What did you ride on your first visit?

What rides and attractions do you miss? Share your memories of Alton Towers' extensive past here.
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S.J_O'Grady
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My first visit was in 2005 with Cadbury (my grandad worked for them)

I would have been 5 at the time and all I remember is going on Duel lots of times, and that I was scared of the zombie just before the tromnel tunnel for some reason! :lol
Life is a roller coaster. You can either scream every time you hit a bump or you can throw your hands up in the air and enjoy it.
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kris3012
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My first visit was in 1997 all I remember was queuing for oblivion for 2 hours as the other 4 people I was with wanted to go on it and I didn't wanna wait by myself for 2 hours( I was 11)
I still get the same buzz on Oblivion now [emoji51][emoji51][emoji51]
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Ryan.B
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Oblivion wasn't open then ;) but Oblivion was my first I remember for me.
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kris3012
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Ryan.B wrote:Oblivion wasn't open then ;) but Oblivion was my first I remember for me.
yes must have been 1998 either way I was still 11 [emoji23][emoji23][emoji23]
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Arwen
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My first ride I went on at Alton towers was Duel. I remember being advised it was a fun ride to do with all the family so we all set off to Gloomy wood and I haven't looked back since then! I remember that amazing, magical feeling of the unknown on that first visit. I couldn't even imagine that the park would become should a big part of my life in the years to come. :)
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Tom
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I don't think I rode anything on my first visit which was in 1994, I was only 1 at the time...
The first time I visited after that was 2002 I think, apart from the Black Hole and Corkscrew I don't really remember what else we rode. Still miss the Black Hole! :(
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PaxmanValenta
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Corckscrew!
Just keep pushing buttons...
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RCandrew
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I went on everything except Rita on my first visit! (long queue) - it was during summer 2011 and Thirteen was new. The best part for me was knowing what the secret was, when none of my family knew! Their reactions were priceless :lol
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Liam.W
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Nemesis, air, Rita, th13teen, sonic Spinball, and the monorail. Can't remember if I went on anything else.
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definedancing
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Oooh so I've already commented on this before about 2 years ago but I was thinking about my first trip to AT this morning and it really was quite memorable. I can't remember all of it because I was only 7, but I remember who I went with and why we went, and I remember it was a cold and crisp September with my mum, dad, sister, aunt, uncle and cousins.

We had visited for my sisters 5th birthday and it seems strange to me why we hadn't visited before as we were only an hour or so away (in hindsight I think it was probably money related). The park was owned by Tussards at the time and I guess was still living off the back of 90s golden age. Indeed, I remember Oblivion being the attraction my older cousin was desperate to go on, because it was very shiny and new and intimidating.

Neither of my parents liked rides but my sister and I have always loved them, and fortunately I was a tall child and easily 1'3 metres tall. However I wasn't quite 1'4 and wasn't allowed to ride the biggest coasters, but in all honesty, I don't think it even mattered as there was so much for me to do anyway. My sister was about 1'1 I'd guess and she was able to join us on a lot of the rides as a family.

Mum didn't do heights so we never went on The Skyride; incidently I don't even think I went near The Skyride until I worked on it in 2015. This meant we walked everywhere and I have vivid memories of running through the gardens and climbing up the valley pathway. I think we may well have had a picnic in there, although I can't remember.

We went on the Swan Boats which were very quaint and the Squirrel Nutty which my mum hated and said was too high. Not sure whether we did other rides in the farm but we definitely did Squirrel Nutty. Of course I remember the bookworm at the entrance to Storybook Land and watching him with fascination; it was really quite magical.

Next we went on Hex in its opening season, and I don't really remember it well but I remember mum being a bit taken aback. I think we queued for quite some time for it. We went over to the X-Sector and my dad, aunt, uncle, older cousin and I did The Black Hole. I remember the really cool station and the tiny ride cars and how the reflection on the track suddenly disappeared and you were plummeted into darkness at high speed. It was awesome. I'm so happy I rode it before it's closure in 2005. My older cousin and uncle then went on Oblivion and got stuck on the way up. Not sure how long for, but a funny family story.

My favourite place on park? UG LAND! It was amazing! I loved the colourful buildings and the entrance and the music and the massive climbing thing in the middle. It was here I rode the Corkscrew, the main attraction. It was my first upside down ride which is a big deal for a young thrilseeker. Don't remember it being rough, probably because I was ducking my head under the restraint the entire time. Probably did Bone Shaker and Wave Swinger, can't really remember.

