27th July 2025: Alton Towers Day 2

We had our second day in the park today! I was looking forward to getting back into the park and doing some rerides, as well as potentially some things I hadn’t done on the first day!

After breakfast in the Alton Towers Hotel, which I actually thought was perfectly nice given all of the drama around Aramark, I headed into the park on my own and took advantage of a perk that I haven’t seen offered in years… Early Ride Time! I can’t think of the last time that I remember having Early Ride Time at Alton Towers for hotel guests, particularly the full hour from 9am, but it was on offer today, so I took full advantage! I left the hotel room at around 8:50am and got admitted into the park at bang on 9am after a short wait:

After entering the park, I headed to my first ride…

Nemesis

Nemesis was on a very short queue and was the only major thrill coaster open for ERT, so I decided to give it a go. I only waited 5 minutes, which I can never complain about, and I was on the ride swiftly. So, how was it? Well, I was in row 7, and it was brilliant as always; for a morning ride, the ride was running quickly, and packed brilliant speed and intensity! That initial sequence never fails to deliver, and overall, the ride was definitely a brilliant way to wake me up this morning:

After my first ride on Nemesis, I liked it so much that I headed straight back round for another while the queue was walk on! I was once again in row 7, and it was once again brilliant; I do love Nemesis, and it was running very well today!

After my second ride on Nemesis, I headed over to Katanga Canyon to get on a ride I didn’t do yesterday…

Runaway Mine Train

Runaway Mine Train was part of the ERT lineup and on a 5 minute advertised queue time, so as I hadn’t ridden it yesterday, I decided to give it a go. The queue time board stayed true to its word, and I was pretty much batched onto the next cycle after joining the queue. So, how was the ride? Well, I’ve always had a soft spot for the Runaway Mine Train, and today was no exception; I was seated in row 15, and the ride was good fun! Of the powered coasters I’ve ridden, I do think that RMT has one of the strongest layouts; it maintains good speed throughout, and that helix into the tunnel is surprisingly intense for a family coaster! All in all, then, I was glad to get back on Runaway Mine Train; in a way, going on it almost makes me nostalgic for the Alton Towers trips of my childhood, what with it being one of my first ever coasters back when I first rode it in 2009:

After I got off the Runaway Mine Train, it was around 9:40am, so I decided to head over and join the pre-opening queue for my in-park favourite…

Wicker Man

Wicker Man is an ever popular ride and I was keen to do it again, so I decided to get into the pre-opening queue and try to score an early ride. The pre-opening queue was not overly long, and I ultimately got on the ride in around 30 minutes after it opened; for a popular ride like Wicker Man first thing in the morning, I don’t think that’s too bad! So, how was the ride? Well, after my slightly more middling seat placements yesterday, I was very pleased that my single rider status benefitted me today, as I scored row 11! And I have to say that this ride was definitely a cut above any of the rides I had yesterday; Wicker Man is always excellent, but a ride towards the back of the train is a definite cut above the rest, in my view! When on the back, you really feel the  speed and whip, and there’s also quite a bit more airtime as well! Today’s row 11 ride absolutely creased me like very few rides I’ve ever done; I find Wicker Man so much fun, and the back of the train is especially fun:

After I got off Wicker Man, my parents entered the park, and me and my dad headed to ride…

Oblivion

Oblivion was on an advertised 30 minute queue time, so me and my dad decided to give it a go, as my dad loves Oblivion and hadn’t done it yesterday. However, we decided to do something slightly different… even though we were together, we decided to go in the single rider queue and ride separately in an attempt to reduce our queueing time. This was very successful, as we got on in less than 5 minutes… and even more successful in that we got unexpectedly batched together! I’m not sure that is technically how single rider is supposed to work, but I’m certainly not going to complain! But how was the ride? Well, as with yesterday, Oblivion was absolutely fantastic; I had a particularly loose restraint on today’s ride, and I absolutely flew out of the seat! The speed in the tunnel was also hitting hard as always; even having ridden the likes of Red Force, I still think that Oblivion’s tunnel is quite possibly one of the fastest feeling roller coaster moments I’ve ever experienced. That tunnel feels ridiculously fast! On the brake run, my dad and I were enthusiastically agreeing with each other that the tunnel on Oblivion definitely adds something to the experience compared to SheiKra; it’s taken me years to realise it, but I definitely now think Oblivion is the superior Dive Coaster for me. It may be short, but that drop-tunnel combo hits every time!:

After we got off Oblivion, I decided to head for a single rider ride on the other coaster in the area…

The Smiler

The Smiler was on an advertised 30 minute queue time, but as I was on my own (mum and dad didn’t fancy Smiler after yesterday’s ride), I decided to go in the single rider queue to give Smiler a go. And as per usual with my single rider exploits, I did make a time saving, getting on in just 15 minutes; I can never complain about that! But how was the ride? Well, I was seated in row 3, and it was a little bit smoother than yesterday… but I’m still not a great fan of The Smiler. It’s a ride I really want to like, as I think the layout is creative on paper, but there’s something that doesn’t quite rub me the right way about how the layout rides in practice. The restraint was also tightening horribly today; it seemed to have my thighs locked into an almost vice-like grip after the first half, and I couldn’t move them at all, which definitely impeded my enjoyment. Perhaps controversially, I almost think the restraints impede my enjoyment of Smiler more than the roughness; I do find it tough to enjoy myself on there when the harness is digging into my thighs so much:

