Alton Towers Review | Staffordshire, England

An in depth look at one of Europe's most famous theme parks, the incredibly unique Alton Towers! I'll be discussing my 2 days I got to spend at the park, including a look at the parks many themed areas and notable attractions!
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[@CoasterStudios]

CORRECTION: several locals have notified me that you can in fact walk from the parking lot to the park entrance! I personally was not aware of this, but is nice to know that if you do not want to ride the monorail, you can walk!

[@deadtube_]

Yes it is a 15 minutes walk

[@ET5A]

Walking is just longer

[@rollercoasterrewind4730]

Was about to mention that, I normally walk to the entrance if the monorail queue goes out the station area, otherwise it would be quicker to walk!

[@adamrobinson1766]

Trust me, it takes ages to walk from the car park to the entrance

[@Oliver_T_03]

I always walk, the monarail queues are too long

[@coasterbot]

It's reviews like these, and from other people who have never experienced Towers before, that reminds me of how special the place really is. Us, the people living within the UK, forget that it is a stupidly unique theme park. It isn't perfect, as you said, but it does get a lot right!

[@aidanstead6069]

tbh as someone who has loved alton towers since 2012 i was really nervous for this review because i was expecting much worse and what taylor was describing in the review...i don't think that uk coaster enthusiasts even realise how amazing a park alton towers actually is, and how lucky we are to have it

[@lpsftw8572]

@@aidanstead6069 too true. I've only been to the place once, but ever since, I've been begging to go back because it's left such an impression on me. The themes of the rides, the staff, the themes of the sections of the park itself. To me, there's no place like it. I was so focused on the rides, I didn't even go to the gardens, which is a shame because it looks stunning. Hopefully I get to go back some time.

[@loralaibarometer]

I live in the north and I've never been to Alton Towers! My parents have and said it was amazing but after the Smiler incident it has been hard to get a group together. The BF and I have considered going on our own but due to hotel and petrol cost it never happened. Last time we considered it we ended up going to Salou and PortAventura because it was cheaper.

[@thezed1587]

@@loralaibarometer I agree it can be expensive. I live in Southampton so it's at least a 4 hour drive. Whenever I've been to Alton towers , I always stop the night at the towers hotel. If you book at the right time you can get a really good deal for two people plus also get the second day for free ! Sometimes stopping over doesn't cost much more than the price of the day ticket. I really hope you get to go sometime. It's amazing. Hope this helps

[@jtaylor9562]

Seriously?? They allow too many people in, so nobody gets good value. I know several people who have cued ALL day to go on just 3 rides!!!!

[@analsex4264]

You can’t even walk to the entrance Regulars: I’m gonna stop you right there

[@CoasterStudios]

AbsoluteGeezer whoops

[@vertigo4884]

I go every 2 weeks. Never been on the monorail

[@hayato5815]

CxIorful do you go any other theme parks ?

[@aleeshagilliver4895]

U can there's a walk way that will help you find the hotel again when the people are on monorail and it is to long of a que so we have to walk I had to do it last year

[@tlb3640]

🤣🤣

[@drdewott9154]

"It's located in the middle of nowhere" Stoke on Trent and Derby: Am I a joke to you?

[@sloth-gaming]

I mean neither are major cities and there isn't major road networks between them at the park and its very hard to get to the park without a park

[@joshkirkham4281]

DrDewott and Nottingham

[@zachbladen]

@@joshkirkham4281 umm, is it?

[@thatscottishkaren1]

Even coming from Manchester it feels like the middle of nowhere.

[@squidwardshouse5431]

To America, anywhere in the UK that isn’t London, it’s the middle of nowhere. 😂

[@iamra8826]

“The middle of nowhere” A cold rainy night in Stoke cries a single tear

[@rangerrye6590]

Yup stoke is a shithole but it's my shithole

[@generalbacon6955]

The same thing could be said for a lot of Staffordshire

[@n1kicurs3d57]

Poor stoke

[@Juicegoat_]

and darbyshire in genral

[@Amelia-hh7xu]

@@rangerrye6590 indeed 🥰🥰

[@familycurzon5340]

