On arrival, I was weirdly pleased that it was difficult to find a parking space! The car park was more full than I've seen it on visits in previous years, which was a great sign. 

As you pass through the main entrance, you are now greeted by a brightly painted van, which you may recognise from past seasons! It adds a much needed splash of colour to what was an empty space since the relocation of the Carousel. (See photo below)

With regards to an Enigma refurb, the team inform me that a large amount of work has/does go on with the ride. However, much of it is of a technical nature and is largely invisible to the public. In the longer term, the park have plans to refurbish the ride and reinstate the Cannonball Express name and theme. 

During my visit, I took a wander over to the Castle Theatre. As we know, the front section is being used for meet and greets with the costume characters. The area has been nicely themed with a bookcase, dining table and fireplace, giving a similar feel to a visit to Santa's Grotto. Beyond this area, the main theatre is currently being used as storage. However, the theatre seats and stage are still present, and the park hope to bring the building back into use in the near future. Dan told me about a nugget of an idea involving "muppet" style characters which could be a possibility for the future. I'm also told that this is likely to be the final year for the High Dive Show, as the French owners like to see something new every couple of seasons. 

Laser Labyrinth is now closed for the rest of this season and may not return. The attraction was actually offered free of charge for the first few months of this season, but didn't attract a great number of guests. The park have some interesting ideas for what might go here in future, but no firm decisions yet.

This year's new addition, Hyper Drive, was next on the agenda. The decision to purchase this attraction was made by the French owners of the park. It was always considered to be a "filler" attraction by all parties, rather than a major selling point, like Marble Madness or Hobs Pit. There are no plans to remove the old Dodgems. 

We also discussed Halloween... The park will once again offer a "Scream Pass" over 4 days. Limiting the number of days these are available apparently worked well last year, and ensured enough people upgraded to pay for the live actors. The park will offer at least 3 scare attractions including Hobs Pit XScream and the use of the old train carriage.

The Tales of the Coast refurb we were told about it still very much on the cards. One idea is to remove the indoor section entirely and create a pirate themed boat ride with "cartoon" pirate characters. If this happens, covers will be added to the boats to stop people getting soaked on a rainy day. I saw some mock-ups which featured canons, water features and a striking stone-effect entrance. 

With regards to Tide Traveller, the park are still optimistic that the ride will be fully working... eventually!

There are also ideas floating around regarding the Pony Trek ride. I saw some interesting designs which would see a Cowboy Theme added to the ride.

In other good news, I am reliably informed that a refurbishment of the Rattlesnake station and tunnel is due in the near future. The current metal tunnel was a thing of necessity and wasn't intended to remain long term. 

Finally, we touched on 2016. Unfortunately, I came away empty handed! I'm told that nothing has been decided yet, but budgets will be agreed in November. Fingers crossed for a few hints after then! 

Overall, I think the park is continuing to move in the right direction. Liam and Dan firmly believe that the family market is their main target, as opposed to teenage groups. I came away with a sense that the team are well aware of the weak areas around the park, and with a bit of time and investment, I expect these things will be dealt with.