WHAT is it that drives some people to climb happily into a metal car where, seconds later, nothing more than a metal bar holds them in while gravity and centrifugal force pull them in different directions?

Once that bar drops down, that is it - there is no appeal. Even if that burger lunch half-an-hour ago suddenly seems like a very bad idea, there is no escape.

The clicking of the ratchet marks a gradual climb to the top before a tension-filled pause, high above the crowds, then all hell breaks loose.

A mad, swooping dive usually comes first as the rollercoaster gathers pace and then a series of sharp, gut-wrenching turns, with screams torn from lungs compressed by G-force.

By now, most will have a death grip on the straps and safety bars - and this is supposed to be fun.

But, with bright green and red rails and with cars decorated with cheeky faces, surely the Tree Top Twister, at Lightwater Valley, near Ripon, is a tamer ride?

After all, the highest point cannot be much more than 30ft and the dips do not seem that sheer. But then looks can be deceptive.

"I thought a was a goner," said one father, climbing from the car. "It's not the drops, but the fact it spins like a waltzer as well."

"It was fantastic," said another. "It's not really scary until it starts spinning and then it feels like you could fall, as there doesn't seem to be anything holding you up."

"It was brilliant," said a mother persuaded to go on the ride with her two children. "I wouldn't say it was an A-ride but it's different - like a mix between a roller-coaster and a waltzer."

But then they were all able to watch and perhaps knew what to expect, which is more than could be said for the Honeyz, Celena, Heavenli and Naima, who had performed a string of their hits on the Stray FM Roadshow stage.

"That was a first - and probably a last," said Celina, who admitted she is not a white-knuckle fan.

"It doesn't look it from the ground, but, when it spins, you really get pushed into the seat," said Naima.

Lightwater says passengers experience three Gs on the ride.

I am happy to take their word for it.