The way you said CBeebies land had me dead😂😂😂

[@kanes-outdoor-adventure]

Abd duel 😂

[@TomTunnicliffex]

Seh babies land 😂😂😂

[@Gekko978]

he's not from England he probably didnt know it was a tv programme

[@erzan]

ZeBeBeesland. 🤣

[@sloppyoj8163]

Zuh bubbas land

[@conoroneill9393]

Smiler Theme: Creepy secret government institute with the goal of 'correcting' its subjects through eerie methods Rita Theme: Spooky car

[@Juicegoat_]

was a drag race

[@vekomaboomerang4422]

Rita theme: car in forest go vroom

[@leilacuthbertson]

@@vekomaboomerang4422 😂 literally, fast car that moves fast and turns at one point 😂

[@astheniceel13]

Actually, Rita is themed to it formerly being Rita: Queen Of Speed with the racetrack being abandoned and engulfed in the Dark Forest and that's why Th13teen changed Rita's theme

[@masterknife8423]

It's nice to hear Americans say positive things about our theme parks. But I still think you guys are spoilt for choice when it comes to theme parks :)

[@Tommy-uq4lh]

Ye they’re countries huge though, if only England weren’t so small 😂

[@vordman]

I've got American friends who've never been to a theme park in their lives, you have to live near the big population areas to take advantage of the many parks around the major cities. Or drive to the nearest airport and get a flight to Florida.

[@nathanseamans2655]

vordman Florida, Texas, and California all have great parks within 3-5 hour driving distance which is nice

[@nathanseamans2655]

a sock I’ve known about since I was like 10 because of the smiler and now I know of nemesis and oblivion and it’s actually one of the parks I want to visit the most

[@markcrisp07]

I am shocked they found it good.... Even by UK standards it's terrible

[@MistyTheWooshyBarge]

Alton towers is truly a one of a kind place. You will never get the feeling that you get at Alton towers in any other park

[@gamesmaster1060]

Yeah I just hope they dont ruin it

[@gamesmaster1060]

@Anthonie White what?

[@HasanAhmedKingfifa]

@Anthonie White it happened once...

[@WarriorAvis]

@Anthonie White Literally one time because of human error

[@hh4251]

Hasan Ahmed no one died Ppl got injured

[@AMagicProduction]

“Can’t build any of their rides above the tree line” huh... that’s where RCT2 got that challenge from, lol

[@joeeeee256]

I believe it actually is ahah :)

[@KelbornXx]

With the height restrictions, the designers and engineers still managed to produce the greatest B&M inverted coaster in the world in Nemesis!

[@joeeeee256]

@@KelbornXx it sure is a fantastic ride! But I prefer Black Mamba personally ;)

[@merciandubz]

Yes it actually is. This was a major park Chris Sawyer used for inspiration when making RCT. This is also why the park appeared in RCT.

[@handbaghound]

@@KelbornXx why are they not allowed to build above the tree line?

[@GoatyGoY]

The tree line restriction I think is what makes Alton Towers so great: it really forced them to be creative with their rollercoasters, resulting in quite unique rides like Nemesis.

[@flaw3dgenius222]

Hmmm id say its now holding the park back compared to most big Euro Parks.

[@SW-yh3fh]

Alton towers is better than Thorpe Park

[@aidanstead6069]

we been knew

[@loganmckinnon6438]

There owned by the same company

[@wilkoweers_8612]

Auctor now They are owned by Lego

[@wowftw120]

Yeah but Thorpe has Stealth and Detonator

[@renegaderaida526]

Nope.

[@SwitchbackSylveon]

On off peak days (weekdays normally) they close at 4, on on peak days (weekends and UK school holidays), they close at 6.

[@bigman5823]

during scarefest i think they close at 9

[@leilacuthbertson]

@@bigman5823 its either 8 or 9 but i’m not sure

[@mr.intamin1081]

That’s so lame

[@ThemeParkBanter]

Another great video mate! I agree, it's a gorgeous park but what let's it down massively is the opening hours! We would visit way more often if stayed open later.

[@jamiebrooks3864]

go at halloween if you can, open till very late

[@harleydoge310]

Blame the Locals, constantly at war with the park over all these damn noisy kids having fun.

