There are a number of hidden secrets that are fun to discover when you visit Alton Towers Resort in Staffordshire. Please feel free to comment at the bottom of this post with any secrets of your own.
1 – Wicker Man Alphabet
Did you know that the Wicker Man has its own unique Alphabet?
The Wicker Man Code
The images below show what letters each of the Wicker Man symbols represent, use these to translate the cryptic messages that you will find scattered around the ride area.
If you require any help, below we list where you can find some of the hidden messages and what they translate to.
The large Wicker Symbols that you encounter in the queue line spell the word ‘Fire’ and the writing on the dustbins says ‘Wicker Man’.
There are lots of messages to discover scattered throughout the ride area. For example, the code on the side of the tunnel translates to ‘Feed The Flames’ a term used widely in the rides marketing.
Learn more about Wicker Man on the Alton Towers Official Website.
2 – Alton Towers Ride Clones
Many of you will be aware that Thorpe Park Resort (who are also owned by Merlin Entertainments) have a copy of Nemesis Reborn named Nemesis Inferno.
Colossos: Battle of the Giants
A lesser-known fact is that Merlin Entertainments also own two European theme parks, one in Italy named Gardaland and the 2nd in Germany named Heide Park.
At Heide Park, you will find a wooden roller coaster named Colossos and just like Wicker Man at Alton Towers, Colossos features a burning giant.
Visit the Heide Park Official Website to learn more about this park.
Gardaland in Italy, have a very similar ride to Oblivion, which is also named Oblivion. Vertical drop coasters similar to Oblivion can be found at theme parks across the world.
3 – The Chained Oak
If you have ever ridden Hex at Alton Towers Resort then you will be familiar with the legend of the Chained Oak.
A 700-Year-old English Oak Tree
The Chained Oak of Alton is a 700-year-old English oak tree which has been the subject of legend, superstition and folklore for centuries.
Hex is Based on a Real Chained Oak
It is a little-known fact that there is an actual Chained Oak tree which is located on a public footpath to the left of the Chained Oak B&B opposite the entrance to Alton Towers Resort.
What3 Words location: ///encroach.trinkets.winemaker
Whether the legend is true or not, the Oak tree located just outside Alton Towers Resort has been fastened with chains for many years.
Learn more about Hex on the Alton Towers Official Website.
4 – Haunted Hollow and The Curse at Alton Manor
Alton Towers covers a wide area with many footpaths, but our favourite is Haunted Hollow which leads from Central Lake to the Gloomy Wood section of the park.
Take your time as you stroll along the footpath to experience the many interactive elements including musical gravestones and haunted crypts.
The Curse at Alton Manor
Gloomy Wood is home to one of the latest additions to the Staffordshire Theme Park, The Curse at Alton Manor.
The story is that Alton Manor is for sale and you are attending the viewing. The number of Estate Agents signs found outside the property is a clear indication that they are having trouble selling the manor.
The Estate Agents signs pay reference to John Wardley and The Sparks Group who were the designers of the original Haunted House attraction.
There are also several references to 1992 which is the year that the original ride opened.
In the queue line for The Curse at Alton Manor there are a number of gravestones which pay homage to some of the Alton Towers lost attractions.
5 – Ride Secrets
Th13teen
Keep an eye out for the old lift hill motor from the Corkscrew which used to be located on the site of Th13teen. This can be spotted on the side of Th13teens track (discover more facts about the Corkscrew below).
Th13teen uses friction wheels (drive tyres) for its lift hill to help reduce noise from the roller coaster keeping residents in the neighbouring Alton village happy.
The ride features a clever switch track system which you can clearly see when sitting on the front row.
On the first Friday 13th after the ride was opened, it was completely rebranded to be called Fourteen. People who own any of the Fourteen merchandise from that day are in possession of some of the rarest and most expensive rollercoaster memorabilia on the planet.
Look for the plaques in the queue line which count up to 13.
Once inside the rides station building, listen closely to the young girl counting. When she gets to 13 you are in for a big surprise.
