06-10 England's Biggest Amusement Park

Karen was really excited about getting to this park, Alton Towers, since we've heard about it since our childhood and we've always want to go here. It is kind of the Disneyland of England. So, she'll be our guest blogger for today.



We leave the motel at 8:35. We will be using our Merlin Annual Pass for Alton Towers today and that gets us, AND Alton Towers motel guests, AND anyone who bought their tickets online into the park one hour early at 9:00.

People still have British flags out on their houses and businesses as we make our winding way to the Park.



This park is Britain's best park and it is way out in the woods in the middle of nowhere.



We arrive in the parking lot and walk to the monorail (HEY, it's the old EXPO '86 monorail from Vancouver!) that takes us to the front gate. We're in the gate, park map in hand, let's figure out where to go. What path leads to Nemesis?



This park is really like a state park in the forest. We walk forever to get to the back. It's beautiful. Trees, streams, rhododendrons. Beautiful huge, purple rhododendrons all over this park. "Two roads diverged in a wood, and I took the one less traveled by."



We ride Nemesis three times, twice in the front seat once in the back.

It's good; fast, smooth, and it flies really close to the ground and swings really close to the sides. In the second to the back seat it's not as good, you can't see how close you are to objects or where you're going.





A coaster called Air is a flying coaster meaning you hang on your chest and stomach most of the ride. It was smooth but nothing much to it.



Duel: Haunted House Strikes Back is dark shooting ride. It's a pretty cool idea shooting in a haunted house. It's much faster then most shooting rides.



Runaway mine train choo choo. They sent us around three times. It was fun and kind of fast for a kids ride.





We had lunch at an all you can eat pizza and pasta place that was very good and we got a 20% discount with our annual pass.



Next we walked through Shark Reef, a pirate themed aquarium area.

Their live Pirate show was really good; a little drama with several songs; "I was born this way " was one of them.



Next we got to do a double sky ride. We got off but then noticed others didn't. So asked can we stay on ? Yes. Cool because it saved us a bit of walking.



Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was a nice surprise. First there's a boat ride, kind of ok, but then you get out and go into the glass elevator. Video screens are projected on all the walls and the ceiling behind glass. Gives you the illusion that you are going different places in the factory. Even the floor shakes. Then, of course, you break through the ceiling.





Ice age 4D was a very good story. Instead of motion seats they had only benches. Still rumbled good and there were weed wacker straps that hit your legs during the show. It "snowed" and, of course, wet stuff falls on you.



Rita is a top 10 England coaster built in 2005. It was very fast but short.

Th13teen. Fun ride. What a surprise. Fast bunny hops then it stops. OK, I'm thinking "fun little coaster". Oh, wait a minute it's not over??? We go into a building, it's darkish, then the WHOLE COASTER TRAIN drops like Twilight Zone, but not very far, about one foot, then we drop again, this time a full story, in a fully loaded coaster car!

Next we go zooming backwards out of the building twisting back and forth in the dark before stopping and then starting forward back into the boarding station. Brilliant!! Bloody Brilliant!! as the British would say.

Hex was next. What is it? We don't have a clue. You walk into the Tower of Alton Towers (Alton Towers was an actual home looking like a castle built in the early 1800's. The Park is using part of the castle in this ride) and there's monitors talking about restoration and they found something.





Then you went into the movie room. In there they told you the story of Alton Towers and the curse. The guy who once owned the Tower wouldn't give anything to the beggar lady so she cursed him. Every time a branch fell off the old oak tree one of his family members would die. That night a branch fell and someone died. So he chained up all the rest of the branches and put the one that fell off in a secret place in the tower. Well that's what they found.

Next you go to another room. One of those rotating rooms. Two rows on one side and two on the other. You swing back and forth, the room rotates. Seems like all the parks over here in Europe have this ride. At least they are all themed differently.

Next we get to wander all though the Towers themselves. They are all in ruin but we get to go up to the roof, cool.







Well, that's our first day here. We will be back tomorrow to finish.

We walk to the car because the monorail line is too long. It's a 15 min walk back to the parking lot.



This evening I actually watched TV. Part of Antiques Road Show. Very interesting and timely. They had items AND the people that were involved in the Queen's Coronation 60 years ago. Only got to see the end.