Brilliant day out (Alton Towers (Staffordshire))

Member Name: ukboltonboy

Product:	Alton Towers (Staffordshire)
Date:	20/10/09 (23 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: great rides

Disadvantages: expensive food, £5 parking charge

In my opinion, quite simply the best theme park in England. I will get my gripes out of the way first - getting there can be a bit of a pain from either the M1 (from the east) or M6 motorway (from the west) as it is in quite a remote location and you may be shocked by a £5 parking fee when you arrive by car.

The cost to enter the park in £38 but there are usually 2 for the price of 1 offers if you look in the local press and on the internet. Tickets are also cheaper if you book in advance online.

The place is packed with rides. Here are a few:
Rita: 0-60 in a few seconds from standing. This rollercoaster is brilliant even though it is over quickly due to the speed.
Nemesis: Rollercoaster where your legs swing free. A few upside down parts too.
Air: You sit normally in the seat and then just before the ride starts the seats tilt so that you are facing the floor. Another good rollercoaster and a different experience to most others. More upside down turns in this one.
Oblivion: This rollercoaster takes you to the top of a vertical drop, hangs you over the edge (mist blocks your view of the bottom) and then releases you. Brilliant but doesn't last very long.
Spinball Wizzer - a smaller rollercoaster but the carriage you are in actually spins around as well so sometimes you will be facing the drop and other times you will go down it backwards.
There are also other rides such as the Ripsaw and Submission which both hang you upside down. Watch out for getting wet on Ripsaw - if you are in the wring place at the wrong time you can get a face full of water. Other rides include the Blade (the old pirate ship), log flume, runaway mine train and many more. These are mainly the rides for the over 16s but there also seemed a lot there for kids.

I would recommend going at Haloween as there are scary themes throughout the park and the Tower of Terror opens which is a haunted house with live actors and probably the most scariest thing I've ever been on at a theme park.

My main recommendation is to go and try it out.There is more than enough to keep you occupied for the whole day!! In terms of queues for rides this can be a problem in busy times but f you don't have children then try and go when the kids are at school because the park is much quieter and you can do all of the rides (some more than once) comfortably in one day).

Summary: Great day out for all the family.