However, if you get your kicks from thrills, spills, and the feel of adrenaline coursing through your veins, then you should definitely give it a whirl.

The annual Bridge Fair is in town for a few nights only, but this year has new star attraction – The Booster - rising 167 feet into the air and costing 500,000 Euros.

What do you think of this year's Bridge Fair?
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The editor of the Evening Telegraph asked me if I would go down and sample The Booster's charms.

And so, in the name of Roger Cook-style hard-hitting investigative journalism, my younger sister Hannah and I wandered to the Embankment to give it a go.



This lovely machine, which costs £2 per ride, throws you up in the air, pokes you back down, swirls you about again and turns you upside down. About 14 times a minute.

Readers, this ride isn't for the faint-hearted. And, let's just put it this way, don't even think about it if you've had your dinner.

And remember to close your eyes as soon as the ride starts – believe me, the sight of Peterborough seen at high speed, upside down and 167-foot in the air isn't exactly a stomach-friendly one.

John Bugg is the man responsible for the nerve-jangling, tummy-churner that is the Booster, which he said was invented by the Germans. (Which seems fitting, somehow.)

In fact, he is responsible for all of the 24 fun-filled rides at the fair.

He and his wife Sarah run John Thurston and Son Ltd, and put on fairs all over the UK, Europe and the Far East.

They have a home in Peterborough, but live on a Winnebago while travelling.

"Fairs are a way of life, not a job," he said.

"We have 86 families working on rides here at Peterborough Fair, and my father and grandfather were both in the business.

"My son John is 20 and operates the Oblivion ride, and he will be taking over from me in the future.

"I remember when I was small my great grandmother telling me that when her mother was seven months' pregnant she walked on a high wire over the River Thames when it was frozen.

"So I grew up with romantic stories like that and never wanted to do anything different.

"There is something exciting about a fair.

"It's something new for the city, it's a novelty. And even though our fuel costs have doubled over the past year, our prices have stayed the same for the past four years.

"You can't beat a night out at the fair."

Bridge Fair is at the Embankment until Sunday, 12 October from 6pm Monday-Friday, 2pm Saturday and Sunday.