Matt N’s Midlands Meander 23rd/24th April 2026 (Fantasy Island/Alton Towers) - (24th April 2026: Alton Towers)

24th April 2026: Alton Towers

I had my second day of the trip today, with a visit to Alton Towers! While it was the less exciting day of the trip in terms of new things and I was last at the park only 4 weeks ago, it has some of my favourite rides in the country, entry is free with my Merlin pass, and I always love a day there, so I frankly thought; why not?

Once again, I started my day early, getting up at 6am, getting down to breakfast for 6:30am, and leaving for the railway station at just after 7am for a 7:51 train to Uttoxeter from Nottingham. This was delayed by 15 minutes or so due to a broken CrossCountry train near Beeston, but even still, I got to Uttoxeter railway station before 9am. I then took an Uber to the park, where I had a driver who initially moaned about being pulled in all the way from Leicester, but was very friendly and chatty. My Uber got me there for around 9:25, meaning that I got to the park in plenty of time:

After getting into the park, I repeated my usual tactic with Alton Towers and headed for less well-trodden turf…

Rita

As per usual, I headed over to Dark Forest as this is where the crowds don’t tend to head in the morning. This played into my hands wonderfully once again, as I was the very first person in line for Rita; I can never moan about that! So, how was it? Well, I was of course sat at the very front of the train, and it was awesome, with a brilliant sense of speed, a punchy launch and some great airtime! I do always like a ride on Rita, and it was a good way to start the day:

After getting off Rita, Thirteen wasn’t yet open, so I initially headed for a reride. I walked on the ride again, and was initially batched into row 3, but the ride unfortunately broke down, so after a few minutes, I bailed and headed out of Dark Forest. As the ride was still shut when I later re-entered the area, this proved to be a prudent choice!

After leaving Dark Forest, I headed for a ride on a favourite of mine that wasn’t open last month…

Oblivion

Oblivion was on an advertised 5 minute queue, so as I hadn’t ridden it in March, I decided to take a ride on there. The queue looked a short length, but because I’m petty and fancied shaving even more time off my wait, I still decided to gamble with single rider. This proved to be somewhat prudent, as I pretty much walked straight onto the ride! But how was it? Well, the ride was excellent; I always love a go on Oblivion, and today was no exception! The airtime was awesome, and the speed in the tunnel was on point! As an added bonus, I also noticed that the ride unexpectedly has drop audio back for the first time in decades; evidently, Alton Towers is now less concerned about noise than it used to be! Overall, then, I loved getting back on Oblivion; it’s definitely one of my favourites on park, as it packs a punch despite its short length:

After getting off Oblivion, I headed over to the other coaster in the area…

The Smiler

The Smiler was on an advertised 35 minute queue time, but as I was on my own, I decided to give my secret weapon of single rider a go once again. This was a good choice, as single rider only took 10 minutes; it’s always great when you get a win with single rider! So, how was the ride? Well, Smiler’s never an absolute favourite of mine, and it was running with an ever so slight case of square wheels today in row 3, with a definite rattle and some moments of roughness, so it was probably a ride I felt content only doing once. With that said, some of the inversions are fun, and the airtime hills are always a highlight on there!  All in all, then, Smiler had some good bits, but was overall not a favourite of mine today:

After The Smiler, I headed back over to Dark Forest to ride the other, now open, coaster in the area…

Thirteen

Thirteen was on an advertised 5 minute queue time, but as with Oblivion earlier, there was a small queue and I was feeling petty, so I decided to use single rider once again. And once again, I pretty much walked straight into row 2, which I can never complain about! So, how was the ride? Well, I always enjoy a ride on Thirteen, and today was no exception! While the outdoor section isn’t quite as good up front, it’s still great fun, and that drop track and backwards section never gel to deliver! All in all, then, my ride on Thirteen was great fun; I certainly enjoyed it:

After my first Thirteen ride, the queue was still a near walk-on, so I decided to head straight back round for another go! I was in row 2 once again, and it was fun once again!

After getting off my second Thirteen ride, I decided to change things up a tad…

Hex

Hex was on an advertised 5 minute queue, so as I hadn’t yet done it in 2026, I decided to take a ride on there. The queue was roughly as advertised, which I can never complain about; Hex is quite a reliable short queue! While queueing for and experiencing Hex, some guests I spoke to and overheard today did make it dawn on me that Hex might be lost on a not insignificant portion of Alton Towers’ visitor base. For example, a group of teenage girls asked me if it was a roller coaster or thrill ride, and when I attempted to describe Hex (admittedly I perhaps might not have described it very well), they said it sounded “boring” and left the line. I also overheard someone saying “I skipped Rita for this?” and most amusingly of all, I heard someone say upon us entering the cinema room “Ooh, they’re showing a movie! I do hope it’s Shrek!”… I imagine they were disappointed! But how was Hex? Well, I do like Hex, and the pre-shows and effects were all running well! Today’s ride also reaffirmed to me that I really enjoy some of the new(ish) changes in there; I love how the drama and impact is heightened! I’ll admit to being increasingly unsure whether the Madhouse ride system itself agrees with me, but Hex is definitely my favourite example of the genre for the clever use of a real setting and the pure drama of it. All in all, then, I enjoyed Hex, and I’m glad I took a ride on there:

After Hex, I headed out of the Towers complex and towards another coaster that I’m always keen to ride!