After my ride on The Smiler, I met back up with my parents, and me and my mum headed to…

Thirteen

Thirteen was on an advertised 50 minute queue time, but after me and my dad’s single rider success on Oblivion earlier in the day, me and my mum decided to go up the single rider queue and ride separately. We did not get batched together like me and my dad did, but in terms of time, it was possibly the biggest single rider success yet; there was no one ahead of us in the queue, I was batched onto the next train, and my mum was batched onto the one after! You can’t complain about skipping a 50 minute queue without using Fastrack! But how was the ride? Well, I was seated in row 6, and once again, it was a really decent ride. Even without the first drop pull of the back, I still really like the outdoor section of Thirteen, but the indoor section and backwards helix is where it really comes into its own! All in all, then, Thirteen was thoroughly enjoyable, and I was gratified by another single rider success:

After I got off Thirteen, I decided to go on an attraction that I hadn’t ridden in a couple of years…

Hex

Hex was on an advertised 5 minute queue, so I decided to take a ride on there. Neither of my parents wanted to go on Hex, so I went alone for this one, and I ultimately got on in around 10 minutes. So, how was it? Well, I was interested to ride Hex again, as I hadn’t done it since March 2023, and the ride has been renovated somewhat since my last visit, following its period of extended closure. The changes have been contentious to say the least, but I have to say that perhaps controversially, I think the changes made have really enhanced the experience! They seem to have added loads of little enhancements; little things like the on-cue lighting in the cinema room and the big pyrotechnic that they’ve added in the Octagon are absolutely awesome additions, and I also really like the very controversial new lighting in the vault! Overall, then, it was really nice to get back on Hex; I wouldn’t say the Madhouse ride system is my absolute favourite, but of the four I’ve ridden, Hex is definitely my favourite example of the genre. It’s brilliantly theatrical, and I also think it feels brilliantly ambient in a way that none of the others do. Those new changes were a brilliant move for me that have made it possibly the best I’ve ever known it be:

After Hex, it was around 12:20pm, and mum and dad made it abundantly clear that they were ready to start gradually heading towards an exit. As such, we headed over to some of the final rides of the day in Forbidden Valley via the Skyride. It was really nice to get back on there for the first time since 2022; I got some interesting views of The Gardens, and when we stopped in the air at one point, the wire bounced possibly mode than I’ve ever known it bounce!:

After the Skyride, my dad and I headed for a reride on Nemesis, on an advertised 30 minute queue time. The advertised queue time was broadly pretty accurate, with us waiting for 35 minutes or so, and this time, we got really lucky and scored the front row. This was the first time since the retrack that I’ve ridden the front row on Nemesis, and I have to say that the ride really comes into its own on the front; in contrast with Wicker Man, Nemesis is 100% a front row coaster for me! The sense of speed in the front is absolutely astonishing, and the near misses are quite something; that initial sequence with the helix and the zero-g roll in particular is sublime in the front! That ride was definitely one of the highlights of the trip for me, and I was really glad to score a front row ride on there:

After that awesome front row ride on Nemesis, I headed for my final ride of the trip…

Galactica

Galactica was on an advertised 10 minute queue time, so I decided to give it another go. I pondered using the single rider queue, but as the main queue was so short (not even stretching to the merge point), I decided not to bother. 10 minutes was if anything an overstatement; I was on that ride within 5 minutes! So, how was the ride? Well, as with yesterday, I have to say that I actually enjoyed Galactica a fair bit more than I have on previous visits. I was seated in row 6, and while I would never describe Galactica as a favourite of mine and would still say that the position is a bit uncomfortable, the ride was good fun. In that position, I very much appreciate Galactica’s focus on slightly gentler manoeuvres more than the focus of the bigger B&M flyers on big, intense elements! All in all, then, Galactica, while not an absolute favourite of mine, was still a fun way to end the trip:

After Galactica, it was 1:30pm and my mum and dad had had enough, so we headed out of the park via the Galactica gate and headed home, getting off Alton Towers property by 1:45pm.

So, that wraps up our second day at Alton Towers, as well as the trip more broadly! Even though today was a bit shorter than yesterday, it was still fruitful; I got on 11 rides including the Skyride, and 10 rides even excluding it, which is not to be sniffed at given I was only in the park for a total of 4.5 hours, in my view! I also greatly appreciated having ERT for the first time in years, and I had some of my best rides of the trip today; Wicker Man on row 11 was incredible, but Nemesis on the front was also a huge highlight! And on the whole, it was another fruitful day to cap off a generally excellent trip to Alton Towers; I know I’ve been to Alton Towers a lot over the years, but when on form, it still does it for me like no other park in the country!

Thanks for reading; I hope you’ve enjoyed this report! I’m not sure when my next trip report will be, but chances are that it will either be from Thorpe Park or a visit to Barry Island Pleasure Park to go and tick off some more local cuisine theme park-wise!