MINEHEAD’S brand new Observation Wheel has been the talk of the town this week.


The wheel, which has been the talk of the town in recent weeks, with hordes of people taking a ride to see a bird’s eye view of the seaside resort.

County Gazette reporter Steven Salter went down to find out what all the fuss is about.

He said: “Standing at 33 metres tall (108 feet), the wheel is an impressive structure on the Minehead Seafront and you can catch a glimpse of it when driving into the town.

“Unfortunately it was quite cloudy during our trip on the Wheel but the views were still pretty impressive. On a clear evening it could be particularly spectacular.

“You get terrific views of North Hill and the harbour, across the Bristol Channel to Wales and out toward Dunster – and also the less aesthetically pleasing industrial estate.

“The Wheel has already proved popular with both locals and visitors and there were long queues for the opening day with people eager to experience the sights.

“For £5 you get a three turns around which lasts around 6 or 7 minutes, depending on how many people are getting on or off the ride.

“I can see why residents of the flats opposite are upset about the lack of notice – the Wheel does not just slightly block the views from the flats, it dominates them.

However, the Wheel is clearly a big draw for Minehead’s tourism industry and I can see why the Events Group were eager to snap up the Wheel when it came available at short notice.”

The Fuger family also had a go on the wheel. 
Shane Fuger said: “We really enjoyed it and certainly my daughter Evie was smiling the whole way round.”
“You could see the whole of the world!,” five-year-old Evie chipped in.

Young friends visiting from Lemington, Courtney, Mikki, Ronan, Charliegh and Brodi could be heard singing their hearts out on their trip round.
“It was really good fun, we got some really great views,” Courtney said.

Michelle Jennings, manager of the Observation Wheel in Minehead said: “It has proven quite popular and everyone has been delighted with the views when they go up.”

Tickets cost £5 for an adult, £4 for children and senior citizens and £15 for a family ticket. 
It will be around for another 5-7 weeks, and is well worth checking out if you haven’t already.