[@jamo8491]

Lad it's tacky af. It's nowhere near gorgeous as it has no consistency

[@zachmoffatt7117]

Go firework night you can night ride especially smiler

[@EVILBUNNY28]

If you stay at one of the Alton Towers hotels you get access to Early Ride Time (ERT) which means you can enter at 9am, but unfortunately staggered opening still exists. If you go during the Halloween event called Scarefest the park stays open until 10pm (but there's no ERT). The park started doing staggered opening times ever since The Smiler accident in 2015 (where 2 girls lost their legs in the crash) I've personally got no idea why they have the staggered opening time since I don't think there's any use. Some say it's due to the increased safety checks before but why they don't just start earlier idk.

[@larvasandwich5598]

I have waiting thousands of years for this review, thank you

[@leejohnson179]

You look good for your age.

[@wf6190]

I'm from Singapore, more than 15,000km away, and I've already been to Alton Towers 6 times in 4 years. It's absolutely my favourite theme park and I totally agree with your comments about it. It's not perfect, but I go for the feeling, and you really do feel like you're in a different world when you're in there. Thanks for the review.

[@harleydoge310]

Thats really cool to think off all the Parks that would be closer, you would still choose Alton. It's my favourite Park in the UK but I don't know if I had access to some of the crazier places in the world.

[@wf6190]

Coming from a very urbanised island nation, Alton is like fairytale to me. It is everything Singapore isn’t.

[@TheAndroidvsapple]

Your cinematic footage of Alton Towers is the best cinematic video you have ever made...

[@CoasterStudios]

thank you!!

[@richshackleton8104]

They have a cubicle in the gents toilet up by Nemesis that has a glory hole. If you're after a quick blow I'd recommend

[@Fin_The_Shark]

Thanks for the recommendation, I'll check it out sometime :)

[@harleydoge310]

Some of the ride-techs are pretty cute. And there are lots of secluded areas. Just saying.

[@richshackleton8104]

@@harleydoge310 Yeah this one guy called Jason is cute

[@ThrillsofColdplay]

Interesting

[@dingo137]

Er, thanks for that. Maybe they should put that in their advertising.

[@dmichael471c9]

Hi, great review. I just wanted to add that park close time is not the time the park closes but the time the queues close. So if you are in the queue for a ride at 4.00 then you will get on that ride. Also during summer the park is open until 5 (or 6 at the weekend).

[@JoshB333]

Always love walking to the entrance.. hearing the rides in the trees but not seeing them

[@Aslan-hh9cn]

This HD footage is sharper than Harry's jawline

[@ScrewyLoops]

Another brilliant review! Love watching these, especially when it's for my home park. Made me find a new appreciation for Towers seeing it from someone elses point of view ☺👍 Great stuff!

[@t-a-r-o-n_on_top]

Exactly! It's great to hear things so positive about my home park because it truly is awesome

[@mik310s]

I have alot of fond memories of this place I used to go twice a year when I was younger and its the most beautiful park I've ever seen, the gardens and walks are just stunning

[@rollercoasterrewind4730]

Nice Video. Alton Towers is definitley the best UK park for sure, I dont visit often as its 2.5 hours from where I live (I live down south closer to Thorpe).

[@Fin_The_Shark]

Try living in the north-west

[@emilymedhurst2073]

Hiiiiiiiuu

[@Archman155]

@@emilymedhurst2073 I live up north closer to Flamingo Land but i much prefer Towers and Thorpe is like half more the distance from where I live.

[@wearingyellowtoafuneral2851]

I live near Drayton Manor (about 20-30 minutes away) But I only went there once, in 2015, ever.

[@markcrisp07]

Jeesus...where is the worse one then?

[@tomhutchinson9530]

This was my first ever theme park. I remember riding corkscrew as my first roller coaster as a kid and then nemesis when I came back the next year and was actually tall enough haha. Also if anyone hasn't been on a scarefest it truly is an amazing experience.

[@ebandflowrider]

I'm going this year to scarefest

[@kiiabby]

I have such a soft spot for Corkscrew. It was the first "proper" coaster I went on. The following year my friend dragged me to Oblivion and got the attendant to strap me in before I could bolt. I am so grateful because I went from complete fear to adoring coasters. Will always have a soft spot for Alton Towers.