Oblivion
When queuing for Oblivion, keep an eye out for the black object. This is the old projector from the park’s closed Planetarium
Oblivion was marketed as the first roller coaster with a vertical drop, but it is a little-known fact that the steepest angle of the drop is only 87.5 degrees.
In August 2004, Suzanne and Stephen Roper won a case against the Alton Towers regarding high levels of noise. Oblivion was at the centre of this case, as the judge could hear screams from riders while standing in the Roper’s garden.
He suggested that the “don’t look down” message, played to riders as they were held above the drop, induced screaming. Alton Towers subsequently stopped playing the sound clip, though “Don’t Look Down” remains painted on the ground in front of the drop.
Scarefest is one of the park’s biggest annual events. In 2009, Scarefest was sponsored by the Twilight movie and as part of the marketing, Nemesis, Air and Oblivion had their soundtracks replaced with the motion picture soundtrack.
The Smiler
There are 14 video cameras on the entrance to the Smiler which are a nod to the rides 14 inversions.
When The Smiler was in development they knew they wanted to beat the record for the most inversions which at the time was held by Colossus at Thorpe Park with 10 inversions. They didn’t want to break the record by building it with only 11 inversions because there were leaks that a rollercoaster in China was planning to build 12 and by the time the Smiler opened it would only have held the title for a year. They also didn’t want 13 inversions as this is associated with both bad luck and the park already had a ride named and themed on Thirteen. Therefore they chose to not just break the record, but smash it with 14 inversions.
Look at the ceiling above the bag store and you will see paint rollers in reference to the fact that the ride opened late.
6 – Planning Laws
Planning at Alton Towers can be a very complex issue. The Resort is located in the Churnet Valley, an area of the Staffordshire Moorlands described as treasured; rich in history and natural beauty.
Alton Towers is also located in the Alton and Farley Conservation Area – an area of special architectural and historic interest.
These are not areas where you would normally expect to find one of the largest theme parks in Europe.
The height of the rides within the park is limited by a tree line rule meaning that rides should remain below the height of the adjacent trees. This helps keep local residents happy as they are unable to see tracks from the roller coasters.
Whilst there’s no doubt the myriad of planning rules and regulations cause headaches for the resort, we should remember they’ve also contributed to creating some of the world’s most unique attractions.
Meeting the planning restrictions helped produce Nemesis Reborn and its terrain-hugging layout.
John Wardley, who designed the much-loved rollercoaster said he aimed to be as creative as possible, and the rule made sure of that.
He said: “We were instructed to keep everything below the height of the existing tree levels to keep in with the surroundings”.
“We quickly realised that we couldn’t go up and we needed to be creative due to the planning restrictions, so we built down instead.”
“Nemesis” was named by a few individuals on the design team with John Wardley as a reference to just how difficult it was to get the ride built. Because of its unique nature at the time and the restrictive planning permission, many reiterations were made to the ride design to ensure it could be built.
The majority of the boulders you find strewn across the park came from the pit that was dug to accommodate Nemesis’s vertical loop.
Designers also had to be creative when constructing Oblivion with its drop taking riders underground, adding to the thrill level. Without the planning restrictions, these critically acclaimed attractions would look very different to the rides we know and love.
7 – Historic Buildings and Gardens
Alton Towers is one of the only theme parks in the world to feature a real historical castle at the centre of the park.
Talbot Hounds
At the entrance to Hex are 2 dogs who have been guarding the door for over 200 years. These dogs are based on The Talbot Hound, a breed of dog that is now extinct.
Talbot Hounds were a hunting dog that was common in England hundreds of years ago. The dogs are closely linked to the Earl of Shrewsbury whose family name was Talbot. Also above the entrance to Hex is the family’s coat of arms which also features the Talbot Hounds.
In 2024 Alton Towers Resort reintroduced tours of the Towers and Gardens. These tours have proved to be very popular with members of the public.
