Alton Towers
Nestled in acre after acre of Staffordshire moorland, Alton Towers is a large and picturesque park. The park is built in the grounds of the old manor house (originally the ancestral home of the Earls of Shrewsbury). Although largely in ruins, the manor house provides a stunning backdrop to the rides, and the award-winning gardens are an attraction in their own right.
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The park contains the UK’s biggest and best collection of rollercoasters and there is an excellent range of rides, meaning that everybody will find something they enjoy.
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Alton Towers will always have a special place in our hearts. Hayley got into rides at a young age by visiting the park with her family. Joe got in to rides when Hayley persuaded him to go on Air for the first time. We got engaged here. We’ve been here so many times we could navigate the park blindfolded. In our view, it is the best theme park in the UK.
Last visited April 2024
INVESTMENT
8
THRILL FACTOR
6
FUN &
LAUGHTER
6
STAFF &
FACILITIES
9
UNIQUNESS
7
VALUE
7
THEMEING &
IMMERSION
5
THOMPSONS'
RATING
7
Some of The Smiler's 14 loops
BEST BITS
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As well as the theme park, there are also two onsite hotels, an indoor water park and excellent mini-golf. This makes it a complete resort.
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Alton Towers are true innovators. They add new rides every few years, and the rides generally have unique elements or are ‘World’s/Europe’s first…’ If a ride is given a codename beginning with SW (secret weapon) then it will have something special about it.
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The gardens are beautiful and well worth walking around.
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Many of the rides are cleverly built into the hills and wooded areas of the landscape.
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Even when busy the park rarely feels crowded because it is so big and the rides are well spaced out.
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All the rides have space to leave your bag before boarding. These are free, so no need to pay for lockers.
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There are queue times displayed on boards around the park to help you work out where to go next.
DOWN-SIDES
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Due to its location in an area of natural beauty, the local council imposes strict limits on the height of rides. Although Alton Towers do they best (such as building rides on hills or in valleys) they are simply not able to build high coasters. This means that there will never be hyper-coasters or high launched coasters at Alton Towers.
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The park is quite remote. The roads leading to it are slow and winding, and there is limited public transport. Make sure you plan your journey so you have enough time to get there.
TOP TIPS
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More than any other park, this is one where starting at the back and working your way forwards really pays off. The Forbidden Valley (home to Air/Galactica and Nemesis) is almost deserted in the mornings. Likewise, X-Sector and the front of the park are quiet in the afternoons.
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If you are heading to the Forbidden Valley first thing (which you should do) the map and signposts will direct you around to the left through Katanga Canyon. However, it is much quicker to take the path straight ahead through the woods – basically, try and walk directly underneath the skyride cable car or take the skyride if it is open.
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A lot of rides at Alton Towers have special queues for single riders. If you don’t mind being split up then this can save a lot of time over using the normal queue. Where we think this is particularly worthwhile, we have mentioned it in the reviews.
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If you are planning on visiting a number of attractions in the UK then it worth looking at the Merlin Annual Pass. This not only includes Alton Towers and other theme parks (such as Thorpe Park) but also attractions like the London or York Dungeons, Warwick Castle and Maddam Tussauds. It is very good value.
The Smiler
Thompsons' overall rating 7
Thrill
Fun
Immersion
Smoothness
8
7
9
6
7
Thi3teen
Thompsons' overall rating 6
Thrill
Fun
Immersion
Smoothness
7
6
7
5
6
Air/Galactica
Thompsons' overall rating 7
Thrill
Fun
Immersion
Smoothness
7
7
8
9
8
Nemesis Reborn
Thompsons' overall rating 7
Thrill
Fun
Immersion
Smoothness
7
6
6
6
7
Spinball Whizzer
Thompsons' overall rating 7
Thrill
Fun
Immersion
Smoothness
5
9
6
8
8
Oblivion
Thompsons' overall rating 4
Thrill
Fun
Immersion
Smoothness
7
4
2
5
8
Runaway Minetrain
Thompsons' overall rating 3
Thrill
Fun
Immersion
Smoothness
3
4
4
2
3
Congo River Rapids
Thompsons' overall rating 4
Thrill
Fun
Immersion
Smoothness
3
6
3
4
N/A
Hex
Thompsons' overall rating 6
Thrill
Fun
Immersion
Smoothness
4
7
8
6
N/A
Duel
Thompsons' overall rating 4
Thrill
Fun
Immersion
Smoothness
3
6
7
5
N/A
Rita
Thompsons' overall rating 6
Thrill
Fun
Immersion
Smoothness
7
6
4
6
6
Wicker Man
Thompsons' overall rating 5
Thrill
Fun
Immersion
Smoothness
5
5
9
4
4
Air/Galactica
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Another SW ride, Air was the world’s first flying coaster when it opened. As with all flying coasters, riders are in a prone position. The ride has drops and a number of inversions.
