Fascinating History and F**k Off Rides (Alton Towers (Staffordshire))

Member Name: Shazzy

Product:	Alton Towers (Staffordshire)
Date:	03/04/02 (1008 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Some of the best rides in the UK

Disadvantages: Bloody expensive!

Once upon a time, way back in 1800, the 15th Earl of Shrewsbury looked across the grounds from his home at Alverton Lodge and had a vision. He improved the farm house, renamed it Alton Abbey, and set about creating magnificent gardens out of what was little more than a barren wilderness in the heart of Staffordshire, planning to create a leisure park open to the public. Unfortunately, in 1827, the good Earl died, leaving his estate to John Talbot, the 16th Earl of Shrewsbury. Talbot continued the work of his uncle, and as well as installing The Pagoda Fountain and The Chinese Temple, both of which are still standing today. He was also responsible for building the house that was known as Alton Towers.

In 1860 the gardens were finally opened to the public but it wasn’t until 1890 that the leisure park tradition was started when the 20th Earl of Shrewsbury held the first of an annual August fete that included wire-walking, sideshows, clowns, fireworks and illuminations.

In 1920 the Talbot family sold the estate to a group of local businessmen who formed The Alton Towers Company. The company restored the gardens to their former beauty and installed catering facilities and during the 20s and 30s, the estate was again open to the public. However, once the 2nd world war broke out, the estate was requisitioned by the army as a cadet training camp. Being as our military boffs are so keen on keeping fine examples of architecture in good stand, by the end of the war, the house was dilapidated. By the time the Ministry of Defence handed it back to the Alton Towers Company in 1958, the house was in such a state of disrepair that the interior had to be demolished. The Alton Towers Company lost interest and went into liquidation.

Next up was Alton Towers Company Ltd., formed under the direction of Dennis Bagshaw. After once again restoring the gardens, the company installed cable cars, rowing boats and other attractions. Alton Towers soon gained a
reputation for it’s magnificent gardens and pleasant woodland walks.

Eventually, Bagshaw’s son-in-law, John Broome took over the company and decided it was time to modernise. The first plans for an American style theme park were laid.

In 1980 that Alton Towers changed forever. The famous corkscrew ride, the UK’s first double looping roller coaster, was installed, quickly followed by the log flume. Both rides are still working today.

So there you have it. The history of Alton Towers. How it grew from a simple lodge in the hills of The Peak District, to the UK’s most visited theme park.

But what about today? What exactly can you expect to find at Alton Towers? And how do you even find it in the first place? Let’s come back to the 21st century.


• GETTING THERE

By Car
The park lies almost directly north of Uttoxeter in the heart of the Staffordshire countryside. Main roads are signposted from Derby and Stoke, but are narrow and winding, passing through several small villages. I can’t help but feel sorry for the villagers who once enjoyed the peace and tranquillity of the peaks, but who now have to suffer the continual procession of traffic passing their doors. The least we can do is drive slowly and behave respectfully.

On arrival at the park we were directed to the first available space. It was about 12.30 (we’d planned to arrive earlier but a traffic jam had held us up) and the car parks were filling up quickly, even though they’re huge. Remember to make a note, mental or otherwise, of the car park you’re in because otherwise you’ll find yourself doing the proverbial needle thing at the end of the day. My car’s very distinctive (grey bonnet on a red car) but even that wasn’t easy to find, even though we knew which car park we were in. There must’ve be thousands of cars in each car park. Huge oceans of them. And
I’m sure at least a third of them were red. I’d never noticed how many red cars there are until I bought one myself.

Once parked, head for the monorail that will take you to the entrance. It’s a nice little ride, lasting a couple of minutes, and you’ll get to see quite a bit of the park as it glides over the tree tops, passing several of the major rides. It all adds to the excitement build up.

By Coach
Several coach companies operate services to Alton Towers, usually as packages including entrance to the park. Those planning to travel by coach will be pleased to know that the coach park is smack bang next to the entrance, so there’s no queuing for the monorail, or taking a long hike after what will inevitably be a long day.

By Rail
I’ve no idea where the nearest train station is, but many of the train operators arrange package deals to Alton Towers that includes transfer by bus and entry price.


