This weekend two of my brothers and I took a trip to Alton Towers for one of their birthdays. I’ve always loved thrill rides ever since I was a young kid, with many sticking with me, ranging from the ‘Drop of Doom’ that could be found in the West Edmonton mall until early noughties to the ‘Jurassic Park’ ride at universal studies (arguably one of my favorites to date!)
Having not been to Alton Towers for over three years I was pleasantly surprised to find a few new surprises along with some of the old classics. The park is clearly constantly pushing the boundaries moving into an area of rides that combine a touch of the Disney showmanship with pure fear, thrill and fun, a winning combination in my book.
Looking back I can separate my favorite rides in the park by a great deal, but a few will stick with me for one reason or another, and until I can get back to Universal studios to get chased by velociraptors and sharks this will do nicely.
10. The Flume
Tenth in the list, but don’t let you fool you this is very much an enjoyable ride on the day. The problem is this is in the same category as arguably my favorite ride to date, and many ‘boat’ rides have some kind of show to them. This is a simple glide through the rides bare bones in the forest. We came, we saw, we got wet and we moved on.
9. Runaway Mine Train
Some form of ‘mine train’ ride can be found in most theme parks, and they are often the first taste of rollercoaster’s that children get. Sharp turns laced with speed offer a great ride, but few thrills.
8. Congo River Rapids
I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone ride one these alone, and why would you?! The best part of these is the laughs the group gets as they see members get splashed. Sometimes they are to slow, but on the day this river was flowing at great pace and we argued about who got wettest afterwards!
7. Sonic Spinball
This was the first time I went on this ride and I loved it! It’s themed perfectly and really gives you a sense of what it ‘could’ feel like to be in a sonic game. If only they let us collect some gold rings!
6. Air
This is one of the most unique ride experiences available, as you are held vertically facing the ground while riding. This is meant to create the illusion of flight, and looking at the pictures afterwards 80% of riders pull a superhero pose. I like this ride, however I went on it twice, each after having something to eat. This is a bad idea considering I was lying on my stomach during this ride!
5. Rita
I wouldn’t honestly say there is much to separate Rita and Air, what edged it however was speed. This ride is fast, so very fast, and it doesn’t even use a drop to get going. There’s a bit of a queue to get on, but if you visit and don’t go on this ride than you’re obviously missing a trick.
4. Oblivion
Anyone who knows me will be well aware of the fact that I’m not a fan of heights and hate the feeling of falling. Yet I always go back to rides that drop me from a ridiculous height. This is one hell of a rush, and the turn around time means the time in line often isn’t very long. On a side note I recommend standing next to the tunnel and watching riders go down, the movement of the mist looks amazing!
3. Nemesis Sub-Terra
This ride is like nothing I have ever experienced in any theme park before, with the exception of Universal Studios. If you asked me yesterday I would have ranked it lower, but on reflection I was hard pressed not to rank it top. Without giving much away, this ride scared the shit out of me. In fact after beta tests feedback called for the BBFC to come in and make a rating for the ride, a first for any theme park in history. To say don’t ride this if you have a nervous disposition would be an understatement. Punters were literally pushing each other to leave when it was done, with screams of terror filling the room. Nemesis Sub-Terra surprised and surpassed my expectations. I only rode it once on the day and I will probably only ride it once on my next visit, because that’s all a person could arguable handle!
**WARNING – Video may contain spoilers**
=1.Nemesis & Th13teen
I believe these are the two biggest roller coasters in the park and I couldn’t choose between them. They only just edged out Nemesis Sub-Terra as I love a good roller coaster!
Nemesis
This is the big one, the one that park goers will do their utmost to ensure they get on during their visit ever since opening in 1994. With big drops and loops that go above and below ground it has me coming back for more every time. I went on 3 times during my visit; making this the one I rode more than any other.
Th13teen
I believe this ride had opened since I had last been to Alton Towers. I hadn’t heard much of it, and didn’t expect much, which made for even more of a surprise when riding it! The initial drop is so much steeper than it appears from the sidelines, and the inclusion showmanship with the track drop was superb! On the day I said this was my number 1, but on reflection I can’t separate it from Nemesis.
So there you have it my 10 ten rides at Alton Towers, I’ll be pushing the for a trip back to Universal soon though to get beck on some of my favorites, but until then I think I’ll look to take my first trip to Thorpe Park in the near future to see how they compare!
What are your favorite rides? Let me know!
Soapbox Sox 