Officially, the ride is now called Galactica. This follows the addition of VR headsets which give the illusion of flying through space. Use of the headsets is not mandatory. We generally refer to the ride with headsets as Galactica and without as Air.
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Our view: We will always love this ride as it was the one which converted Joe to a theme park addict. Although there are other flying coasters which are higher and faster, Air maintains an excellent balance of thrill and smoothness. The fact that it is very smooth and also not too fast makes it a great ride for people who are nervous about the bigger and faster rides available. The VR is a good addition, although it is not quite in sync with the ride.
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Tips:
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As with all flying coasters, if you’re nervous about trusting the harness we recommend going to the back of the car.
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We know of some people who have suffered motion sickness from using the headsets, so if you are prone to this you might want to not use them.
The Smiler
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The Smiler is the most recent addition to the thrill rides at Alton Towers. The rollercoaster was codenamed SW7 when being built. Once opened it was revealed to be the world’s loopiest coaster, with a massive 14 inversions (the next most has only 10). As you would expect, the inversions are the main feature of the ride, but there also a couple of small airtime hills and two lifts (one of which is vertical).
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Our view: The Smiler is fast and intense, but very enjoyable. The sheer number of inversions means you spend a lot of time upside down. Although it’s very smooth, you will almost certainly feel a bit dizzy when you come off. Strangely, in our view the best bits of the ride are the two airtime hills.
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It is hard to describe the theming of the ride, although it is excellently done. It seems to be themed around the fine line between joy an insanity, with excellent use of dizzying effects, sinister voices and maniacal laughter. If you stand in the queue for more than a few minutes the music will get stuck in your head.
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It is impossible to write anything about The Smiler without acknowledging the terrible incident that occurred on the ride in June 2015. In our view, the best way to get a fair picture of the horrible coincidence of human error and unexpected weather which led to the incident is to read the report by the Health and Safety Executive. It is also worth bearing in mind that, although tragic accidents do inevitably happen at theme parks, they are very rare. Statistically you are in more danger driving to/from a theme park than you are on the rides.
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Tips:
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The ride is best at the front as you are really close to the track. However, each car only has four rows and there is no special queue for the front, so it’s down to luck.
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There is a single rider queue if you don’t mind being separated. It is usually quicker than the main queue.
Thi3teen
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Another of the SW rides (SW6), Thi3teen is a heavily themed rollercoaster built into a forest area. The queue line features eerie music and effects. The coaster itself has a fairly steep initial drop and a number of high speed banked turns. However, it is the second half of the ride which makes it special. If you want to keep it a surprise then do not read the rest of this review! We’ll just say at this point that we really like the ride and would recommend it.
Warning – we’re going to give away the surprise here. Look away if you don’t want to know.
Right, those of you who are still with us, the ride stops and then features a freefall drop. The track literally drops from under you. It’s not very high, but if you’re not expecting it, it comes as a shock. There is then a fast backwards acceleration through a number of turns.
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Our view: We really like this ride. Although the first half is not particularly thrilling, it is very smooth and the first drop is good. The second half is where the ride comes to life. Even when you know it’s coming, the drop is still fun, and the backwards launch is excellent.
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Tips:
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It does not really matter where you sit on this ride
Joe next to Air/Galactica
Spinball Whizzer
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A spinning coaster with small cars that spin freely based on the weight distribution of the riders. There are no inversions but the ride does have a number of sudden drops. Because the cars spin freely, the ride experience is different every time. The ride is themed around being inside a pinball machine.
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Our view: We really enjoy spinning coasters, and this is a great example of the form. Because the cars seat only four riders and all the seats face outwards, you are guaranteed a good view of the track. You are also sure to have some time going forwards and some facing backwards, which we love. Despite the spinning, the ride is very smooth.
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Tips:
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Bear in mind that you will spin more if the weight distribution in the ride car is uneven. A car with two adults on one side and two children on the other will spin loads. Personally, we prefer it that way!
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Because the ride cars only seat four people, the ride’s capacity is quite low. This means there is almost always a queue of at least 20 mins and usually more.
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If you don’t mind riding alone or with a stranger then the single rider queue is a good option on this ride as it is almost always smaller than the main queue. This is particularly the case if it is raining because they only have three people per car in wet weather (and, as all our readers will know, most people go to theme parks in even-numbered groups).
