Alton Towers - 6/15/2023
Today's adventure was all about conquering the many roller coasters and experiencing the world famous English
amusement park Alton Towers.
From London we took two trains and a bus ride so that we arrived at the park right at opening at 10am.
Above the walkway just outside the park entrance is the double corkscrew of the park's former ride,
Corkscrew. It was the first double-inverting coaster in Europe, and was well received publicly when it
opened in 1980. At the end of the 2008 season, and after carrying an estimated 43.5 million thrill-seeking
passengers, Alton Towers closed the coaster and later moved Corkscrew's double corkscrew element to be used at
its current location at the front of the park and shown as an ornament and a reminder of its history.
The expansive park with hills, trees, gardens and pathways has a long and varied history that stretches back
centuries. But it began its life as an amusement park in 1980.
Sarah and I took our first coaster ride of the day on Smiler. This Gerstlauer coaster features 14
inversions, a world record. It has both a chain lift hill and a vertical chain lift hill. With all
of these twists, turns and inversion, you might think the ride is jerky or rough. But, it is actually quite
smooth.
And just adjacent to Smiler was Oblivion. Alton Towers scored another hit with the world's first dive
coaster. Like many coasters in the park, this B&M creation has a unique setting. The park has to
deal with a low height restriction which forces the park to be creative with its rides. So with Oblivion,
the park went underground. The coaster has a height of 65 feet and a drop of 180 feet. The drop is
at 87.5 degrees and there are no inversions like on most other dive coasters. It's a one trick pony.
We walked past the towers which were completed in 1850. But have since been neglected, mostly between
the two world wars, and the stately home has been left as an empty shell.
One of the rides I was most looking forward to experiencing was Hex - The Legend of the Towers. I was also
excited to introduce Sarah to this style of ride, as I don't believe she has ever been on a Madhouse ride. In
addition, like many rides at Alton Towers, the park has incorporated additional themeing elements including a
walkthrough portion and parts of the already existing towers into the ride dark ride experience. The ride is
based on an interpretation of the local legend of the Chained Oak Tree and is set within the restored ruins of the
Towers themselves. The combination of the architecture, theming and video/sound/lighting make this an
immersive experience. Most unfortunately, the ride was close so we didn't get our chance to experience
it.
We moved on to the Intamin hydraulic launch coaster, Rita. It accelerates from 0 to 61.1 mph in 2.5
seconds. The ride is loosely-themed as an abandoned drag racer that is used to escape the Dark
Forest. The ride has potential, but is sadly far too short of a ride.
I was also looking forward to our next coaster, Th13teen. This very unique ride from Intamin features the
world's first vertical freefall drop on a roller coaster, on which the track and train freefall approximately 16
feet in darkness. The ride has great theming throughout. The first portion of the ride is what you
might think of most coasters, a booster wheel lift hill and a coaster ride through the woods. Next, another
booster wheel lift hill and more coaster hills. Then the coaster comes to a stop in a darkened crypt for
the vertical freefall drop. Next, the train is launched backwards for the final journey back to the
station. Truly a one of a kind experience.
As we continued to circle around the vast park, moving from one of the section to the next, we saw a sign that
read that there were two pathways to get to the next area. One path was less direct, but was more
flat. While the other had several hundred steps, but was somewhat more direct. We chose the direct
path, not thinking that the additional steps would be much of a hindrance. We made our way along the
twisting steps down the side of the valley. At the bottom we eventually came up on the Pagoda Fountain.
Then we walked up and up the steps of the other side of the valley through the shade trees. There were very
few people walking the trails, and there was no sign of the roller coasters and other rides at the park along the
way. Even the sounds of the crowds and rides were silenced by the calmness of the wooded countryside. As
the trail wound its way up along the steep hillside it really felt as if we were in the Hocking Hills rather than
in an amusement park.
We made it out of the valley and to the next area of rides. We came upon Nemesis, a world renowned B&M
inverted coaster. But the coaster was closed as it is being rebuilt with most of its track and supports being
replaced. It is scheduled to reopen in 2024. I knew ahead of time that the coaster was being retracked,
but I still felt a little disappointed. The coaster is unique as it is largely underground in order to comply
with the height restrictions imposed on the park.
We moved on to ride Galactica, Bolliger & Mabillard's first flying roller coaster. With a combined two
inversions and flying low to the ground gives riders a greater sense of speed.
It was time for us to get lunch and we ate at the Rollercoaster Restaurant. This was a most unique
restaurant where food is delivered by way of roller coaster tracks via gravity. We ordered our meal on our
smartphones and a short time later our drinks and food rolled down the tracks from the kitchen above. This
might seem a bit impersonal, but the staff did check on us from time to time. The coaster memorabilia, video
displays and blueprints on the walls made for a good atmosphere.
Our next experience was the dark ride, The Curse at Alton Manor. A main theme of the ride is that Emily
Alton, the little Victorian ghost girl, that seeks revenge for being left alone and neglected in the
house. This was a very well executed dark ride.
The next coaster that we rode was Runaway Mine Train. It was a powered mine train roller coaster from
Mack Rides. This is the oldest roller coaster in the park. A portion of the ride runs alongside and
shares a tunnel section with Congo River Rapids. The train normally makes two circuits for each ride, although
on quiet days it has been known to run for three or more circuits. Sarah and I got three laps. This
coaster was a nice surprise and quite an enjoyable ride.
Wicker Man was next on your journey. I was very much looking forward to not only riding this coaster but
to see its theming. This twisting wooden coaster was created by Great Coasters International. The lift
hill is unique in that it changes angle as it ascends. It has great theming including a pre show in a wicker
dome, smoke-filled tunnels with fire-effect lighting. The compact layout passes through the large Wicker Man
effigy multiple times. This is a great woodie.
We then took a relaxing stroll through just a portion of The Gardens. These landscaped gardens located
within the valley feature lakes, water features and architectural landmarks.
We completed our circle around the park as we returned to the towers. And just nearby the park was holding
its Mardi Gras celebration. We took a seat on a picnic table and listened to the live music while we took in
the surrounding sites and sounds and used this opportunity to relax for a short while.
Our final coaster of the day was Spinball Whizzer. This is a great intermediate coaster from Maurer Rides
with spinning cars. The theme is a giant pinball machine, with the balls being the trains which are finished
in metallic silver. This ride was a lot of fun.
We spent our remaining time relaxing and watched the Mardi Gras Parade.
Alton Towers was like no other park I had been to. Beautiful country setting, great architecture, history
and a wide variety of creative and unique rides. Sarah and I were able to add eight new coasters to our track
lists. I would say that my favorite coaster in the park is Smiler.
We stayed until closing at 5pm. A half hour after closing we boarded a very crowded bus to
Uttoxeter. Once we arrived back in this small town, we visited the town square and got a bite to eat.
We are at The Old Swan. Even though it's a Wetherspoon establishment, it had an old time English countryside
feel.
We made the casual stroll back to Uttoxeter’s train station and waited as the other passengers slowly
gathered.
The train from Uttoxeter and a transfer to one other returned us to London.
Tomorrow we'll do some more walking around the sites of London and finish the day with a performance of Guys
and Dolls.
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