With a new immersive roller-coaster due to open later this year and group rates to appeal too, there’s no time like the present to start planning a visit to Alton Towers.
Almost two thirds of Brits admitted to enjoy the thrill of a man-made adrenaline rush, according to a survey commissioned by the theme park last year. With so much on offer to get your heart racing, the Staffordshire-based resort is certainly one to add to your 2018 agenda if your group love a loop-the-loop or two… or three or four or five…
What’s new?
Alton Tower’s latest addition to its adrenaline-junkie-pleasing rides will be the Wicker Man. Hailed as the world's first rollercoaster experience fusing fire and wood, Wicker Man is due to open this spring.
The ride is said to be the UK’s first new wooden rollercoaster experience in 21 years. It will consist of a Wicker Man structure standing at 57.57ft (17.55m) tall, the height of a six-storey building, which will dominate the centre of Alton Towers Resort, appearing to burst into flames as the wooden track races three separate times through the structure. Certainly one for thrill-seekers to brave this year.
Old favourites
More heart-racing action can be found on Galactica – a flying virtual reality rollercoaster located in the Forbidden Valley area of Alton Towers, previously known as Air – and Oblivion, a steel rollercoaster that opened as 'the world's first vertical drop roller coaster' in 1998.
Groups should also take time for rides on Th13teen, a vertical freefall drop rollercoaster on which the track and train freefall approximately five metres in darkness, and Nemesis, one of the park’s most famous coasters featuring twists, turns and corkscrew spins.
Visitors can break up their visit with an alternative dining experience in the Rollercoaster Restaurant. It is set below a vast rollercoaster track where diners can watch as their order tackles two gravity defying loop-the-loops before dropping eight metres down a tornado spiral to their table. An exhilarating dinner time if there ever was one.
Extend your stay
And for those groups who just don’t want the fun to end, never fear – the resort has a number of accommodation options if you fancy a longer stay. There’s the woodland retreat of the Enchanted Village, the eccentric Alton Towers Hotel, the tropical Splash Landings Hotel, and new for last year, the CBeebies Land Hotel – great for groups visiting with young families and children.
Group benefits at Alton Towers Resort
Group travel organisers will find no end of benefits when booking to visit, including up to 40% off when booking online for between seven and nine people or for groups of ten or more.
Plus, parties who want a short break can book ten or more rooms in one go. GTOs should call 0871 222 9909 to make a reservation.
For more information about the resort, visit www.altontowers.com.