Duel: The Haunted House Strikes Back
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Formerly a typical ghost train, the ride was redeveloped to add a shooting element. Riders travel slowly in small cars through a number of scenes featuring zombies, monsters, ghosts and other scary creatures. Each rider has a laser gun to shoot at the creatures around them and compete with their fellow riders to hit the most targets
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Our view: This is a good haunted house with much better effects than other rides of its type. The addition of the laser guns is quite fun but, ultimately, does not add much. Personally, we don’t bother with the guns, we just sit back and look at the effects.
Nemesis Reborn
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Nemesis is a fast and intense hanging coaster. After 30 years, the ride was completely re-tracked in 2024 and new cars were added. There was also extensive new theming.
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Our view: Nemesis is still one of the best hanging coasters out there. The ride elements come thick and fast with very little respite, but it is surprisingly smooth for its age. It is intense and you are likely to feel a little dizzy when you get off. This ride will always hold a special place in Hayley’s heart as she counted down the days to it opening and it was the first ride she had experienced as thrilling yet smooth, with theming to enhance the ride.
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The re-tracking and new cars have made almost no difference to the ride experience, although we do like the new theming.
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Tips:
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Nemesis is located very near to Air/Galactica so we recommend doing them one after the other.
Oblivion
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One of the first rides to be given an Alton Towers SW code name, Oblivion was the first vertical dive coaster in Europe (and, we think, in the World). The ride features a slow ascent up a lift hill followed by a vertical drop face-first into a large black hole. The ride emerges a short distance away. As with all dive coasters, the ride car is held hanging for a few seconds at the top of the drop.
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Our view: Although now superseded by other dive coasters which feature extra inversions and other ride elements, if you like dive coasters then Oblivion remains worthwhile. The underground element is unique, making the drop feel longer than on other rides of this type.
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Tips:
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This ride hardly ever has a queue so is worth a try if you like drop rides.
Congo River Rapids
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A water rapids ride themed around a boat ride along a fast-moving African river.
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Our view: This is a typical rapids ride. Good fun, but nothing exceptional.
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Tips:
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Although riders generally don’t get as wet on this ride as on some newer rapids ride, there are elements which can soak riders. We strongly recommend you consider the weather before getting on this ride. Being wet is one thing, but being wet and cold is very unpleasant!
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There are some (coin-operated) water pistols available which you can use to shoot at riders, which is great fun. They are along the path between the Katanga Canyon area and the Mutiny Bay area.
Joe in the queue for the Wicker Man
Wicker Man
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This is a well-themed wooden coaster. It features fire effects and many banked-turns. It has a lap-bar and cushioned seats in a traditional two-person across train.
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Our view: We feel this coaster is over-rated. Although the theming is excellent, and the ride is smoother than most of it's kind, it is still an old-fashioned wooden coaster at the end of the day. The ride is faster than it appears but does not throw you around quite as violently as some others do.
Runaway Minetrain
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A mine train with the classic theming of a mining train which has gone out of control. The ride has a number of banked turns, and features a short tunnel which it shares with the nearby Congo River Rapids ride.
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Our view: This is a typical, fairly unexciting mine train ride. As with all rides of this type it is designed to be quite jerky, although it is not fast enough to be uncomfortable.
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Tips:
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Be aware that it goes around twice, so you’ll go quickly through the station when you are half-way through.
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You can leave bags at the side of the track.
Hayley as a child on the Log Flume
Hex
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Built within the ruins of Alton Towers manor house, this ride experience is themed around a local legend of a cursed oak tree which plagued the family of the Earl of Shrewsbury. The ride features several pre-show areas which tell the story of the chained oak. The final ride is a combination of motion and visual effects, where riders sit on a bench that moves.
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Our view: We really like this ride and recommend it to everyone. It is not a thrill ride; rather it is a disorienting and compelling ride experience. We don’t want to say too much so as not to give away what happens in the final ‘ride’ element. But we guarantee you will walk out discussing what you have just experienced and trying to work out how it was done!
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Tips:
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All the parts to this experience take place in very dark areas. They are all quite large, but the effect of the darkness can make it feel quite claustrophobic.
Rita
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Yet another SW ride, Rita was the first launch coaster in the UK (and may have been the first in Europe). The ride is an Intamin hydraulic launched coaster and features a number of high speed banked turns. The launch is around 62mph.
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Our view: Compared to other (newer) launch coasters, Rita feels quite slow. The Alton Towers height restrictions also mean that the ride cannot feature the exciting vertical upwards or downwards elements of other Intamin launched coasters. That said, Rita is still a fun ride, and a good introduction to the world of launch coasters for people who have not been on one before.
Tips:
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You are not allowed to wear glasses on this ride. There is a space in the ride station where you can leave them, but you may prefer to leave them with a non-rider if possible.