Alton Towers is the largest and most popular theme park in the UK. The park has always been our favourite theme park in the UK as we believe it has the best selection of roller coasters out of all the parks in the UK. Not only does the park have the best coasters but we also believe that the selection of rides at Alton Towers is better than any other offering in the UK. Furthermore, for a park not operated by Disney, Alton Towers is excellently themed and very well maintained. Our list of top five attractions at Alton Towers is, as expected, populated by roller coasters. That’s not to say we don’t adore some of their other offerings, Hex is a wonderful example of a story based attraction, providing a fantasy version of local history. Duel is a classic haunted house turned fun shooting dark ride. Despite this, it’s still the coasters that come out on top for us. So, without further ado, here’s our list.
5. Oblivion
Oblivion, the first ever B&M dive coaster, may only have a short layout but makes up for what it lacks in inversions with the brilliant drop. Oblivion holds you over the edge of the track, before dropping you down into a deep black hole. There may be a large array of better dive coasters out there these days, but with its queue line video and classic theme tune, Oblivion remains almost a guilty pleasure roller coaster for me.
4. Th13teen
Alton Towers just love a record breaker, thus yet again this roller coaster is a world’s first. Th13teen is the world’s first vertical free fall drop coaster, however unlike Oblivion, it provides more than just this record breaking moment. This rollercoaster is spookily themed, taking you inside a cursed ancient crypt and face to face with the horrors that lie within. Well themed roller coasters are few and far between, therefore wherever there is one, I can’t help but be a fan.
3. The Smiler
As I already said, Alton Towers LOVE a record breaker. The Smiler is the world’s first 14 inversion roller coaster and still currently holds the record of the rollercoaster with the most inversions. ‘The Marmaliser,’ the rides centrepiece, provides a fun back story, supposedly serving the purpose of manipulating riders into…you guessed it, smiling.
2. Wicker Man
Alton Towers newest coaster, this time surprisingly not a worldwide record breaker. Although this coaster does feature a 57.5ft “wicker man”, which is said to be the most expensive piece of theming within any UK park. This wooden roller coaster, something lacking from most UK parks, provides both an atmospheric preshow, not something we see for many roller coasters, and a thrilling layout.
1. Nemesis
This B&M inverted roller coaster opened in 1994 and was dubbed ‘The World’s Most Intense Ride Experience’. While I wouldn’t say this is necessarily true anymore, Nemesis still remains towards the top of the intense list. It’s remained one of my favourite roller coasters in the world, not just Alton Towers, ever since I was first tall enough to ride. The Forbidden Valley theming is fun, although could do with a lick of paint, and the coaster itself is just brilliant. My only complaint is the current lack of a blood river. Come on Alton Towers, bring it back!
So, do you agree, or does a roller coaster like Galactica not make you feel nauseous and therefore belong on your top five list?
Let us know in the comments which rides at Alton Towers are your favourite!
Click here to check our our complete guide to Alton Towers.