Then there was The Land of Make Believe, or Cred Street, I'll have to look up which one. We didn't spend a lot of time there. I just recall the really cool McDonalds and I think Barney? Might have done Toyland Tours.

We essentially bypassed Forbidden Valley I think and I'm not sure whether we did the Haunted House (although I certainly did Duel with my mum and sister on subsequent visits). We did the Congo River Rapids though and the Runaway Mine Train, and The Flume with the logs!

It was a long and fun day and really memorable. The things that stick out for me are UG Land and The Black Hole and the Swan Boats that were quite distinct. I loved it and asked to go again. Now I'm quite literally there all of the time.
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armyboy608
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Anybody seen the oblivion documentary before it opened???
I remember watching that when my parents said we were going there!!!
We headed straight for oblivion.
It was raining and the que started about 50M before the x-sector sign!!! [emoji23][emoji23][emoji23]
We queued for hours and my mum who is terrified of rides went on for the first and last time in her life!!!



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KatangaZebra
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I was only 1 so it was mainly rides like Toyland Tours and rides in Old Macdonald's Farmyard
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Liam.W
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I rode all of the big six except Oblivion and Smiler. I also rode CCR and RMT.
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TheDuke
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I remember being to small for nemesis or oblivion but riding RMT, Hex, Air, duel, Toyland tours and my favorite roller coaster at the time corkscrew.
Unfortunately I never did get a chance to ride the black hole though for some reason.
Stan.H
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Squirrel Nutty, The Flume, Duel, Runaway Mine Train, Charlie & The Chocolate Factory and Berry Bash (Ball, shooter, play area thingy).
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Liam.W
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Stan.H wrote:Squirrel Nutty, The Flume, Duel, Runaway Mine Train, Charlie & The Chocolate Factory and Berry Bash (Ball, shooter, play area thingy).
Berry Bish Bash*
Charlie & The Chocolate Factory: The Ride*

Sorry I just had to Stan :lol
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Nickolai
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We got there at about 12pm. After not taking the correct turn to a National Trust property, my family decided to take us to Alton Towers. This is the main reason why I am such an enthusiast today. I remember coming in on the monorail, seeing Air, Nemesis, Ripsaw, the rock climb and Duel. When we got there my first ride, which was my first proper roller, was at the time Sonic Spinball. Next was The Beastie which was quite fun. I remember walking past X Sector after and seeing Oblivion, which looked colossal at the time. Our next stop was Hex which after a 20min wait was the most mesmerising ride I went on, which took me by surprise too. It was probably that ride that made me turn in to an enthusiast, as I remember doing a fair bit of research about the ride after. We then went to the Peugeot Driving School which was great fun, as well as doing Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Twirling Toadstools too. I also remember seeing Rita as I remember it coming off the brakes around the final corner as well. The last memory I have is when I was on the monorail and I saw the Congo River Rapids and I knew there was a lot more to Alton Towers than meets the eye... I was 9/10 at the time.
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Gronkmaster
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It would have been the late 90's (98) but I can just about remember the Haunted House, Log Flume, Swan Boats and many re-rides on Squirrel Nutty (much to the annoyance of my dad).

I can remember Oblivion being there but didn't ride it.
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Dan_Roe
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First time I visited Alton Towers was in 2010 the year th13teen was opened. I was 9 around the time and I went with my mate and his family who absolutely loved rollercoasters unlike me who despised them. I remember walking down towers street toward the bottom and seeing storybook land when it wasnt cbeebies land and i said why dont we go in there. We didnt so i kept quiet. We then walked into adventure land where i rode my first ever rollercoaster; sonic spinball. At first i wasnt going on it and decided to wait at the old playground for them but the que was massive and they hadn't moved a lot so i walked over to where they were and i remember my mates dad lifting me up and putting me into the que. If it weren't for him I probably wouldnt be in to rollercoasters and theme parks as I am now.
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Disneyland Dreamer
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First time I went was as a kid, no idea what I went on first. But I do remember my first visit under my own steam so to speak, a glorious summer day with Mrs DLD. We went on The Black Hole first and that kind of became a tradition that we kept up for many years until it sadly closed. Was very similar the The Beast I always thought......
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