[@glitch3487]

I agree that it's a great park. I have the Premium Merlin Annual Pass so I can go as many times as I want to any Merlin attraction for only £11.99 a month all year round. I definitely use it for alton towers the most and it's honestly the reason I got the pass. I go around once every 2weeks and I love it more and more each time I go.

[@matthewsouthwell9653]

Thanks a ton for uploading this review! Been waiting for it for so long.

[@toastie6532]

the spinball ride was sonic themed at some point

[@richardwillcock5768]

Going tomorrow for 3 days & stopping at the hotel. Love Alton Towers!!

[@hh4251]

Richard Willcock so ur done now right? How did it go

[@matthewthomas8985]

Alton Towers is the best park ive been to in Europe. It has a couple of negatives which one is the treeline issue and 2 id say the size. It does tire you but these are so minuscule by the positives. Its the most beautifully landscaped park ive ever been to and it has a feeling to it i cant describe. Its magical and thanks so much for the review. Was a very accurate and honest review. I find coasterstudios reviews pretty much spot on. Keep up the good work Tyler

[@jjmailman]

I’ve been to AT twice: 2002 (2 days) & 2006 (2.5 days). We stayed at the AT hotel both times, and it is AWESOME. The theming inside the hotel is outstanding! The elevators have different lighting/sound packages FOR EVERY FLOOR!! Really cool! Glad you rode Hex! I have that in a tie with Villa Volta at Efteling for best mad house (actually, I do give a slight edge to VV, due to the soundtrack. Which is pretty much the only souvenir you can find at Efteling: a park soundtrack). If you ever go back, staying at the AT hotel is a must!!

[@StamfordBridge]

Thanks for the tip.

[@visionist7]

Baron 1898 definitely deserves a T shirt or a hoodie

[@HalloweenCharlie]

Alton Towers is honestly amazing and I'm so glad it's my local theme park!?! If you are planning on re-visiting the park I can 100% recommend going during scarefest as the theming is insane during that time period!

[@thejoysequence]

Excellent review video as usual! I'm glad you enjoyed Alton Towers, it's my home park!

[@MrStehooper]

FUN FACT... James Doohan (Scotty from Star Trek) trained here during WW2 with Canadian (I believe) forces. Alton Towers was a camp during that time.

[@dawiddadun3044]

Thanks for that fact. I live in Alton. Yes the Towers was requisitioned as an Officer cadet training unit during WW2.

[@maxn8275]

I’m more of a Thorpe Park kinda guy, but Alton Towers is an all-round excellent park. Rides such as Nemesis and The Smiler are top-notch coasters. I enjoyed your review.

[@renanfelix259]

if u had to choose just one, so you pick Thorpe Park right?

[@maxn8275]

@@renanfelix259 Yeah.

[@rosie3929]

This was my first park, and ive been on average every 1.5 years since i was 5 so id say I've been here around 7 times and every single time has been amazing! Their scarefest celebrations are by far the best time to visit due to the extended opening hours!

[@harrycunni675]

Alton towers is my home park and I love it I’ve been 8 times this year

[@a_cowwithlegs]

“Cant build above the tree line” *Just plant taller trees*

[@nono-jk7nz]

Would take years to grow

[@andrewclamp5462]

You are a genius

[@a_cowwithlegs]

Frankie Sandison Stil works :)

[@notgaryoldman1178]

@@nono-jk7nz What was the best you think could happen when you typed out this comment?

[@Em-yv1pf]

genius

[@TheWolfXCIX]

Totally agree with the review, love the park and 2 days are probably necessary! So open and beautiful

[@kirstym6969]

I'm from England and this is my favourite park in the UK. Your video is spot on and it was nice to hear what you liked about it and I forget how unique this park really is.

[@oscarpeters5309]

Yes! I've been waiting for this

[@nmstest2878]

Btw Taylor, I live in Alton (The village that you have to go through to get to Towers) and you can walk from the car park to the entrance, in fact in the over 200 times I have been I have only been on the monorail about 5 times. The walk takes about 30 mins(if your a slow walker) and you get an amazing view of Nemesis and Galactica.