• ADMISSION

We were hoping for a family ticket, which on a peak day (there are three rates: non-peak, peak and premium) would’ve cost £70, but these tickets are for 2 adults and 2 children UNDER 13 and as my girls are 13 and 15, we had to go for individual tickets. Full price for each of us. Now I realise that daughter No.2 thought it was kind of cool to be considered an adult, but I personally think it’s ridiculous that a 13 year old should have to pay full whack. But that’s pretty normal these days so it was only to be expected really. Carol’s treat cost her £94. Almost a hundred quid for two adults and two older children to get in! £23.50 each.

I won’t list all the admission prices as there are lots of alternatives and three different rates, but as a general guide children under 4 go free (because there’s really not much for them to do there), children 4 – 12 pay about £4 less than an adult ticket. OAPs and disabled people
pay about £10 less. Disabled people can have a maximum of two helpers accompanying them who also pay the disabled price. In my opinion, at least one should go free, but obviously the Tussauds Group, who now own Alton Towers, doesn’t agree.

There are discounts for pre-booked tickets, although not more than a pound or two, depending on whether you order a dated or open ticket.

If you arrive after 2pm, you get a discounted rate, although I’ve no idea how much the discount is. I wouldn’t recommend arriving that late though, as you really do need the whole day to get round the entire complex.

If you keep your eyes open, there are usually some good ticket deals offered by various companies. Tesco have done it, and The Sun regularly has offers of 2 for 1 tickets.

As if paying £94 to get in wasn’t enough, there’s also a £2 car parking fee. Are they having a laugh or what? As far as I’m concerned, that’s taking the p**s. You have to buy a token at one of the machines located within the park. You can pay at the barriers on your way out but if too many people do that, the queues would be ridiculous so try to remember to get one.


• THE PARK

Ok, so we’ve stood in the queue (which moved remarkably quickly) and now we’re inside. Let the magic begin.

My daughter’s first impression was that it wasn’t anywhere near as brightly coloured as it seemed to be on the adverts. That was true. The buildings in Alton Street, which leads down from the entrance to the lake and paths leading to the various areas of the park, were dismal looking. Faded paintwork. Maybe that was just because it was the beginning of the season and they hadn’t given them a fresh lick of paint, but it should’ve been done. First impressions are important.

Apart from that, I can’t really fault the park. The paths, that wind their way through woodlands and
gardens, were kept clean and at times it’s difficult to believe that you’re in the middle of a huge theme park.

From the lake, which is the central point of the park offering rides on swan boats for the youngsters, there's a view of the house that the 16th Earl built all those years ago. I’d seen pictures, but I had no idea just how magnificent the building is.

Some of the paths are steep and although the cable car connects several areas of the park, there’s a lot of walking to be done on those steep paths. Because of this, the park probably isn’t suitable for elderly people, or those with impaired mobility.


• THE RIDES

Right. Yes. The rides. Hmm. Am I the right person to be telling you about them? I’m the biggest wimp to ever have lived and refuse point blank to go on anything that takes me off the ground or turns me upside down. I’m scared. I can’t even say that I hate rides like that because I’ve never tried. I’m just scared. That’s all there is to it. I’m a coward. A yella-belly. A scardy-cat. I feel physically ill at the thought of riding anything called Oblivion or Nemesis.

But the others aren’t like me. They like being chucked about and thrown into a black pit at some ridiculous speed and they wanted to go on them all.

First up, we made our way to The Forbidden Valley where the new AIR ride opened this year. The cable car, known as THE SKYRIDE, took us up in a minute or two, and was much better than walking. We didn’t want to be knackered before we’d even started.

AIR was a big disappointment. We’d all thought that riders actually lie flat beneath the track as they’re whizzed around loops and bends. Aren’t they supposed to feel as if they’re flying, sort of like Superman does? You’d have to lie flat for that wouldn’t you? In fact, they’re sort of sitti
ng but tipped forward so that they’re sitting head first through the ride (did you understand that?). It has plenty of twists and turns but it moves far slower than you’d probably imagine. In fact, compared with Nemesis, I thought it looked quite tame. Even Carol, who’s a roller coaster enthusiast, was disappointed. Unfortunately, while we were watching, AIR was closed. Evidently it was experiencing technical problems and would be closed intermittently throughout the day. Not that it mattered to me, but it was a disappointment for the others.

NEMESIS looked considerably more impressive. Opened in 1994, it’s the only inverted coaster in the UK and undoubtedly still one of the most popular rides at Alton Towers.

