I spent a day at Blackpool Pleasure Beach this week. The forecast had been for wall to wall blue skies, but it turned out overcast and a bit drizzly. Nevertheless I determined to have fun.

This must be the quietest time of year for theme parks. They stay open till November so that they can make the most of Halloween, but this week is too early for that, and too late for holidaymakers. Blackpool promenade was almost deserted. There were a fair number of people in the park, including a surprising number of children, given that this is a school week. However I never had to queue for more than a few minutes to go on any ride.

I got to go on all the big ones, including The Big One! I like fast and high rollercoasters, and there were plenty of them. My favourite last time was Icon, which I think is the fastest of all. But this time I think I enjoyed Infusion even more. Your feet dangle as you hang from the ride and it is very easy to lose any idea of where you are as you get flung around.

The new ride for 2026 is Aviktas, but I avoided that because it is a spinny ride, and I think I would have got travel sick.

Instead, I showed my age, and took in a few of the tamer attractions between the coasters, including the Ghost Train, Wallace & Gromit’s Thrill-O-Matic, and the Derby Racer Carousel.

I even went for a wander through the Chinese Puzzle maze. I remember that last time I was here, I got thoroughly lost so this time I tried a particular technique that I know works in a few mazes, and found my way out after about 15 minutes.

At the end of my trip I was feeling a little bruised, especially from some of the older rides like Grand National and Steeplechase, which throw you around, but I had had a lovely time and rewarded myself at Blackpool’s famous icecream parlour Notarianni’s.

Would I have preferred better weather? Yes. But was it amazing to have no queues and go on just whatever I wanted? Certainly. So is this the best time of year to go to a theme park? Quite possibly.