5 out of 5 from Ye Gads

About the park

Alton Towers is the largest theme park in the UK. Set in the rural grounds and gardens of the ruins of Alton Towers, it offers fun for young or old. There are a variety of rides and attractions to suit all age ranges, based on various themes dependent on the area of the park you are in.

New for 2008 is Mutiny Bay, a pirate themed area. The flagship attraction is Battle Galleons, a water adventure ride set to challenge all ages. Aboard the eight Galleons, wannabe pirates will take part in a fun-filled splash battle of their lives! Mutiny Bay is also home to Marauder’s Mayhem - a spinning sensation set within barrels of rum and explosives!  

The onsite amenities are very good with toilets and shops sited all over the park. As far as food goes there is variety of different fast food and healthy option restaurants and cafes, so there is something for all, whatever your preference.

Alton Towers has two themed hotels on site, the Alton Towers hotel themed around the world of Sir Algenon Alton - famous traveller and inventor, and the Caribbean village style, Splash Landings Hotel, which also houses the Cariba Creek Waterpark. 

Review

Alton Towers is located in the heart of rural Shropshire and is within easy reach of the M1 and M6, however what they don’t tell you is that because it is in the middle of the countryside you have to use one small country lanes to get there. Fine in the off period, but a potential nightmare at peak times.

The rides have various height restrictions, which are clearly labelled against each ride and on the free park guide. If you visit the Alton Towers website prior to visiting, you are able to put together a ride plan based on what your kids are able to ride on. This was great as it meant that we knew which rides / areas in the park were suitable for our son, and meant we you could plan our day accordingly.

There are plenty of rides that fall within the first two height restrictions which meant that both of our kids were well entertained. We spent quite a lot of time in Old MacDonald’s Farmyard which is geared towards the younger visitor and it was great being able to take both boys on rides together. Our youngest loved the tractor ride.

Our 3 year old was able to ride on loads of rides through out the park and particularly liked the Battle Galleons ride, where he was able to soak the spectators with the water cannons. Much to my surprise we were also able to take him on the Runaway Mine train, which is quite a step up from real kiddie coasters.

Now for the big coasters… both my wife and I are big rollercoaster fans, and prior to having kids we used to go to theme parks all over the world. One of the problems of having small kids with you is that you are not able to ride together, and your kids are going up the wall if they have to wait for you to queue twice for the same ride. You will be pleased to know that the guys at Alton Towers have thought of this, they have come up with “Parent Queue Share”.

You can get a Parent Queue Share pass from Guest Services. The way it works is that one parent queues up as normal with the pass while the other parent waits or uses other attractions with the kids. Once the queuing parent gets to the ride station they need to get the ride assistant to sign or stamp the Parent Queue Share card. Once they are off the ride they can look after the child while the other parent takes the Parent Queue Share card and enters the ride via the exit.

Queue times for rides can get a little excessive, so it pays to get there early to get on the big rides, or even better go off season and avoid the weekends.

There is an awful lot to get around and you really can’t do it justice in one day, so we stayed at the Splash Landings hotel. The hotel has a Caribbean theme to it, and this theme is carried through with the Ma Garritas Bar and Flambos Restaurant.  The standard rooms are functional rather than luxurious, but let’s face it, you are not going to be spending much time in them so they more than serve their purpose.

The evening entertainment was great for the kids, with Pirate Bill’s Magic show at 7.15 followed by  a couple of comedy lifeguards who got the kids up and dancing. All of this while my wife and I were sipping a cocktail, enjoying watching the kids have a good time.

Both of my boys loved it and I can not recommend it highly enough for a quick getaway from the rat race.

Our tops tips for this theme park are:

1. Take a bike lock so you can lock up your pushchair when you go on rides.

2. Take a picnic if you want to keep your costs down.

3. Get there early and get on the more popular rides to avoid the queue times.

4. If you have small kids you should be able to go off peak and avoid the weekends when the park is at its busiest.

For more information and to plan your trip take a look at the Alton Towers website http://www.altontowers.com

Children under the age of 4 go in for free. Children under 11 cost £26 on the day or £21 online, over 11's cost £35 on the day or £28 online. There are a whole host of price options, but we think the following offer very good value if theme parks are your thing.

Full Annual Pass - Allows full access to the park for 12 months:

Individual Alton Towers Annual Pass: £66
Family Alton Towers Annual Pass: £199

Merlin Annual Pass -This allows entry to Chessington World of Adventures, Alton Towers, LEGOLAND Windsor, Thorpe Park, Madame Tussauds, The London Eye, Warwick Castle, Sea Life and the Dungeon. Family of 4 £375 (£330 before 30th April online)