Wicker Man

Wicker Man was on an advertised 25 minute queue, so I decided to have a go on there. The queue was marginally understated, taking around 20 minutes, and the operations were great on here, with 3 trains in action and a seemingly slick service! But how was the ride itself? Well, I was sat in row 5, and as per usual, Wicker Man was phenomenal! Perhaps controversially, it’s been my favourite coaster on park for years, and that’s just for how much fun it is! The ride flies through the layout, has some great bits of airtime and overall just absolutely creases me every time on the brake run! All in all, then, I loved getting back on Wicker Man; I always look forward to a ride on there:

After getting off Wicker Man, the queue was shorter than when I joined, so I went for not one, but two consecutive rerides! One was in row 7 and one was in row 10, and while the row 10 ride was the best one, both were sublime! When the queue was getting shorter each time to the point where I had a clear run to the baggage hold at one stage, who would I be to pass that up?

After my 3 rides on Wicker Man, I headed over to Forbidden Valley to do a favourite I hadn’t done yet…

Nemesis Reborn

Nemesis was on an advertised 5 minute queue, so I decided to have a ride on there. If anything, 5 minutes was overstated, as I walked straight into the airgates for a row 7 ride; I can never moan when that happens! So, how was Nemesis? Well, it was fantastic; I always love a ride on Nemesis, and the ride was on point today! I always find the layout really exciting on there, with that initial sequence in particular being an awesome way to start the ride, and I also think it’s wonderfully paced! I admit I maybe noticed the much-discussed rattle a tad more today than I have, but I still think it’s not a detractor from the ride and is enormously over-discussed. If you want a properly rattly invert, go to Skegness, if you ask me! All in all, then, I thoroughly enjoyed my ride on Nemesis:

After getting off Nemesis, the queue remained walk-on, so I went straight back round for another lap! I was batched onto the front row this time, which is always a winner; the sense of speed is heightened wonderfully in the front!

I then sat down and had my lunch (a Co-op meal deal once again, as I’m tight!). After that, I pondered a ride on Galactica, but decided I couldn’t be bothered with it on an advertised 25 minute queue when Nemesis was walk-on, so I went for a 3rd ride on Nemesis instead. My row 2 ride was once again superb!

After my 3rd ride on Nemesis, I headed for another dark ride…

The Curse at Alton Manor

Curse was on an advertised 5 minute wait, so as I was heading back towards the centre of Alton Towers, I decided to give it a go. The queue time board was true to its word, with only a few people in front of me; it’s always good when that happens! So, how was the ride? Well, I do enjoy a ride on Curse, and today’s ride was nice! The Trommel tunnel was disappointingly broken, but other than that, most things were working quite well! Despite not being a horror fan, I think Curse is just the right level of scare and horror for me to enjoy, so I liked my ride on there:

After Curse, I headed for another reride on Wicker Man, on an advertised 15 minute queue that actually took more like 10 and was again an almost straight run through to the baggage hold. I was seated in row 4 this time, and the ride was once again phenomenally good fun:

After Wicker Man, I headed to a coaster I hadn’t yet done…

Spinball Whizzer

Spinball was on an advertised 15 minute queue, but I decided to use the single rider queue on here once again. This proved fruitful, as I was on in less than 5 minutes; I frequently find single rider a winning formula for getting on rides quickly! So, how was it? Well, the ride had a good level of spinning without being too intense, but was a bit rougher than my ride last month. Spinball isn’t an absolute favourite of mine, but I sometimes wonder if I’ve maybe been too harsh on it at times:

After my ride on Spinball, I headed to X-Sector to reride Oblivion on a short queue. I had not one, not two, not three, not four, but five consecutive rerides on Oblivion. The queue got so short that I eventually stopped bothering with single rider, and all 5 rides were absolutely brilliant, with awesome airtime and speed:

After my 5 rides on Oblivion, I headed for one final reride on Wicker Man, on another short queue. I scored the holy grail of row 12 for this final ride, which I think I’ve only ever had once before, and it was sublime; this was a brilliant way to end the day:

After that, I headed out of the park for the day to wait for an Uber back to Uttoxeter station:

Now from a travel standpoint, this is where things get hairy. I was firstly shocked to discover that an Uber between Alton Towers and Uttoxeter railway station at park closing time cost over £50 (yes, 50 English pounds!), and then I also felt implored to tip slightly more generously because the driver moaned about how Uber only gave him £27 of the fee I was charged and I felt bad.

After that, I returned to Uttoxeter railway station to take the train home, but the train was unfortunately delayed indefinitely shortly after I arrived, meaning that I was unable to make my other connections and had to come up with a new plan. I decided to catch another Uber to Derby railway station, initially out of blind hope that I might still be able to make my original connections, but this ultimately proved a costly mistake (although this Uber was actually only £25 despite the longer distance than the one I’d just taken), as I still missed my connections and was no better off in terms of arrival time home. Live and learn, I guess! My train journey home took me to Derby as well as Cheltenham Spa for a nice flashback to my undergraduate uni days before I arrived back in my local station at 9:15pm:

So, that wraps up my day at Alton Towers! I had an excellent day; in case you lost track, I did 21 rides in total, which is my first ever time doing over 20 at Towers in 17 years of visiting! Despite the favourable weather, the park was quite quiet, and I was able to strike fairly short queues on most attractions, which I can never moan about! I do always love a trip to Alton Towers, and today was no exception; nostalgia aside, I do think it has some of the UK’s best rides and is just generally a great park, as much as people love to moan about it!

That’s not just the end of my day at Alton Towers, but also the end of the trip. It’s been a brilliant trip; I was really glad to finally get to Skegness and tick off Fantasy Island, but I also had a brilliant day at Towers too!

Thanks for reading; I hope you’ve enjoyed this report! I’m not sure where my next trip will be, but I’m sure it won’t be far away, so keep your eyes peeled!