Lauren Tabbron shares her favourite things to do in Manchester
Jess Astbury regales tales of festivities in warmer climates.
If you live anywhere outside of the capital, you often get the best value for money outside of London. Nowhere is this more true than the UK's premier Theme Park and 9th most visited theme park in Europe, Alton Towers. Owned by the Merlin Entertainment Group (who also own Thorpe Park, Chessington World of Adventures and Legoland), it is set in the grounds of an old 18th Century House amongst the Derbyshire countryside.
If you're a thrill-junkie, Alton Towers is a must visit. A recent poll of roller-coaster enthusiasts placed Alton Tower's Nemesis as the 7th best roller-coaster in the world. And it's not only that, Alton Towers has the world's first vertical drop coaster in Oblivion, Air; the world's first flying coaster, Th13teen the world's first vertical free-fall drop coaster and Rita, which launches riders from 0 to 60 in just 2.2 seconds. Beyond that, Alton Towers offers souped-up versions of traditional carnival rides, to twist, spin and turn you in anyway possible!
Even if you're not that keen on roller-coasters, Alton Towers has plenty for you to do. The Charlie and the Chocolate Factory ride is beautifully themed, and could easily fit in any of the Disney Parks across the world. The ending of the ride in the Great Glass Elevator is not only a technological marvel but also great fun. Two other headline rides, “Hex” and “Duel” place an interesting twist on the traditional “ghost train” ride and are among a wide collection of rides aimed at those not so keen on big thrills. I also highly recommend The Unofficial Guide to Britain's Best Days Out if you want to beat the queues. By following their itinerary in touring the park, you can avoid hours of waiting in line. Particularly during Summer, queues can reach up to three hours, so by following their advice (arrive early, do the big attractions first), you can get the busy rides done early, and enjoy some of the less well-known attractions during the midday sun.
However, it is well known that days out at Alton Towers and other UK Theme Parks are not cheap. So how can students get the best deal? Well, this year has seen as massive expansion of Merlin Entertainment Group's 2 for 1 offers. Whether you're picking up your groceries in Tesco, filling up your car or eating some cereal you're given a 2 for 1 voucher. I've picked up 15 of these in the last month alone. Buying a box of Coco Pops is worth it for the savings you can make with these vouchers. Suddenly, the price of these attractions drops massively and a day out becomes £20 per person instead of £40 per person. As CEO of Merlin Entertainment Group points out, you couldn't get into a Premiership football match for that, and you only get 90 minutes of entertainment there!
Also, if you are interested in attending other Merlin owned attractions: the Theme Parks listed at the start of the article, any of the SeaLife attractions, the London Eye, Madame Toussards, the Dugeons attractions or The Blackpool Tower, the Merlin Annual Pass can work out at great value. Bought online, an individual standard annual pass goes for just £124.80, the cost of approximately 6 visits. Add on top of that the reductions received in the attractions on food and merchandise, if you are interested in frequently visitng these attractions, you should seriously consider the Annual Pass. Alternatively,you can obtain a standard Merlin Annual Pass with just £50 of Tesco clubcard vouchers.
If you do go to Alton Towers, do visit the gardens. They're absolutely lovely, and certainly nothing like the rest of the park. Worth a half-hour's walk around at least!
It's a great day out overall - thoroughly recommend it. (We managed to get lost in the gardens though!)
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