[@richardwillcock5768]

The Alton Towers Dungeon is a great new addition to the park. Well worth a visit.

[@lesbrewer3105]

A great capture of Alton Towers of how it is now. Many times in the 1980's we would drive up to the resort for a wonderful day there. Much has changed - I see that they kept a small portion of the cork screw roller-coaster that was very popular back in the 80's, although - the ride was yellow not blue...... It is good though, to see the resort continuing to provide a great day out for all to enjoy.

[@JorgeBCanchola]

I waited for this more than for Toy Story 4

[@garyography]

I imagine the closing times of the park is with respect to the surrounding area and its locals and sleepy villages, because of the noise levels, narrow roads and traffic.

[@TedBrr]

I’ve been loads of times, all the rides are perfect, and I love the feel of the park and the area. 10/10

[@sassquatch212]

I remember when I went. The park closed late and the monorail was down. So they had to escort a huge group of people through a wooded area at night while it was pouring with rain. It took like 25 minutes to get back to the hotel. It was cool.

[@axos0015]

You can walk to the park from the car park, I have done it several times.

[@thejannerofplymouth3654]

Got there at 9.20 am after a 6hr drive , it was already open and it shut at 5.30 ... I advise people to get to the furthest away from the entrance ... we had 5 goes on oblivion first just because it was empty .. .. by the way guys not far from stoke on trent so if u want to go for 2 or 3 days I suggest a cheap b&b in stoke

[@kingdominatorsdominion3993]

It would be nice if they scrapped all the old Vekomas and Arrows and put the at the front of the park, except for X2, the Arrow suspended coasters, and the new Vekomas! Great review, I 100% agree with you!

[@SlopedOtter]

My home park! I live 10 minutes away and have free access! Sometimes I'll finish work early and go for a few spins on Nemesis. There is a secret (ish) path from the car park to forbidden valley

[@visionist7]

:-o please share!

[@SlopedOtter]

@@visionist7 do some research and you will find it! Only open certain times of day and only for certain guests is all I will say...

[@visionist7]

@@SlopedOtter damn maaan that don't help lol

[@XxxXXxxX-zj5jr]

Amazing and agree to you I live in the little village next to it

[@benharding10]

The opening times are a clever piece of marketing for the Resort, to make you believe you must spend more than a day there, being in a remote location- in one of their hotels

[@markcrisp07]

Another ply to rip people off. That's about all they are good at!

[@villek3722]

@@markcrisp07 It's business after all...you know that roller coasters arent cheap. New rides are usually multi million investments.

[@user-js3fx4gl1c]

Thanks for the video. I visited Alton Towers in 2007 and it was an exciting experience.

[@nomi7743]

Every single time i go to Alton Towers, I get so excited and happy. I have major anxiety and depression and it makes me forget alk about it usually. The history is amazing, the theming in most the areas and rides are absolutely amazing. The towers look absolutely stunning. and despite going at least 2 times per year, it never gets boring! im sure the gardens are amazing too but out of the 14ish years ive been going, i've never been so i cant say how they look. my favourite rides are nemesis, smiler and wicker man dont @ me.

[@jexno7135]

If you go when scarefest is on, it opens early at about 9 or 10am, and closes at 9pm .

[@joshkirkham4281]

Jenovlogs it still has such short hours tho even for Halloween when other parks like Gardaland are open till 12 midnight

[@jexno7135]

Josh Kirkham who knows maybe the workers need sleep to work the next day

[@joshkirkham4281]

Jenovlogs yeah but that’s the case with all theme parks, they still manage to stay open later

[@revenantsmum2140]

This is my home park 😍

[@roundyanimates9943]

It's fun when we see someone from a different country experiencing the theme parks of the UK and seeing what they think

[@jorisdevos5070]

I'm going there this summer vacation. I am so hyped

[@nathanparker8165]

1:15 You can just make out Oblivion and Smiler through the trees as you drive up

[@adamb8258]

where abouts? i always look for them but can never spot em

[@astheniceel13]

@@adamb8258 Just before you see the employees entrance but it's mostly Oblivion you see

[@RUFU58]

You couldn’t find the runaway train? That’s why you have a map, or the app on your phone. 🤔

[@Steve10578]

I went to Alton Towers once back in the 80s when the double corkscrew was the main roller-coaster, is was yellow back then. I would like to go back again one day and stay at one of their many accommodation options, which I believe they never had when I last went.