Standing at the fence by a bubbling river of “blood”, watching as a screaming line of riders were thrown up and over loops and down through tunnels, I’m not sure even the promise of seduction by a good looking bloke in a uniform would’ve got me on there. Riders sit under the tracks, so for somebody who wouldn’t consider looping the loop on a conventional coaster, doing it on the outside of the loop with my legs dangling was just completely out of the question. Carol and Lise wanted a go but, even though Nemesis takes 1400 passengers per hour, a 65 minute queue put them off. Shame really, but I can understand why they didn’t fancy standing for over an hour waiting for something that takes 90 seconds to complete. As if the queue wasn’t enough to put them off, the final decider came when the ride stopped, full of passengers, half way up the main ascent, heading for the launch point. A bloke walked up the construction and spoke to them, and a couple of minutes later they were whizzing round the track, but to be honest, after AIR breaking down and then Nemesis stopping, I was relieved that my daughter didn’t go on.

RIPSAW looks like fun, but still too daring for me t
o consider. It’s a sort of two tiered carriage hung from two arms. Riders sit in the carriage and as the arms move around in a 15 meter upward circle, the carriage rotates independently. Movement is controlled by the operator. While this is happening, a row of 35 fountains send their jets of water into the air at unexpected moments. These are also controlled by the operator so you can never be sure when the spurts are going to come. Sometimes you just miss the fountain, other times you’ll get soaked. Daughter No.2 was disappointed because although they were lowered through the water, she didn’t actually get wet.

Moving back down towards the main entrance area of the park again, you’ll find THE HAUNTED HOUSE. Once again I was the bag lady, and the others went off to be scared. The girls loved it so much they went on twice. The second time round, it broke down (do any of the rides runs painlessly?). Evidently you queue through several rooms in the house, then sit in coffins to be taken through the main part of the ride.

Still heading downhill, the next stop is THE CONGO RIVER RAPIDS. Guess what? I went on them! Yepp! I did! No kiddin’. The queue was about 30 minutes, which was tolerable, and all the time we were queuing I kept asking Carol whether we’d get wet. I really didn’t fancy getting wet. She insisted that if we got wet, it’d be no more than a spray, just like a couple of minutes in drizzle. No soaking. Ok, so I’m a mug for believing her. She was telling porkies.

You sit in a raft that follows a “raging river” 725 meter “track”. It all starts off nicely enough, but then the river starts to get a bit more ferocious and before you know it, SPLASH! You’re drenched. And it keeps happening. It was brilliant fun though and laugh? Oh boy, did I laugh! I laughed and laughed and when Carol got the biggest soaking of us all, I laughed some more. That’ll t
each her to tell fibs!

The fun was short-lived though, because Carol’s bag had been soaked with her mobile phone inside. The phone was also soaked and she ended up having to buy a new one. I was lucky because I put my bag under my legs, but Carol had hers on her lap. So remember that. Don’t put your bag on your lap! There really should be some kind of warning about this, but I’m buggered if I saw any. Neither Carol or the girls saw any warning either, so I can only presume there wasn’t one.

After the rapids, I was up for it. The old adrenaline had started to pump and I wanted more. The next ride was THE RUNAWAY MINE TRAIN, which is a sort of roller coaster, but not really a roller coaster, because it doesn’t roll. The trains are mechanically powered around the track.

The train holds 46 passengers and completes two circuits of the track, which is 10.9 meters at its highest point. I know that doesn’t sound very high, but for me it is. I thought I was well daring! The maximum speed is 36km an hour, but it felt like a lot more than that to me. At one point it dips down in to a tunnel that’s shared by people riding the aforementioned rapids. It’s great fun! Brilliant! And I’m proud as punch for having the guts to go on it. I was brave for two and a half minutes! So there!

I’d originally said I would go on the LOG FLUME, but when we got there, the queue was long and I really didn’t fancy another soaking. If it’d been a hot summer’s day then yes, but it wasn’t. It’s an old ride, built in 1982, and since nothing much seems to have been done with it since, it isn’t particularly impressive.

Have you ever been in a 3-D CINEMA? That was pretty good. Not overly impressive, but different. The film, which you watch through 3-D glasses issued at the door, lasts for 12 minutes. In some places it was very good, and I felt myself moving back to
not be hit by whatever was coming at me, but other parts were quite tiresome. It’s starting to get a bit old hat now though, so there are plans to develop a 4-D cinema to replace it. That could be interesting.

