We're twins and we love Blackpool Pleasure Beach's Big One so much we've been on it almost 20,000 times
25 years on from their first ride, twins are less than 100 away from their 20,000 target
Two brothers are such big fans of the Big One at Blackpool Pleasure Beach are heading close to a target of riding it 20,000 times.
Twins Mark and Colin Brown, 63, from Birmingham, took their first ride on it in May 2001, and a quarter of a century on, hope to reach their landmark number on their next visit later this month.
After riding it for two days this week - from opening time to closing each day - the pair were left with some 95 rides to go and are set for a real celebration when they return in a couple of weeks’ time.
Over the years, they have averaged somewhere just under 50 rides in a day, while they recalled that their best-ever day saw them take to the attraction 70 times.
“It all depends on the weather, opening times and factors like that but it’s never any less thrilling, even after all these years.
“We fancied giving such a landmark ride a go the first time on a visit to Blackpool all those years ago, enjoyed it so much we kept going back on and it has all grown from there.
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“Since being made redundant a few years ago, we come more often than we ever did and now we’ve got so close to 20,000, it will be really great to get there.
“But I think at this stage, once we’ve reached it, we’ll probably carry on and maybe set another target.
“It’s a brilliant ride, so why not?”
The Big One, standing 235 ft above the Pleasure Beach and South Promenade was opened to the public on May 28, 1994 as the tallest roller coaster in the world.
It held the title as the tallest until Fujiyama in Japan in 1996.
A full ride cycle on the Big One lasts approximately three minutes.
Records show that the highest known record for total rides on a single roller coaster is more than 25,000 lifetime rides on the Renegade coaster at Valleyfair in Shakopee, Minnesota , set by an enthusiast called Mike Cameron, also known as ‘Renegade Mike’.