[@jameswardle5452]

Towers is my home park and i love it so much. It has a such a great atmosphere and is easily one of the best parks in europe. One of the reasons why it tends to close early is because of complaints from the locals iirc.

[@adamb8258]

when you walk through the trees n hear nemesis b&m roar

[@Harry-it4jl]

If only alton towers wasnt 3 and a half hours away from me😂😂. My local park is thorpe park and that is like 15 to 20 minutes away.

[@adamb8258]

wish i was 15 mins from stealth lol, im 1 hour 30 min from towers tho which is pretty gud

[@plooperscooper7453]

Harry 1234 I must live literally next you hahah but we always have to make a couple trips up there every year

[@Harry-it4jl]

@@plooperscooper7453 i got a season pass for my b-day and i have been twice this year. Im planning to go twice this summer and again for scarefest. I wish i could go more often.

[@Harry-it4jl]

@@adamb8258 thats pretty good as people travell from scotland and even other countries to go on stealth. However, its great to live so close as it means i can go whenever i want🎢🎢🎢🎢

[@adamb8258]

@@Harry-it4jl aye, bet ye got season pass havent ya. Went to thorpe park bout 2 week ago (3+ hour drive) stealth easily my fav. Prefer alton overall tho imo

[@smatrai]

Alton Towers is beautiful, I flew here from Newark on my partial Europe trip last year. It is very easy to get lost not only in the park but getting to it. As Taylor said this is not in a city it’s in the England countryside where a ton of trees lie. I loved the monorail ride, first of all if you want good views of some of their rollercoasters the monorail absolutely does a great job in doing so particularly the forbidden valley for coasters like nemesis. Second this park is obsessed with in the hall of the mountain king get ready to hear it and often. There theming is hit or miss obviously much better than your traditional cedar fair or six flags theme park. The rides that do hit have an incredible dark theme. Wicker man to me had the best theming there, walking through the queue watching the coaster completely surround you is great, along with wicker lying everywhere and Ima score nailed it again with the music. Seriously like half of my morning you tube playlist is listening to ima score coaster soundtracks.a few pieces of advice . Yes you need 2 days the 4 o clock closing is disappointing and you are literally marathoning your way around the park to get to all of the attractions, go to the rollercoaster cafe, tbh other then Disney that’s the first time I ate steak in a theme park and it was good the only joke is somebody’s dinner got stuck on the loop so me and a few English friends there were laughing it up. The food there was awesome. 3rd be careful driving to leave after dark because it is literally pitch black in the forest, and keep in mind we drive on the right they drive on the left. So it gets a bit crazy at night. Seriously though a must visit park for any enthusiast definitely want to come back really soon

[@visionist7]

I'm instead wanting to fly to Newark from Europe for El Toro alone

[@alyday8335]

I was just watching a theme park worldwide vlog from cedar Park and saw you guys were coming to visit AT, so went straight to your vid. You really understood the feeling of the towers, a great first review, now going to watch your ride reactions!

[@kruddystupididiot]

Dude, the times are absolutely RIDICULOUS! (unless you go for scare-fest, then the times are really good)

[@nellmichie1658]

Hi I go there every year and they actually keep some of the rides open until like 6:30

[@Archman155]

your wrong. the latest they open to is 6 at any time of the year apart from scarefest and fireworks when they are open till 9. There is an exception as Nemesis did stay open until 7PM in August for about a week to celebrate it's 25th birthday, but apart from that, no ride queuelines are open after 6. you can still get on the ride after 6 but you would have had to be in the queue before 6 because they shut it off at 6 so only the remaining people in the queuelines can ride before the ride shuts for the night.

[@elliott443]

Archman 155 bro chill

[@Archman155]

@@elliott443 i am chill i was just saying

[@rossbainukify]

To be fair have been there three times this Summer and twice it has been open until 7pm (as a last queue time)! If the park shuts at 4/5 its generally pretty quiet.

