Alton Towers holds very special memories for us. As individuals John, Big J and I have all been separately with friends. As a couple John and I have visited for over 20 years now and John proposed to me during the fireworks. We got Merlin Passes when big J was young and every year we would visit the fireworks and start a Christmas tradition of visiting Santa at his Sleepover at the Alton Towers Hotel. When little J was born we continued with our Merlin Passes and he has now turned out to be the biggest thrill seeker of us all, loving rollercoasters. We visit the Alton Towers Resort at least 6 times a year so not being able to visit this year has been hard. When Alton Towers announced they were going to open the gardens I was eager to visit however I wasn't sure whether it would feel weird especially for the boys not being able to go on the rides. We decided to go anyway for a day out and we all really enjoyed it.
Obviously when you think of Alton Towers you think of a theme park but the gardens are actually quite a big part of the resort. I think we have maybe walked through them less than a handful of times and that was to get from one ride to another if the sky ride was closed, we have never stopped to actually appreciate how beautiful they are.
Here are a few tips and hints to make the most out of your day.
1. The gardens are open daily from 10-4pm and as the theme park is closed the gardens cost £12 per person or £1 if you are a pass holder. You have to book online and they will not accept walk ups.
2. Upon arrival by car you head towards the coach parking / disabled parking area. Someone will be there to show you where to park. When we got there, there where only about 20 cars.
3. Heading towards the main entrance you will see a pop up tent. Here they will take your temperature and check your bag. All staff had masks on.
4. If you are familiar with Alton Towers then the toilets to the right of the entrance are open as are the ones in Mutiny Bay.
5. Once inside you can choose to head straight to the gardens via the 3 entrances or you can head up towards X Sector and the Towers for a stroll. It was so quiet but it was actually lovely to walk around taking nice photographs of the boys next to their favourite rides, Spinball Whizzer and Smiler.
6. You cannot go inside the Towers at this time but you can walk along the front.
7. Once inside the gardens you can choose from 3 routes. There is a map available to download online which will show you a suggested route, an alternative route and an accessible route.
8. Some of the pathways are uneven and some paths have steep steps to get up and down so always check your map for an alternative way if these paths and steps are unsuitable for you.
9. There are 13 points of interest in the gardens including Conservatories, fountains, a swiss cottage and even Stonehenge.
10. You are more than welcome to bring a picnic to enjoy in the gardens and their are plenty of bins around to dispose your litter.
11. There is a snack shop open just by Mutiny Bay selling hot and cold drinks, ice creams and snacks.
12. In the Mutiny Bay Courtyard there are approx 12-15 picnic benches under cover which is a nice place to enjoy a snack if it is too hot or raining. Just watch out for the hungry birds and ducks!
13. Enjoy
We are actually really happy we went. It was lovely exploring the grounds and not rushing from one place to another.
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Michelle
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