Alton towers is the flagship of the Merlin group. Its a huge area of land set in some of the most picturesque scenery in England. The surrounding area is full of green fields, quaint buildings, towers and castles.
As I said the park is massive. the gardens are superb. Topiery at its best. One way to see it all is to travel all around using the cable car, a breathtaking experience. To walk through would take an age but well worth it. The buiding/castle in the centre of Alton Towers is awesome and under redevlopement and will house no doubt another attraction. As I said, this place is big and me being a little on the older side, wished I could have taken my bike. There are a few hill climbs in places.
Merry mayhem has gone and has been themed into a pirate area, an arcade in this area, offering the usual coin slots, cranes and videos. Plenty of food joints. I liked the one in the courtyard, eat drink and be merry, while being entertained by a pirate show. The salad was really fresh and the food was freshly prepared.
The lake now has pirate boats now and the children and adults seemed to enjoy soaking each other from ship to ship.
You can win a car here. All you have to do is sink a hole in one into the hole, on an island, in the middle of a lake. Dead easy.....???
Loads of side stalls too, where you can win some pretty large toys. I tried the wizard wands but got buzzed out every time, but I did see people walking away with prizes, so it can be done, but obviously not by someone like me.
The rides vary, there is something for everyone. The youngsters can learn to drive here in there own car on its own track and the car wash even blows bubbles.
For the brave, try Nemesis or Oblivion, this ride takes you and about 12 others up a lovely height, then round and down a curving incline you go and then you are looking straight down at a gaping hole in the ground with steam issuing forth. If thats not sadistic enough the disigner threw in a little surprise. It holds you in that position for a few seconds before it lets you hurtle downwards. You arnt long in the dark before your speeding out in the sunlight towards the rides end. My other favourite was Rita,( The ride that is), Queen of Speed. A propelled roller coaster that starts off flat but you are propelled forward at very high speed, some said it was 0 to 120 mph in about 3 seconds. It certainly felt like it.
Overall, I like the place. Some may find the entry fee a little pricey, but its the same price to get in this year as it was last. You could save money by booking online. there are often money saving vouchers in the press. Also worth a mention is the Annual pass, if you want to go there a fair bit or the Merlin annual pass, which gets you into here and lots of other Merlin Group attractions across the country.
Things I dont like are long queues, and queue-jumping FastTrack tickets which tend to make me feel a little second class after i have paid my hard earned cash to get in. Paying to park seems a bit steep, glad i didnt park in the express parking area, it was twice as much.
Apart from that gripe or two, remember, its a big place. Use the cable car or the monorail to get all the way round, because they wont let you in with your bike!!!
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Advantages: Lots to do, rides seldom break down, something for everyone. Disadvantages: Big queues for some rides, tickets rather pricey, especially for kids
Jul 2nd, 2009
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