Alongside the cinema are THE TEACUPS. This consists of 12 “china” teacups revolving around a huge teapot. Each teapot has a large wheel in the centre that controls the speed at which the cup rotates. It’s clever because riders can control the intensity of their ride themselves. If you don’t touch the wheel, you’ll have a nice gentle ride that even the youngest children would enjoy. At the other end of the scale, if you pull it round hard, you G-force spin, like on the old-fashioned “waltzers”. Great stuff.

The biggest attraction of Alton Towers has to be OBLIVION, the world’s first vertical drop roller coaster. How anybody can remain calm whilst sat in an open carriage that’s tipped over the edge of a 60 meter drop and just wait for it to happen - to be plummeted at 68 mph into a hole in the ground - is a complete mystery to me. I’m sorry, call me a wimp if you must, but there’s just no way I am ever going on that thing! No way! Not a chance! It just isn’t going to happen! It’s no good thinking you can sit at the back avoid seeing the drop either, because you do! The seats are raised so that everybody has the same view.

ENTERPRISE looks a bit of a bugger too. Basically, it’s a huge horizontal wheel with carriages hanging from it. The wheel spins round slowly at first, but as it gains speed the wotsit force (err… what do you call it? The spin dryer effect sort of thing. Centrifugal force?) causes the carriages to swing outwards until they’re eventually horizontal with the wheel. I thought it looked bad enough at that point, but then what happens? The whole thing tips on its side until the wheel is running vertically. Evidently you exp
erience weightlessness at the top and a g-force of 2.5 at the bottom. How awful’s that? Daughter No.1 says it’s wicked so what more can I say?

If riding the Mine Train was an achievement for me, I don’t suppose I need to tell you that THE BLACK HOLE was out of the question. It isn’t much higher than the mine train but it’s faster and IN THE DARK!!! Is that scary or what?

Then there’s SUBMISSION. It’s a 15 meter arm with a gondola hanging beneath it. The arm turns continuously but the gondola also turns on itself. In other words, you’ll sometimes find yourself hanging upside down, and at other times you’ll be spinning at 360 degrees. Sod that for a game of soldiers! You do it if you want to but leave me out of it.

The ride that made Alton Towers famous is THE CORKSCREW. Built in 1980, this ride marked the start of the modern British theme park. Obviously, it isn’t as complex as the rides built these days and it’s starting to show it’s age, but there’s no doubt that it’s still a big crowd puller. And yet another that was too daring for me.

So that the park can’t be seen from the surrounding countryside, Alton Towers have to adhere to height restrictions when building rides these days. The Corkscrew was built before these restrictions were introduced, and at 23 meters it’s the only ride to go above treetop level. Nowadays, to achieve the same effect, pits are dug and part of the coasters sunk into the ground.

There are a few other rides, but to be honest, I got the feeling they’re there to fill up the space more than anything.



• FACILITIES

Don’t worry, we’re getting to the end now.

You’ll need to eat at some point, and unless you take a picnic, eating’ll mean buying food at one of the numerous outlets around the park. McDonalds are there (surprise, surprise
) along with KFC and Pizza Hut, hotdog places, donut places, coffee places, an Indian takeaway and… well… ice cream and things. Seriously, there are plenty of food outlets and wherever you are, you’re never far from one. The prices weren’t as bad as I’d expected either. 80p for a cup of coffee (compared with the £1.60 I paid at a motorway service station a few weeks ago).

Toilets are also easy enough to find and never too far away. There were no queues for toilets while we were there, although in peak season there might well be. I can’t imagine them being unbearably long though, as the park was quite busy while we there.

There’s a first aid service and the park has it’s own ambulance should there be a need to transport anybody to hospital.

I wouldn’t recommend the park for wheelchair users. I saw a couple of wheelchairs being pushed around and the carers didn’t look too happy. There are a lot of hills, remember. Don’t rely entirely on the SKYRIDE (cable cars) to get you to the top of the park either, because during our visit, it broke down during the afternoon and didn’t start up again until just before the park closed at 6pm.

All in all it was a great day out, albeit an expensive one. Would I go again? Yes, but I’d make sure I had a couple of promotional coupons first.

And I’d make sure Carol didn’t have wind.

~~+~~+~~

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