On a hot summer evening, I went down to Blackpool Pleasure Beach to try out something completely different — climbing the lift hill of the 235ft rollercoaster, The Big One.
Blackpool Pleasure Beach runs coaster climbs during the season at selected times of the year, and I decided to book myself on a climb after a fantastic day out within the park. Once the park had closed its gates for the day, we went to the meeting point where a guide was there to meet us. We went to get our harnesses and equipment on and got ready for the climb.
Before we started our climb, the ride managers gave us a presentation about what to expect on the climb and gave us a brief history of the coaster. It was fascinating to learn about the history and the coaster.
We left base camp to walk over to where the lift is for The Big One and we started our climb on the 420 steps that were in front of us. I bravely volunteered to go up first with the guide in front of me after we got safely attached to the rail and given the final instructions to start the climb. Once we started climbing we stopped every 50 feet to catch our breath and take in the amazing views that were in front of us. We carried on with our climb until we reached the top of the lift hill. I was stunned when I made it to the top, knowing that I was higher than the Statue of Liberty (151 feet) and a NASA Space Shuttle (122 feet)!
For those who haven’t been to Blackpool, you can see the whole of the town from this vantage point — you can see all three piers, the world-famous Blackpool Tower, and you get a really cool bird’s eye view of the theme park. The weather was perfect during the climb, and we had a great opportunity to learn so much about this amazing coaster.
After about 15 minutes at the top, we started our descent back to the ground with a quick stop off at 100 feet so we could take our last videos and recordings before heading the steps.
I have to say that was the best experience I have ever done in my life, it felt like it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and it was a must-do on my bucket list.
You too can also book the climb, just visit https://www.blackpoolpleasurebeach.com/events/walk-the-big-one/ and the prices are £85 ($108) each.
