U.K.'S BEST SKATE PARK

[Brad]

Thunder has great memories for me. The channel run was a brilliant learning place, especially up one corner nearest the shop. I learnt rock'n'rolls and frontside tailstands there.

The pole bowl was great when you got the lines wired, the pole was unforgiving if you didn't. Weren't the two bowls linked into the halfpipe called 'the bollocks'? I also remember trying to get what we called the 'pool bowl'!? wired.

Locals correct me -

[RollingThunder]

The pole bowl was great when you got the lines wired, the pole was unforgiving if you didn't. Weren't the two bowls linked into the halfpipe called 'the bollocks'? I also remember trying to get what we called the 'pool bowl'!? wired.

Locals correct me -

You're right the two bowls were called the bollocks and the other bowl was called the pool.

[RollingThunder]

 Any one remember the hippy type with black hair who used to rip in there....Jan (Yan?) was his name...nice bloke. He turned up again at Harrow and skated with us for a while in the early 90's I think.

I remember Jan, we were good friends when we were both locals at Rolling Thunder. As with so many skate friends we lost touch after the park closed.

Jan if you're out there drop me an e-mail. It's Dan from Rolling Thunder.

[L]

I probably had the most fun at Malibu Dogbowl (or Ubilam Lwobgod as we called it). Wildest trannies, weirdest lines. Hyson green bowls on the way to it from the train station, then the bus station banks on the way back while waiting for the train...

After that, random memories.... Kidderminster. Pool - nuff said.

Then Livi. Pure fun parties at Kenny's. trying to figure out where Davy Phillip got his speed from.

Grimsby. Boosters up the stupid 35' screen ramp, kicking up enough dust to cough all the way down.

Then  Plymouth - the full pipe was insane for back then.

Wicksteed Park - spent a lot of time there. Hanging with Pavel Pacynko. Still remember him doing handplants on the lip of the18' like it was yesterday. Paul Price too.

Cherry and Horncastle for obvious reasons (and yes, my Mum did eventally pay off the phone bill)

Christ on a bike - think of Barstaple, Lockleaze, Knebworth, Farnborough, Andover, Gillingham, Rom, Harrow, Meanwhile, Crystal Palace, Mad Dog Bowl, Bowes Lyon, Arrow, Newcastle, Gratton's ramp (and the Leeds Bradpipe it became), Edge Lane, Manchester (broke C3 there on a fakie ollie) and oxford street banks, Cardiff, Crantock, Skate City, Roxyskate, Hemel Hempstead, Washington, Eston, Boro Full Pipes, Darlington banks, the giant reservoir near Darlington...

Who's to say which was best? I know we had fun at all of them.

[Brad Bradley]

L is that Lee from Horncastle? - how are you doing? Hope you are still skating and having fun.

Take care

Brad (Kettering)

[L]

Hey Brad - yup - still skating and snowboarding mainly. Keep the faith. Lee

[Stevie B]

But then again this ran RT pretty close

[Chris Doree]

How about Knebworth and stevenage? Two good parks within spitting distance made the road trip worthwhile.
Anyone ever visit the skatepark at Thruxton race track?
It was the 1st park i skated (on my california sun). Went with my brother whilst my parents watched the racing. Sadly got buried under a moto-x track.

I spent many a weekend skating at Thruxton. It was a real pain to get to, so my dad had to drop me off at about 7 in the morning then pick me up before it got dark. Maybe not the best park around, but I'll never forget those days. Recently I met up with Graham Inchley, whose parents built the park. Sadly he didn't have any photos of the park. Later, the Inchleys built the skatepark at Andover, which although quite small made the most of the area available. The most amazing thing about it was that the club members built the park themselves. Once again, happy days! If only it were there now.

[phil burgoyne]

i have a park for you oldies...
a fiberglass town in lower bromley, london... a copy of the dallas clown ramp maybe? all sorts of fun things...
a half pipe with flat and no decks and insane baby pipes about 4 foot tranny with flat ... a very insane Mark Slough one day doing fakey frontside grinds... thats fakey up lift your tail and try to grind your front truck... might seem tame now but 1978/9 maybe

[Robin_S]

Can't beleive i have only just found this site.

Hi to all the old skaters out there.

I'm from the midlands and no one has mentioned the Arrow skate park in Wolverhampton probably one of the first indoor wooden parks with bowls, snake runs, full pipes and half pipes all sorts of crazy s h i t . Pretty insane place rode there 3 times a week as a kid, saw the hackett brothers rip the place apart.

Then there was Skateopia across the way in Wolvo which probably had the first flat bottomed bowls, they just seemed soo huge back then, even with 70mm Red Kryps.

The kiddy bowl was also mega smooth and in 1983 there was a load of US riders turn up for an ESA comp over a weekend, first time i saw the Vision boards (Gator) not sure if mountain was amongst them. hopefully someone will correct me.

The ramp over at The Wheels Project over in Bham was part of the old Arrow Skatepark Drain ramp. Also i built the indoor mini at Brownhills in the mid 80's which became the indoor bowl over at wheels (Dickers).

[4candles]

locomotion in Hemel was the best skatepark !

[edwin james brockman]

Phil,  just read your post.
The park you talk about was called  " Peter Pan's Playground" and had a permanent fairground next to it.
It was here that I first met you and when I started to skate there I had just taken up photography.
And yes I have a couple of dodgy pictures of you.....AAARGH!!

See you later Phil.

Edwin  (LSD)

[philipburgoyne]

that place is a very nice homebase now
i grinded the 3/4 pipe there and gave blood at the end of the bowl run thing... first time... hit the mogul coming out ...no idea... flying practice! laid still for a while say 20 minutes

[graham inchley]

THE BEST - ANDOVER because of the efforts by Skaters themselves and the atmosphere during a good sesh.  I can't remember there being any trouble there what so ever.  Moms cheese toasties from the shop could give bad heart burn!

THE WORST - Mini Ramps in general.  Where's the risk? :-/

[rob powell]

I remember that place   Skatewave,  the Whiplash was a big ramp down to an over vert  we used to see who could plant stickers the highest, I also recall the pair of halfpipes    spent alot of time in them as a kid. Also recall a Visit by Stacey Parelta  we would be bombing round the flat section with the quarters and nail the top of the extended vert section in front of the shop  doing 3 and 4 wheels out each time and he just kept falling off    Sadly  girls and beer took over for me and he stuck with it   DOH  but Im back skating agin and loving it.