Discover 11 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in Alton Towers (United Kingdom). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: Alton Towers, Nemesis Roller Coaster, and Oblivion Roller Coaster. Also, be sure to include Galactica Roller Coaster in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in Alton Towers (England).
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Alton Towers
Alton Towers is a former country estate located near the village of Alton in Staffordshire, England. It was a former seat of the Earls of Shrewsbury. It is now a major theme park in the United Kingdom. The area around Alton Towers has been occupied for more than a thousand years. Beginning in the Middle Ages, the site has been redeveloped several times from fortified encampment to castle and then country house.[1]
Address: Alton Towers Resort, ST10 4DB Alton
Nemesis Roller Coaster
Roller coaster in England. Nemesis is an inverted roller coaster located at the Alton Towers theme park in England. It opened to the public on March 19, 1994. The ride was manufactured by Bolliger & Mabillard and designed by Werner Stengel, in collaboration with attraction developer John Wardley. It is located in the Forbidden Valley area of the park, adjacent to Galactica and The Blade attractions.
The 716-metre-long (2,349 ft) ride stands 13 metres (42.7 ft) tall and features a top speed of 81 km/h (50 mph). The four-inversion roller coaster was one of the first Bolliger & Mabillard rides to be installed outside of the United States and the first in Europe as an independent company.[2]
Address: Forbidden Valley, ST10 4DB Alton
Oblivion Roller Coaster
Roller coaster in Farley, England. Oblivion is a steel roller coaster located at Alton Towers in Staffordshire, England. The prototype Dive Coaster model from Bolliger & Mabillard opened to the public on 14 March 1998 and was marketed as the "World's first vertical drop roller coaster". With a maximum speed of 68 mph, it is the third fastest roller coaster in the UK, behind Stealth at Thorpe Park and the Big One at Blackpool Pleasure Beach.[3]
Galactica Roller Coaster
Roller coaster in England. Galactica is a flying roller coaster located in the Forbidden Valley area of Alton Towers amusement park in Staffordshire, England and is the first flying coaster manufactured by Bolliger & Mabillard. Guests ride in a prone position and experience the feeling of flight by "flying" close to the ground, under footpaths, and narrowly past trees and rocks.
The roller coaster originally opened as Air on 16 March 2002. Following the close of the 2015 season, the ride underwent refurbishment and reopened as Galactica on 24 March 2016. It features an 840-metre-long (2,760 ft) track, reaches a top speed of 75 km/h (47 mph), and debuted a dedicated virtual reality experience, although this has since been removed.[4]
Address: Forbidden Valley, ST10 4DB Alton
The Smiler
Coaster with world record for 14 loops. The Smiler is a steel roller coaster located at Alton Towers in Staffordshire, United Kingdom. Manufactured by Gerstlauer, it opened in 2013 as the world's first Gerstlauer Infinity Coaster. It is located in the X-Sector area of the park. With 14 inversions, The Smiler holds the world record for most inversions on a roller coaster.[5]
Rita Roller Coaster
Roller coaster in England. Rita, formerly known as Rita: Queen of Speed, is a launched roller coaster located in the Dark Forest section of Alton Towers amusement park in Staffordshire Moorlands, England. Designed by Intamin, the Accelerator Coaster model opened to the public on 1 April 2005. It features an acceleration from 0 to 98.3 km/h in 2.5 seconds. The ride is loosely-themed to a drag racing concept, which partly changed when the section of the park transformed from "Ug Land" into the "Dark Forest" in 2010, when the ride TH13TEEN was added into that section. It is now themed as an abandoned drag racer that is used as the escape cart to escape the Dark Forest.
In 2006, a similar launched roller coaster opened at Thorpe Park, called Stealth. It is also manufactured by Intamin and is faster than Rita, reaching speeds at 80 mph (130 km/h).
The ride was temporarily renamed "Camilla - Queen of Speed" on 9 April 2005 to celebrate the marriage of Prince Charles to Camilla Parker Bowles. This simply involved banner signage to notify guests of the name change.[6]
Address: Dark Forest, ST10 4DB Alton
Spinball Whizzer
Roller coaster in Farley, England. Spinball Whizzer is a spinning roller coaster located in the Adventure Land area of Alton Towers in Staffordshire, England. Built by Maurer Söhne, it was previously sponsored by Sega, the company that created the Sonic the Hedgehog video game franchise, and was known as Sonic Spinball from 2010 to 2015.[7]
Address: Adventure Land, ST10 4DB Alton
Battle Galleons
Amusement ride. Battle Galleons is a water ride at the British theme park Alton Towers. The ride was installed in 2008, replacing the pay-per-play ride Splash Kart Challenge, which in turn replaced the original Swan Boat ride.
Located in the Mutiny Bay area, it follows a pirate ship theme. Riders and observers are able to fire water guns at each other.[8]
Address: Mutiny Bay, ST10 4DB Alton
Runaway Mine Train
Roller coaster in Farley, England. The Runaway Mine Train is a powered steel roller coaster made by MACK Rides of Germany. The ride is located in the Katanga Canyon area of Alton Towers in Staffordshire, England.
The train normally makes two circuits for each ride, although on quiet days it has been known to run for three or more circuits. The ride runs alongside the Congo River Rapids, with which it shares a tunnel section. Passengers on the two rides occasionally wave to each other if they pass in the shared tunnel. Passengers must be at least 0.9 m tall to ride with an adult, and over 1.1 m tall to ride separately.
As of 2013 it is officially the park's oldest roller coaster, after The Beastie was removed prior to the 2013 season.[9]
Address: Katanga Canyon, ST10 4DB Alton
Marauder's Mayhem
Amusement park ride in Farley, England. Marauder's Mayhem is an operating spinning teacups ride at the British theme park Alton Towers. It is located in the pirate-themed Mutiny Bay.[10]
Address: Mutiny Bay, ST10 4DB Alton
Croxden Abbey
Abbey in Croxden, England. Croxden Abbey, also known as "Abbey of the Vale of St. Mary at Croxden", was a Cistercian abbey at Croxden, Staffordshire, United Kingdom. A daughter house of the abbey in Aunay-sur-Odon, Normandy, the abbey was founded by Bertram III de Verdun of Alton Castle, Staffordshire, in the 12th century. The abbey was dissolved in 1538.[11]