Attempting to sneak into Drayton Manor theme park (and how we managed it back in 2007)
Added 2024-10-09 15:51:59 +0000 UTCIn 2007 a young GeoWizard and an even younger Welsh Greg set off from Aldridge and headed East. Same old story right? not quite. Excitement levels had waned slightly of late, so we hatched a magnificent plan: we were going to sneak into the 5th biggest theme park in the country, using our blossoming missioning skills and our beloved Footherley brook as a secret entry point. Thanks to a very early version of Google Earth (the first instance where I used it to plan a mischievous mission but certainly not the last) and a slice of luck, the mission was a success. After an arduous wade up the thigh deep brook we had entered the theme park through an old brick tunnel. Although we were spotted by staff, we managed to flee the scene, change our shirts and hideaway in the splash canyon queue, emerging to the sight of gaggles of agitated security personnel.
Fast forward 17 years and I decided it was high time that I recreated this classic mission. At 33 years old being caught there was an added layer of embarrassment attached to being caught, but there was also no guarantee that our tunnel would still be crawlable...
Next up on the $4 Tier:
-Strava Segment Hunter #2 (filming next week)
-Exploring the Lichfield to Walsall abandoned railway (filming the week after)
Have a great week everyone!
Comments
fyi if you try sneak into Alton Towers and you are caught you will be banned from all merlin parks for life (Thorpe Park, Chessington, LegoLand and possibly all SeaLife centres). They have cameras EVERYWHERE with facial recognition. So if you ever plan on going to a merlin attraction again I wouldn't risk it.
Falcon
2025-06-24 03:22:21 +0000 UTCOakwood π
Jake Wilkinson
2025-04-18 07:29:09 +0000 UTCI'd blummin love that
Joss
2024-12-15 01:40:00 +0000 UTCBrilliant :-). 1000% yes to Alton Towers!
LordLard
2024-10-31 23:00:38 +0000 UTCYou should sneak into more places, Iβve seen a few people do Glastonbury online but I think yours would be more entertaining. Just a thought.
Huw Ramsay
2024-10-26 18:53:31 +0000 UTCThanks for the adventure. You never fail to put a smile on my face. :)
Bill W
2024-10-26 17:18:49 +0000 UTCYes I understand the latest is taking a very long time but will be worth the wait
Hannah Samuels-Lyons
2024-10-15 06:59:06 +0000 UTCGreat stuff Tom! I've noticed it's easier to get away with cheeky stuff like this when you get older, as people don't suspect a 30-year-old as easily. Love these kinds of videos, keep it up! Greetings from Finland!
Alex Danckaarts
2024-10-14 11:16:30 +0000 UTCOr actually you could go explore the remains of the American Adventure Theme Park, maybe a little before your time.
James M Errington
2024-10-12 13:35:50 +0000 UTCNice! Lots of great memories of Drayton Manor. You could sneak into the West Midlands Safari Park next, probably not such a great idea though.
James M Errington
2024-10-12 13:32:18 +0000 UTCDaniel Reid here, thank you so much for finding my grandparents in your newest GeoDetective . They were born around the late 30s early 40s so chances are the pic was more around the late 50s early 60s. Sad to see the hotel demolished but cracking work nonetheless. Cheers
Daniel
2024-10-12 06:19:02 +0000 UTCone of my favorite videos in a while
a_ndy
2024-10-12 02:58:39 +0000 UTCIs the Geodetective still in works?
Saad Siddique
2024-10-11 08:20:40 +0000 UTCAnother great vid, thanks! Followed all this while and never knew we had the same birthday. Happy birthday for Sunday!
Laurie
2024-10-11 00:12:19 +0000 UTCGeowizard and Draynor Manor
W dJ
2024-10-10 18:10:09 +0000 UTCWill do Tal !
tom davies
2024-10-10 05:22:46 +0000 UTCHaha thanks Stu. Not much creativity involved in that line, just a lot of pent up school humor. Alton Towers next for sure! maybe I'll sneak in at Halloween...
tom davies
2024-10-10 05:22:34 +0000 UTCBack of rackhams
Hannah Samuels-Lyons
2024-10-10 05:20:49 +0000 UTCCheers Ash!
tom davies
2024-10-10 05:20:47 +0000 UTC2002 was the glory days for me too. Klondike, Skyflier, Apocalypse. Great times. Not quite sure how someone met their end on those rapids! Cheers Alex!
tom davies
2024-10-10 05:20:37 +0000 UTCCheers mate! more rollercoaster sneak ins to come then!
