Shockadelica
TS Member
My first ever visit to Alton Towers was Sunday March 20th 1983. The ridiculously excited Brian arrived at the park with his brother, sister, and her husband in a Morris Minor that parked somewhere near where Sonic Spinball now stands.
My first observation was 'where the heck are all the attractions?'. All I could see was the house, which I never realised was a ruin until I arrived, and lots of parkland, lakes and trees. As I looked towards the Ingestre Centre as was, I saw vague movements that suggested there was something exciting over there, but the one thing that threw me was that there were no Corkscrew loops to be seen behind the big house. Now obviously I didn't expect it to be as big as it used to appear on the old logo, but I did expect to at least see it there behind The Towers. Foolish boy!
So out of the car we went and headed in the direction of the lakes and so began my love affair with what I always refer to as my spiritual home.
The Log Flume was amazing! That feeling of heading into the mysterious woods has since been lost with the introduction of The Rapids, Haunted House, etc. But there was a magical sense of being in a secluded forest where only you, as a rider, could enter at that point. The drop in the dark was probably my first ever experience of a genuine theme park thrill; it was unexpected, scary and gave me my first true feeling of a physical reaction to a ride, with that slight airtime pop that I probably missed on the first drop because of the excitement of it all.
There were many other moments of that day that I look back on with fuzzy nostalgia. How massive the Corkscrew looked once you were right up to it. My first face-to-face view of a proper, steel rollercoaster. Even Oblivion, years later, didn't give me that same sense of foreboding that the Corkscrew gave. And the ride experience itself; that first proper drop and its accompanying 'empty belly' sensation, and that moment of panic, just before the corkscrews themselves where I wondered just how this experience of going upside down was going to feel.
Of course I needn't have worried, but that sense of achievement once I was off the ride was incredible.
And the Pirate Ship, which I had always been convinced went right over the top, was watched many times before I was finally satisfied that it did no such thing. And again, that feeling of airtime on the highest bits... Wow!
And little did I know just what excitement the Dinosaur Land site would provide the year later and now, 30 years on. Black Hole was an incredibly exciting development for its time and I'm so glad it's being replaced with something equally impressive for its time.
And other small observations?
The old cable car system used to stop right by the Chinese Temple and, because you didn't bother venturing any futher, there was this sense that the trees went on forever beyond it. As much as I love Forbidden Valley, it kind of took that fond memory away (but let's face it; thank God).
Talbot Street is something that I don't think has been improved by any of the re-themes. It fitted in perfectly with The Towers and although I appreciate it probably wouldn't work in this day and age, I look at pictures of those frontages through my rose-tinted specs very fondly.
Around The World In 80 Days is another one that hasn't been improved by it's other two incarnations. As much as I enjoyed Toyland Tours, you were still getting a boat-ride through what was essentially a very bright and busy warehouse. With ATWI80D, the smaller, themed rooms gave a real sense of adventure and not knowing what was to happen next. And that sense of escape was magical. And it had a unique smell that I'd imagine some of our older members will remember.
Cine 2000. Wow! The sense of infinity that thing gave you. Those rollercoasters looked huge and there was something incredibly intimidating about the whole experience. You felt so vulnerable stood-up in there. Cine 360 wasn't as good; it was just like lying on the floor and watching a film play on the ceiling.
And as the years have passed and I've watched and experienced the park through the Broome years, the Tussauds years and now the Merlin years, I still have to say I love the place.
Ignore the little things that you personally find irritating and enjoy the positives, especially as they easily outweigh the negatives.
I'm 43 now and I'm just as giddy with excitement about The Smiler as I was about arriving at the park that nippy morning back in March 1983.
My spiritual home.
My first observation was 'where the heck are all the attractions?'. All I could see was the house, which I never realised was a ruin until I arrived, and lots of parkland, lakes and trees. As I looked towards the Ingestre Centre as was, I saw vague movements that suggested there was something exciting over there, but the one thing that threw me was that there were no Corkscrew loops to be seen behind the big house. Now obviously I didn't expect it to be as big as it used to appear on the old logo, but I did expect to at least see it there behind The Towers. Foolish boy!
So out of the car we went and headed in the direction of the lakes and so began my love affair with what I always refer to as my spiritual home.
The Log Flume was amazing! That feeling of heading into the mysterious woods has since been lost with the introduction of The Rapids, Haunted House, etc. But there was a magical sense of being in a secluded forest where only you, as a rider, could enter at that point. The drop in the dark was probably my first ever experience of a genuine theme park thrill; it was unexpected, scary and gave me my first true feeling of a physical reaction to a ride, with that slight airtime pop that I probably missed on the first drop because of the excitement of it all.
There were many other moments of that day that I look back on with fuzzy nostalgia. How massive the Corkscrew looked once you were right up to it. My first face-to-face view of a proper, steel rollercoaster. Even Oblivion, years later, didn't give me that same sense of foreboding that the Corkscrew gave. And the ride experience itself; that first proper drop and its accompanying 'empty belly' sensation, and that moment of panic, just before the corkscrews themselves where I wondered just how this experience of going upside down was going to feel.
Of course I needn't have worried, but that sense of achievement once I was off the ride was incredible.
And the Pirate Ship, which I had always been convinced went right over the top, was watched many times before I was finally satisfied that it did no such thing. And again, that feeling of airtime on the highest bits... Wow!
And little did I know just what excitement the Dinosaur Land site would provide the year later and now, 30 years on. Black Hole was an incredibly exciting development for its time and I'm so glad it's being replaced with something equally impressive for its time.
And other small observations?
The old cable car system used to stop right by the Chinese Temple and, because you didn't bother venturing any futher, there was this sense that the trees went on forever beyond it. As much as I love Forbidden Valley, it kind of took that fond memory away (but let's face it; thank God).
Talbot Street is something that I don't think has been improved by any of the re-themes. It fitted in perfectly with The Towers and although I appreciate it probably wouldn't work in this day and age, I look at pictures of those frontages through my rose-tinted specs very fondly.
Around The World In 80 Days is another one that hasn't been improved by it's other two incarnations. As much as I enjoyed Toyland Tours, you were still getting a boat-ride through what was essentially a very bright and busy warehouse. With ATWI80D, the smaller, themed rooms gave a real sense of adventure and not knowing what was to happen next. And that sense of escape was magical. And it had a unique smell that I'd imagine some of our older members will remember.
Cine 2000. Wow! The sense of infinity that thing gave you. Those rollercoasters looked huge and there was something incredibly intimidating about the whole experience. You felt so vulnerable stood-up in there. Cine 360 wasn't as good; it was just like lying on the floor and watching a film play on the ceiling.
And as the years have passed and I've watched and experienced the park through the Broome years, the Tussauds years and now the Merlin years, I still have to say I love the place.
Ignore the little things that you personally find irritating and enjoy the positives, especially as they easily outweigh the negatives.
I'm 43 now and I'm just as giddy with excitement about The Smiler as I was about arriving at the park that nippy morning back in March 1983.
My spiritual home.