Thorpe Park, UK
- 26/05/2025
- Conrad
The Swarm lift hill climb is the first of (hopefully) many coaster climbs that I’ll get to experience. This blog post will walk you through the entire journey, from the first steps on park, to being safely back on solid ground, and everything in between.
The Swarm Fact File
Manufacturer – Bolliger & Mabillard
Model – Wing Coaster
Height – 127ft
Max Speed – 57mph
Length – 2543ft
Track inversions – 4
Duration – 02:05
Our VIP experience started just after park closure, with a requested arrival time of 15 minutes past closing time, which for us was 6pm. After a quick bag check, we were dropped off at the VIP reception to wait for our host to collect us. After a short wait, we met our first host for the event, Caleb. He took the whole group into the park and over to the marquee opposite The Swarm, where we met our second host, Tommy. To start, we were shown a short safety video, and quickly strapped into our harness. With our safety equipment checked by our hosts, and waivers signed, we headed over to The Swarm to start the experience.
Before we could step onto Swarm Island, the area had to be cleared of all personnel before we could start. Once cleared, the area is cordoned off, and we could head up to the operation cabin for the first stop on our tour. Our hosts talked us through all the systems found in the cabin, from daily operations, to maintenance panels, with thorough insight from our hosts. The last thing we had to do before starting our climb, was to locking off the ride. Both hosts and guests each had a key to their own padlock, so the ride could not be started while we were in and around the ride area.
With all safety checks done, area cleared, and participants harnessed up, we headed to the base of the lift hill to start our ascent. With one host and three guests per side, we attached ourselves to the cable along the handrail. The host then talked us through the latching system, and we started our climb up the 127ft lift hill. Our climb started slow, with us getting used to the latching system, but soon we were on the move, passing the half way mark fairly quickly. Heading up was not as scary as we expected. However, I have larger feet, and the tips of my shoes were hanging ever the edge of the steps. This made me VERY aware of how high up we were headed. With wind gusts reaching up to 25mph, the slight sway of the coaster could be felt half way up. Luckily, with it having a large track and large support columns, it wasn’t a dramatic sway.
After no time at all, the end was in sight, with the steps becoming more solid and longer as we crested the top. The climb itself was quicker than we expected, with it taking no more than 5 minutes to reach the top. Even with suboptimal weather conditions on the day, the views from the top were incredible. We could see the distant towering buildings of London in the far distance – Windsor castle, the Wembley arch, and obviously the rest of the park. The sight of Thorpe Park from 127ft up gave a whole new perspective on the phrase ‘An island like no other’.
Once at the top, we were free to take photos and videos to our hearts content. The views were amazing, especially The Swarm’s neighbouring coaster, Stealth, and the newest beauty to join the park – Hyperia. The towering heights of The Swarm dwarfed the coasters of Colossus, Nemesis Inferno, and SAW – The Ride. While we took it all in, the host for our side of the climb was very insightful, answering all the questions we had to the best of his ability. I was a bit cheeky, asking questions about Stealth’s recent downtime, and Hyperia’s new-found rattle. Our host was careful to not say too much, but still had a huge wealth of knowledge for us to be satisfied.
After a good amount of time at the top, we turned around and headed back down the way we came. Ahead of time, we were aware that coming back down would be more nerve-wracking, and that was quickly confirmed on our descent. As the steps aren’t solid, you can see through the steps every time you look down. The gaps in the steps was much more noticeable on our way down. However, with our new knowledge regarding the amount of safety equipment, the fear was manageable. We were on solid ground almost as quickly as we got to the top. After being disconnected from the lift hill, we were free to wander around the empty station. There, we were treated to more insightful information from our ride hosts, on things like the transfer track (which was currently slid across next to the maintenance bay), the wheels, and the sensors on the station track.