Step back in time and take an insightful and informative tour of Alton Towers with your personal guide. This experience consists of a 2-hour in-depth walking experience into the history of our fantabulous listed House and Gardens. access to some of the most sought-after exclusive locations, including an incredible rooftop panoramic view of the Theme Park, there is no better way to capture the magic.
Historical Buildings
A number of historical buildings are located within the grounds of Alton Towers Resort, these include:
- Banbury Hillfort (a scheduled ancient monument of national importance, located adjacent to the flag tower near David Walliams Land)
- Alton Towers Gardens/Park (registered Grade I historic parks and gardens, including the main valley gardens, Her Ladyships Gardens, ‘woodland walks’, Abbey Wood, Horseshow Wood, the valley, main lake and lawns)
- Alton Towers house and attached garden walls and gatehouse (Grade II* listed)
- Many more Grade II listed buildings including but not limited to the Flag Tower, Swiss Cottage and Stables/Courtyard buildings in Mutiny Bay
The Bear Cave
There is an old folk tale stating that in the 1850s a bear lived in the gardens of Alton Towers in a cave underneath Prospect Tower.
The bear was owned by the Earl of Shrewsbury and was there to entertain guests before the days of the big rollercoasters. It is rumoured that when the bear died he was stuffed and brought into the towers.
8 – The Corkscrew
The Rollercoaster track at the entrance of the park is part of the famous Corkscrew Rollercoaster that operated at Alton Towers from 1980 until 2008.
When this ride first opened in 1980, it was incredibly popular and put Alton Towers on the map. The park was overwhelmed with the number of guests who came to ride the corkscrew, leading to queues of over 6 hours.
Due to deterioration, the roller coaster reached its end of life and was replaced by Th13teen.
9 – Personalised Bricks with Cryptic Messages
Historically, members of the public could buy a brick with a personal message at Alton Towers Resort. These bricks can be found between the monorail station and the entrance to the park. If you look closely, you will find two bricks which portray a very strange message.
The first brick says ‘Be Here 25/5/25 Ride TakeOver DM’ and the message on the 2nd brick states ‘Be Here 25/5/25 GM15 Bring Cake’
So if you can spot these bricks next time you visit the park and if you have any idea what they mean please comment below.
10 – Cross Valley Roller Coaster
Plans were submitted by Alton Towers Resort in 2003 to build a large roller coaster crossing the valley between The Dark Forest and Forbidden Valley.
The proposed roller coaster was designed by John Wardley who is well known for designing a number of the park’s Secret Weapons including Nemesis (now known as Nemesis Reborn) and Air (now known as Galactica).
The plan was to construct the ride using wooden supports and steel tracks. The proposed layout featured two massive drops both over 200 feet. The design featured lift hills at either side of the valley raising the trains to the height of the tree line before plunging down into the valley below. As the video below demonstrates, the ride would race through the forest in a similar manner to The Ultimate at Lightwater Valley.
Sadly the ride was never built and the planning application was withdrawn. But, all hope is not lost, in 2012 Alton Towers released a long-term development plan for the park and a cross-valley ride was mentioned in this plan. Described as a roller coaster linking the Forbidden Valley and Dark Forest.
Newspaper Report on the Proposed Cross Valley Rollercoaster
A newspaper article written at the time when the ride was announced read as follows:
New Towers attraction ‘inappropriate’ say planners
Rollercoaster sparks conservation anger
A CONTROVERSIAL new ride at Alton Towers would have a ‘significant’ impact on a key conservation area at the popular tourist attraction, it was claimed.
The plans for a wooden roller-coaster at the theme park have been labelled as “totally inappropriate” by Staffordshire Moorlands District Council officer Steve Massey.
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Author: Dan
I am passionate about Theme Parks and Attractions. I love riding roller coasters and thrill rides. With two young boys I understand how expensive family days out can be and this was one of the main driving forces behind Attractions Near me. My aim is to help you and your friends enjoy some great days out without costing the earth. Thanks for reading and have a great time - Regards Dan
