Big Dipper, Wooden roller coaster at Blackpool Pleasure Beach, England
The Big Dipper is a wooden roller coaster in Blackpool that runs on a track of roughly 1000 meters (3300 feet) over timber supports reaching up to 18 meters (59 feet) high. Two trains with three cars each and a total of 24 seats share the winding route and run at the same time.
William Strickler built the ride in 1923 using plans from John Miller, an engineer who invented the system with wheels beneath the track. This design allowed higher speeds and sharper turns than older models.
The timber framework became protected heritage in 2016 and sits in one of the oldest seaside amusement parks in England. Visitors see the old struts and crossbeams from outside and hear the rattle of the cars from quite a distance.
The ride lasts around three minutes and offers several drops and turns along the full circuit. Queues can grow longer on sunny weekends, while wait times tend to be shorter on quieter days.
Richard Rodriguez rode for 1000 hours continuously on this ride in 1998 and later extended his record to 2000 hours. This world record remains in the books today and shows the endurance of the old timber structure.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.
