, which is why it’s so low on the list. But it’s downright hated by some people because of the roughness, and yeah I’ll admit if you sit on the wheel seats, (the front or back row of each car) it can really really beat you up. But if you sit on a non wheel (in the middle of each car) it’s usually a lot more bearable in my opinion.

Now most enthusiasts would tell you that the 2nd from back row is the magic seat, since sitting nearer to the back usually gives the best airtime. But I am here to enlighten you, and tell you that the magic seat is in fact row 2, second from the front. Sure, the back row gives you better air on the drops, but on the front the bunny hills and double downs are incredible, the weight of the train from behind pushes you over them, and I was near standing up at times!

I also found row 2 nearly as smooth as an Intamin Prefab like Balder or El Toro. It was my row 2 rides that pushed this to being my number 1 UK woodie and my number 3 in the UK overall.

Oblivion - Alton Towers

I’ve heard some people just completely discredit this ride by making comments like “It’s just a drop, that’s it” or “Oh it’s barely even a coaster” but for me this is my favourite of the 3 dive coasters I’ve done, beating out Valkyria at Liseberg and Griffon at Busch Gardens Williamsburg!

I find that the longer dive coasters don’t interest me much after the first drop, they’re just a load of big floaty elements with not much force. Oblivion does the best element a dive coaster can do, does it better than any other dive coaster, and then ends. No nonsense.

The tunnel is what makes Oblivion's drop a cut above the rest, sure plenty of other dives have tunnels, but none as long as Oblivion’s. And while most dive coaster drops start to flatten out before reaching the tunnel, Oblivion is still near vertical when it disappears underground, and with a whole side of  X- Sector built around it, it makes for such an intimidating spectacle.

The tunnel also creates a huge air pressure difference, which is why as soon as you go underground you feel that super strong force of wind rushing against your face, which makes it even more intense.

And how can you not love the cheesy 90s aesthetic?

I’ll admit this ride is essentially a glorified drop tower, but then again I love drop towers. And I’d take this over more than half of the drop towers I’ve been on, plus half the coasters at Alton Towers.

Shockwave - Drayton Manor

I hardly ever see anyone talk about this coaster, and when people do they usually say something about it causing pain (particularly if you’re a man). But I’ve found all you need to do to avoid that sort of pain on a standup coaster is just bend your legs slightly, so that the bicycle isn’t pressed right up against you, and then the ride is completely fine.

Also, of the 3 standups I’ve been on, (the other 2 being Vortex and Green Lantern) this one is for sure my favourite. The drop is actually pretty intense, it takes that turn with some speed giving you some positives before it drops down, and you really get pulled down the drop because of the speed you build on that turn. The loop isn’t anything special, but the zero-g after is pretty crazy when you’re standing up, and Shockwave is the only stand up coaster in the world with that element. Also the final 2 corkscrews have some nice whip that feels similar to the corkscrews on the more modern Intamins I've done.

The ride also looks really nice on Drayton’s charming little skyline, which arguably looks better with G-Force gone.

I consider this ride so underrated because whilst I think it’s pretty great, and holds up against some of the big Merlin coasters, most people I see talk about it seem to think it’s bad or just completely irrelevant. 

Speed: No Limits - Oakwood

This is number 1 on this list for a good reason, why don’t people talk about this thing? Seriously, I feel like no UK enthusiasts ever even mention this ride’s existence. Speed: No Limits has a weird string of elements, but all of them are either good or fantastic. First of all you have that massive tower lift, the tallest of the 3 eurofighters in the UK, but then look at the height difference between the drop and the El Toro-esque camelback immediately afterwards. That is some serious sustained ejector right there, some of the best airtime in the country if not the best.

Then you have that wacky turnaround, (which rides a lot smoother than it looks like it should) followed by a big ol’ circular loop which is pretty intense. 

Then you get into the second half, a nice slow hangtime roll followed by a couple of really intense helixes, and then it’s over.

This ride has so much force packed into such a small layout, I’m surprised the layout purists of the UK don’t talk about this thing more.

I’d guess the main reason people don’t talk about this ride is that it’s overshadowed by the legendary status of Megafobia in the same park, which I’d consider far inferior to speed. Or maybe it’s just because it’s in deep south Wales, and is a pain to get to for most people.

I have heard this thing is getting fairly rough now, but when I last rode it in 2017 it was like glass, and as long as I hold that memory of it, it’ll remain my most underrated UK coaster.

So there’s my list, hopefully you appreciate some of these rides a bit more now, and next time you’re at Blackpool Pleasure Beach you’ll be straight onto row 2 Grand National, or you’ll be at Drayton Manor giving Shockwave another chance. What rides in the UK would you consider underrated? And if you don’t live in the UK, what rides in your country do you feel don’t get enough attention? I’d love to hear your thoughts down below!

- Joel