Richard Bannister

The final coaster of my holiday happened entirely by accident. My partner decided that she wanted a relaxed afternoon in the hotel reading her book, so I decided to go for a wander around Hampstead Heath close to where my brother used to live. When I’d seen all there was to see I randomly looked at the Coaster-Count app on my phone, and discovered that there was a travelling credit that I could get to via a direct train on the London Overground.

Forty-five minutes later I found myself in Shepherd's Bush, where I was just in time to catch the tail end of a punch-up taking place in the lobby area of the local McDonald’s. I contemplated staying to watch the show, but security indicated fairly directly that I should disappear and quickly – so I wandered down the road to George Irvin's Funfair. I paid my £2 entry fee and had a look around. It was immediately evident that I was one of the only customers, perhaps unsurprising in the middle of a weekday afternoon, so I decided to begin my visit with the Ghost Train as there was an operator clearly visible in the cashbox. The experience was everything I’ve come to expect from travelling dark rides; blackness, a smell of axle grease, and the occasional spectre looking like many of us do after a night out on the town.

With that done I made my way over to the Crazy Caterpillar (#3042). There were no operators in sight, so after a few minutes waiting I decided I’d go find one. The nice man at the Wave Swinger told me that he couldn’t help but he’d find someone who could, and a few minutes after that my new best friend returned with someone who had the right key. I enjoyed a four lap exclusive ride in the back seat, where I can say with conviction that I didn’t look even remotely silly.