All aboard a new rollercoaster of a year
From visiting theme parks to enjoying the Queen's Jubilee Year, there's plenty laid on for the tourist and day-tripper in 2002. Wendy Driver picks some of the best.. .
Theme Parks
Thorpe Park (0870 444 44 66 or www.thorpepark.com) has the world's first ten-looping rollercoaster opening in March. Colossus will hurtle riders at 40mph through stomach-churning loops of twisting track.
The New Vampire rollercoaster opens at Chessington (0870 444 7777 or www.chessington.com) in the spring. Riders will be suspended in space, their legs dangling free while they swing through the air and over the tree tops.
And at Alton Towers (08705 204060 or www.altontowers.com) the flying rollercoaster Air, opening on March 16, offers the Superman sensation. Passengers will be strapped into a harness horizontally and then swept along the ground swooping through the air and plunging through underground caverns.
In Spain, WB Movieworld Madrid will open in March at San Martin de al Vego, a 15-minute journey from the centre of the capital. Five themed areas will feature different aspects of the film world - Wild West, Cartoon Village, Hollywood Boulevard, Warner Brothers Studio and Superheroes.
Catch a less expensive whiff of the sea at The Cutty Sark Tall Ships Race which will finish in Portsmouth between August 13 and 15. August 16 sees the race crews parade to Portsmouth Guildhall and on August 18 there's a parade of sail in the Solent, maritime exhibitions and live entertainment. Visit www. portsmouthand.co.uk/tallships
Exhibitions and Festivals
Expo 02, in the Three Lakes region of Switzerland from May 15 to October 20 will tell the history and future of Switzerland. You can walk into an artificial cloud or sail out to a massive futuristic monolith which appears to rise from the waters of Lake Morat. For inclusive packages call Swiss Travel Service (0870 727 5862).
London will be celebrating the Queen's Golden Jubilee with a year-long String of Pearls Festival as well as special exhibitions such as The Tiara Today at the Victoria and Albert Museum. Highlights include the reopening of the Queen's Gallery with a 'Royal Treasures' exhibition on May 22 and a classical and pop concert held in Buckingham Palace garden the weekend of June 1. Visit www.london touristboard.com/ goldenjubilee
A major exhibition, Sunflowers In Amsterdam, celebrating the works of Van Gogh and Gauguin, will be held at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam from February 9 to June 2 with more than 120 paintings and drawings on display. For inclusive packages call Kirker Holidays (020 7231 3333).
