The Swarm at Thorpe Park

Opened in March 2012, The Swarm is the first Bolliger & Mabillard Wing Rider roller coaster in the UK. Riders are seated in pods of two on either side of the track, enabling the ride to incorporate a number of “near-miss” elements with the surrounding scenery.

The Swarm stands at 127-feet-tall, making it the second tallest ride at Thorpe Park behind nearby Stealth. After exiting the station (which is themed around a ruined church), the trains climb to the top of a lift hill before rolling 180 degrees. This means that riders start its circuit hanging upside position, before returning to an upright position via half-loop. The circuit features a number of highly banked turns, as well as a corkscrew and a zero-G roll.

Thorpe Park has installed extensive theming around The Swarm’s circuit, with the backstory for the ride being that an alien invasion has devastated the earth. A number of burnt-out vehicles are located close to the track, including a “crashed” aeroplane, a helicopter and a fire engine. The train themselves are designed to represent the invading “swarm”.