'A piece of my childhood gone' - Alton Towers fans 'gutted' by closure of iconic ride

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

Alton Towers say they are 'gutted' about the closure of a ride that's been there for 44 years. Theme park bosses announced this week that The Blade pirate ship is being scrapped as changes are made to Forbidden Valley, home of the new Nemesis Reborn.

It's the park's oldest current ride and was previously located in Fantasy World (now known as X-Sector), before moving to Forbidden Valley, serving as a replacement for Thunder Looper in 1997.

Two other lesser known attractions are also closing - Flavio’s Fabulous Fandango, a temporary twister-style ride located within The World Of David Walliams and The Retro Squad, a number of other spinning pop-up flat rides across the park.

But it's the departure of The Blade that is upsetting visitors the most. Responding to the news on the Theme Park Worldwide Facebook page, one mum said: "It’s just really sad, Alton is in desperate need of flat rides, and it was great news to hear Ripsaw the second coming back, but now we are losing two flats in its place.