The gorge, by air or land

At 800 acres, the Park at Alton Towers covers quite a lot of ground, most of it gently hilly. Moving around the different areas of the Park can include a lot of walking around, but there are some easier options, one of which is the cable car.

Although it doesn't run to all areas of the Park, the Sky Ride (as it is known) gives easy access between the main entrance and some of the big rides and is an enjoyable trip over the gorge.

An alternative, is to walk through the gardens. Though not as extensive as they once were, there is still an area which is attractive.



My earliest memory of Alton Towers was as a teen when Derby Round Table organised a 12 mile sposored walk around this area. Bus loads of us came out here to complete the walk. The 'rides' consisted of the cable car and a Merry go Round and the treat at the end of the day was to pile onto the boating lake and have great fun soaking each other with inter-boat water fights.

In those days, the gardens used to attract bus loads of visitors, whereas now they are definitely a sideshow, but it's nce to see that some things haven't disappeared.