The best big kids' playground (Alton Towers (Staffordshire))

Member Name: laukez

Product:	Alton Towers (Staffordshire)
Date:	08/09/09 (57 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Amazing rides and a great location

Disadvantages: Queues can be a pain, but what would you expect

I've been to Alton Towers now a couple of times, and both times I have had absolutely brilliant days out! The last time I visitied was a trip for my 21st birthday in June this year with my boyfriend, sister and her boyfriend. We stayed at the hotel the night before and arrived at the park on the monorail service from the hotel into the park. The monorail is an excellent service for hotel guests and those using the car parks - it is very frequent and takes you right into the park.

We had already bought our tickets at the hotel to beat the queues (which were non-existent when we arrived). We paid £17.50 each with bogof vouchers (there are often offers to be had on Alton Towers entry, it's really never worth paying full price).

After scanning our tickets we walked straight into the park to take advantage of the early ride time our hotel stay afforded us. It's a great feeling pushing past crowds of teenagers to get on the big rides before they are allowed in! We headed straight for Oblivion which was one of the rides open early. What a way to blow the cobwebs away so early in the morning! Like so many of the rides here Oblivion (which is the vertical drop one) leaves your legs like jelly and isn't for the faint hearted!

After Oblivion we went round some of the other big rides, including Air (my personal favourite), Rita Queen of Speed (the scariest acceleration) and others which are less big but still brilliant such as the Congo river rapids and the Log Flume (love the fact that it's bathtubs not logs!). After a good soaking from these which we took early in the day in order to be dry for the drive home we decided it was time for lunch.

There is an excellent choice of places to eat in the park with good variety from eat in all you can eat pizza buffet, a Mexican outlet and a courtyard barbecue area to donut stalls selling delicious fresh donuts. We ate at Burger King and although it was a little more expensive than it would usually be I expected worse. If money is a bit tight there are plenty of areas for picnics, including the lawns complete with deckchairs and greedy ducks!

Considering the size of the park it is fairly easy to navigate. The park is divided into several zones including X-Sector, Forbidden Valley and Ug Land and each have a variety of rides and attractions. The first time we went we found the park absolutely exhausting but since then the skyride gondolas are back in action, and this seriously reduces your legwork. Personally I find the gondolas the scariest thing in the park. I never wuss out of the big rides and have been on them all at Alton Towers but the gondolas are a different kind of scary - they just freak me out. But they are worth it to make the most of your time, and the views from them of the gardens surrounding the old Towers building itself are stunning. Not for those who are scared of heights though, as the sides are all glass.

So, the rides. Well the big rides at Alton Towers are amazing - Air is a beautiful experience which really does make you feel like you are flying. Rita makes you feel like your eyeballs are going to turn inside out thanks to her speed. Oblivion is a massive adrenalin rush - that pause above the drop feels like an eternity. Nemesis is the single most frightening (and exhilerating) thing I have ever done - you experience more Gs than you would in a space shuttle launch apparently.

There are others which are just good fun and more suited for the wusses out there - the log flume and river rapids are a good laugh as you compete to see who gets the soggiest. There are also funfair standards like swings (but no waltzer - boo). The experience rides are excellent - I love the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory experience because I'm a big kid who love chocolate and loved the book as a kid. The boat ride and glass elevator are brilliant. one of my favourite things at Alton Towers is Hex. Set in the old Towers building the 'ride' is one of the most mind-blowing things. I won't say too much about it because it's best if you don't know what to expect but word to the wise - don't go on straight after lunch. Someone had when we went on and it wasn't pretty.

One thing I will say about Alton Towers is that it's somewhere I wouldn't bother to take young kids say under the age of ten. There is a small kids area but it is really small in relation to the park and while there are experiences for them such as the new Sea-life Sharkbait Reef (which was good) you are limited and it might be better to save it for when they are a bit older and you both get the pleasure of going on the bigger rides. You have to be over 1.4m to go on the biggest rides which is what I enjoy most about the park. I'm not saying don't go with small kids - but they might enjoy it most when they are a bit older.

The longest we queued for a ride was about an hour, right at the end of the day for both nemesis and air. I would recommend goign outside of the school holidays as during that time I reckon you could triple that hour queue for the big rides, then you wouldn't get to go on much.

Overall Alton Towers is a brilliant day out. It offers something for most people. The surroundings are beautiful, and the rides are amazing! I'd recommend it, and say it is worth the cost for a brilliant day out.

Summary: A brilliant day out!