[@eletaone]

My game plan back in June. Step 1 - take disabled badge Step 2 - skip all queues all day Step 3 - success

[@danielledewitt1]

eletaone 4You get to park in the car park right at the entrance.

[@chloebrocklehurst2486]

I would highly recommend going during scarefest if the opening hours bug you (They annoy me too)! The park's open until 9pm during the Halloween season. The scare mazes alone are worth the visit, but riding the coasters at night as well is also great!

[@bcfcbennjy99]

My local park and been so many times. Last year though I stayed at the resort for 2 nights and it was amazing. Recommend this to anyone.

[@ryan_n05]

I hope that when LEGO buys Merlin that they still let the theme parks (other than the Legoland's) do their own thing. Then we can get more rides meant for the whole family that are themed to dying in horrific ways!

[@jakesteryt777]

Umm Rita does have a theme you have to read the signs and it tells u the story

[@Archman155]

it has no theming though and the theme is so vague it might as well not exist. the "story" is basically just "lol some old drag strip is now apparently to escape the dark forest wait this makes no sense eh just go with it we cant think of a better theme"

[@bigman5823]

Archman 155 yeah they were kinda lazy with rita. i still think it’s enjoyable if it’s your first time

[@kirbysuperstaruhh3769]

Rita's theming has always been bad.

[@Archman155]

@@kirbysuperstaruhh3769 ikr its either a random drag strip in the middle of a prehistoric era or a drag strip that is in the middle of a haunted forest.. like come on.. i dont like rita anyways, its too rough

[@jonathanbarclay3778]

I did two days at the Towers in may. Stayed at the resort. Got two days of platinum Fast Trak and had a freaking BLAST! I also didn't want to leave. Got to ride The Smiler 15 times! Definitely had to plan out the route because just like you said, it is very spread out. It was just fantastic and I can't wait to go back!

[@-toxic-3486]

Going here tommorow so glad and excited

[@sharonmyatt2191]

I live in stoke which is the closest city to it 🙂

[@deldia]

Stink on stench is nice.

[@FlyingNote]

I live 104 mins away

[@FlyingNote]

And 246 mins away from Thorpe park

[@crispyflipflops7584]

Bad move. ALWAYS go to The Smiler first or else you’ll be waiting 90minutes

[@richardschlange9629]

The single rider queue exists on the smiler. Me and my friends did it like 3 times in 20 minutes because of that. Not many people know so keep it a secret.

[@jamesmnaylor]

Welcome to Staffordshire, with its two major theme parks. Alton Towers and Drayton Manor Park. AltonTowers is situated in the Staffordshire Moorlands, which boarders both Derbyshire and Cheshire. Drayton Manor is situated in Mile oak Tamworth. Both parks have a combined visitor number of over 3.5million and are home to cbbies land (Alton Towers) and Thomas [the tank] land (Drayton Manor) with Alton Towers playing host to David Walliams World (which should have opened in 2o2 but put back until 2021) both are easily accessed via the m6 motorway. Both as you put it based in the middle of no where. Also covering a few of your points, Alton Towers does open later during peak times (school half term (April and October) and summer holidays (July and August) and also during its scarefest in October and fireworks season early November, which is when the park will close until march/April time the following year. For info when spin ball wizzes was made, Alton Towers had a contract with the owners of sonic the hedgehog video game and it was themed around that, which was not extended and so it now has no theme.

[@SpringyTales]

Great to hear the thoughts of a first-time visitor! We lose sight of things sometimes as we’re at Alton Towers pretty much every other week, but it is an incredible place and we still get that magical feeling every time we visit. P.S. since your visit last year the opening hours have been slightly improved for this season and the staggered opening has been removed so that all major rides are open from 10am, with only a few left opening at 11 (e.g. Rapids, Duel) and finally the Skyride at 12, unless it’s a hot day in which case the Skyride does not open at all.

[@alexbishton527]

I second that. I went today and didn't even get off the Smiler until 6:30pm and there will still loads of people still in the queue. We did have to walk back to the car park though as we missed the last monorail.

