Adventure Art Travel

With some 2.4 million visitors in 2007, Alton Towers remains the most
visited and best loved theme park in the UK. A large part of its
success belongs to the consistent `upgrades` of rides, going from
bigger and better to faster and scarier; and for anyone seeking
thrills and fun, they don`t get much more exciting than some of the
rides that Alton Towers has to offer.

`The Oblivion` is the world`s first vertical drop
rollercoaster that embraces the fear factor by keeping the passengers
in suspense before the ultimate drop – a slight pause is broken by the
sound of “Don`t…Look…Down…”, before the big plunge into oblivion.

`The Nemesis` caused a big stir when it was first revealed and
it still remains one of the world`s most remarkable inverted
rollercoaster`s. If the red river that runs beneath it doesn`t scare
you, then the G-Force alone should.

AIR or `Aerial Inversion Ride to give it its full name, is a
more recent addition to the theme park and marks a new trend for
`coasters` where riders hang from beneath the track horizontally to
experience that real freedom of flight. With ground scraping swoops
and stomach churning rolls, AIR brings an exciting rush for thrill
seekers.

`Rita: Queen of Speed` – the name pretty much gives it all
away. This is a state-of-the-art launched roller coaster that stands
18 metres high and launches from 0 to 100kph in 2.8 seconds giving it
an amazing G-Force launch of 4.7.

Partly to make it easy to navigate around the theme park, and partly
to add a little more diversity to the attractions, Alton Towers is
divided into a number of themed areas which include:

Towers Street – the area of the park that all visitors walk
through upon entering, Towers Street leads to views of gardens and
the actual Towers, but also contains a number of shops selling
refreshments and official merchandise.

Mutiny Bay: New in 2008, this pirate-themed land replaces the
old `Merrie England` and has effectively injected some new life into
some of the older rides. For example, the famous tea-cups ride has
now been replaced with `Marauders Mayhem`, complete will rolling
barrels rather than tea cups.

Katanga Canyon: Themed as an African Village, this part of the
park includes rides like the Runaway Mine Train and the Congo River
Rapids.

Ug Land: It has a pre-historic/Neanderthal theme and is home
to two of the parks major rides; Rita and Corkscrew.

Cred Street: Aimed at the younger crowds that flock to Alton
Towers, Cred Street is themed with lots of bright colours. Home to
several bouncy castles and bouncing rides it also hosts the Cred
Street Theatre where several interactive plays for children are
performed.

X-Sector: Previously known as Fantasy World, this section of
the park gives a nod to some sort of sinister government facility and
contains The Oblivion, Enterprise and Submission.

Gloomy Wood: Fans of the supernatural will particularly enjoy
this ghosts and monsters themed area. Home to the infamous Haunted
House Strike Back experience, visitors are armed with LED plastic
guns and can compete with other passengers on the ride.

There are a number of ways to buy tickets for Alton Towers, but it is
worth remembering that buying tickets in advance will cost less than
they would on the day. Tickets can be ordered directly from Alton
Towers, but there are a number of discounted retailers too. See cheap
Alton Towers tickets for more details.

Also see previous article about UK School Holidays Legoland.