tom davies
2024-10-10 05:16:57 +0000 UTCCheers Fergus!
tom davies
2024-10-10 05:15:52 +0000 UTCI knew that.... ;)
tom davies
2024-10-10 05:15:45 +0000 UTCThank you Hannah! glad you enjoyed. Yeah you're right. I mean they were just throw away jokes really, but as you say simply mentioning your age makes a thing out of it that needn't be there. Rest assured I don't intend on slowing down!
tom davies
2024-10-10 05:15:26 +0000 UTCI was walking round there the other day. tall barbed wire fence and the odd camera, but I reckon it's doable!
tom davies
2024-10-10 05:13:03 +0000 UTChaha we're bound to bump into each other one of these days then!
tom davies
2024-10-10 05:12:17 +0000 UTChaha im sure it would thrill them more than any ride!
tom davies
2024-10-10 05:11:49 +0000 UTCdefinitely sneak into the towers!
Tal
2024-10-10 00:51:41 +0000 UTCYouβve got a boner. Best line in a cracking video. You are so creative. Now we just have to wait another 16 years to see you relive it again. What a way to see out your 40s. Love to see an Alton Towers one. That and Thorpe Park were the only major ones I visited as a kid.
Stuart Duncan
2024-10-10 00:14:08 +0000 UTCA cool fun video
exploring with ashley
2024-10-09 19:21:20 +0000 UTCThis is perfect: I remember coming here on a local Youth Group holiday circa. 2002 back when Shockwave was the UKβs first stand up rollercoaster or some tosh. Then that G Force rollercoaster was built the next year and the queues were brummie and wild. And all the while the rubber dingy rapids werenβt lethal. Now all Iβve got are my kindred Villa cousins. Lovely vid
Alex Callaghan
2024-10-09 19:14:28 +0000 UTCBloody brilliant! Definitely not too old (Happy birthday for Sunday btw). This sort of thing is utterly fantastic!! And the fact you sill bought a ticket really made me happy - it shows you were just doing it for the hell of it, and not to save money.
Whitchit
2024-10-09 19:00:03 +0000 UTCYeah Alton Towers next for sure. Loads of fun. And you bought a ticket so no harm no foul I say.
Craig Cooper
2024-10-09 18:46:12 +0000 UTCagain another great vid tom
Fergus Roberts
2024-10-09 18:36:06 +0000 UTC*Mussels π
Craig Cooper
2024-10-09 18:33:59 +0000 UTCRight. Get ready for my rambling. I absolutely LOVED that. It was so damn exciting. It was a bit sad for me to see you unsure of yourself because of your age. Never ever deny yourself an adventure or a rollercoaster. The second you start telling yourself youβre too old, youβll make yourself old. Keep doing what is exciting to you because I felt every second of that like I was right there with you. I would fully support a second video of this if you felt up to it, maybe even a series. You should consider a series of sneaking into UK theme parks. That would be biblical. Thanks for the great watch, and Happy Birthday for Sunday. All the best and many happy returns πΊ
Hannah Samuels-Lyons
2024-10-09 17:09:36 +0000 UTCAlton Towers would be crazy, but there's plenty of service roads connected to it - good luck if you make the attempt!
J Hutch
2024-10-09 17:02:24 +0000 UTCCheeeers
Sam Boden
2024-10-09 16:41:36 +0000 UTCI keep forgetting how local you are to me, immediately recognized hopwas at the start and turning right into plantation lane lol
Matthew Blabey
2024-10-09 16:33:22 +0000 UTCNo way. Weβre heading to Drayton Manor for the first time this Friday. Might not try and smuggle the kids through a tunnel though.
Justin Langley
2024-10-09 16:22:41 +0000 UTCI honestly read the title as "Sneaking into Draynor Manor" I always look forward to your videos especially the different in between adventures like tenner in the pocket, or exploring the urban areas and canals and this one.
Jack Mingle
2024-10-09 16:13:07 +0000 UTCCan't recommend a big bike trip enough Wesley! cheers mate
tom davies
2024-10-09 16:06:56 +0000 UTCJust finished your London to Budapest series after looking through some of the older stuff on here, and it was one of the most captivating and inspiring series I've watched, gonna definitely do something like that in the next 1-2 years, being a similar age to what you were back then. Now gonna watch this, great timing! Thanks Tom you're a legend!
Wesley Burgoyne
2024-10-09 16:01:39 +0000 UTCThanks Tom
Michael Durkin
2024-10-09 15:54:22 +0000 UTC