[@alton727]

Best park in the UK.

[@MrNorbo95]

Closed at 4pm?? Hmmm swear it's usually 6 or 7pm

[@dabielmemeing2990]

MrNorbo95 during Saturday summer

[@haysooon]

When my friends and I were younger (and more inclined to doing things we shouldn't) we sat on the steps of that white building at 2:41 and smoked an entire Q of bud before spending the day on the rides. An experience I'll never forget pahahaha. I feel honoured to say I know the layout of this park like the back of my hand too, living 25 minutes away my whole life has been great.

[@b0rg1010]

I watched a James concert around the lake back in the day. Awesome times! 👍😊

[@lewistaylor-qi4ci]

I live about 2 mins from towers, and yes we call it towers aha

[@lewistaylor-qi4ci]

Narnia Narnia cool my sister works there aswell , you might know her

[@maxwillis9863]

"you do have cebebes land" its pronounces ce-be-bes not ce be bes XD

[@BillyReichard]

Loving the aspect ratio on this. And the video content as well :)

[@4N50N]

Glad you enjoyed it. Spent my child hood here as my dad worked here and got 25 free passes a year.

[@perplex7838]

I can't get enough of Alton towers. The thrilling rides, the scenery and theme job. I went only twice in my life, however as soon as I leave the place I'm basically crying that im gone.

[@barneyb3428]

Any of the regulars will understand me, you need to do a scarefest one year if you don’t like the closing hours

[@RBHD93]

I used to work at Alton towers for 2 years. The park started to close early since the smiler incident, it was because they weren't getting enough customers in. They used to stay open till about 5pm/6pm but after the accident it was cut short and it's still not recovered.

[@MaxskiSynths]

I went a few days ago on the 4th for Halloween, they closed at 9pm and had night rides which were really amazing and gave you plenty of time.

[@KackUp94]

the park itself is the theming. looks absolutely awesome

[@snakeplaysgaming3360]

This is my home park and this park is amazing. I really agree with the points you made in this video

[@VincentLobster]

This park is goals for me! 😍 if I could go to any park out of the US it would 100% be this!

[@visionist7]

Just go for it! I'm in Spain now visiting three major parks. Granted Spain isn't far from Italy, but folks back home think I'm mad! Just go for it

[@racheleckley9982]

One of the best theme parks out there, not only are the rides amazing but there’s so much history to the place

[@AlbionJakeable]

I went to Alton Towers every year from about 1998 to 2005 and have been a few times since. The biggest change I've noticed is something you picked up on... the theming! It used to be WAY more themed. The area with Rita was a caveman theme and everything was bones and dinosaurs and guys dressed as a cavemen. Corkscrew looked like it was made of bones and it was a really cool area. X Sector was brand new when I first went and it was all so futuristic. Black Hole was there instead of Smiler which was this huge indoor coaster that was mostly pitch black. The whole area felt a lot more themed. I feel like the more often I go, the more things are cut back for money etc. Little touches are left behind. The cascading red water all around Nemesis is now either just a trickle of water or not turned on at all. A small thing in the grand scheme of things but once those things start to go, it doesn't take long for a place to lose its magic. I guess money is the reason but it's just such a shame. If they'd kept up the standards they used to have, the place would be even more incredible. Also it used to have McDonalds, KFC and Pizza Hut and now they're all replaced for generic versions of those places. I thought that was a shame. Maybe some people think that's a blessing. Haha.

[@luke-qq1sd]

I have been to Alton and yes you do need more than a day. I camped overnight in the park and then we got on the rides early and with only about 30 mins of lunch we hadn’t been on thirteen or Rita and we went on all the rides once. It’s still an amazing park and I can’t want to go back on September:)))

[@nemesisomega236]

Favourite theme park holding my favourite coaster.

[@visionist7]

I couldn't stop riding it at night in October. Back row. They wouldn't let me reride it though without going all the way round. Running through that dark central area with all the steps is _way_ more dangerous than any park has the right to be lol

[@NiftyKnot]

Definitely my favourite place to go! Usually half price day tickets are available with chocolate bars or cereal that make it super worth the money!