Tue Jun 09, 2020 10:17 am
Yesterday I was able to make a trip to Towers for a gardens visit. A lot has been covered already but I'll go through how I felt and my own personal experience with how things went.
When the park opened there was just me and 2 groups in front in the queue, the temperature check was very simple, easy and didn't pose any worry. The security guard would just ask you to step forward, point the device at your forehead to measure and tell you what you're reading, the temperature you'd have to be turned away is above 37.8 degrees whilst I measured 32 degrees (which I know have been informed maybe slightly faulty!) . Slight issue with the measuring device but that could be down to low battery or my hair covering my forehead which just required a few attempts at measuring. Next just a simple walk to turnstiles to show your e ticket and you're good to go. Overall a really good procedure and credit to the staff as they were always cheerful and welcoming, I had an issue with my ticket showing up and the staff member on the turnstile was more than happy to wait whilst I got the ticket up, I believe someone else was struggling with their tickets scanning whilst I was sorting mine out too which the staff member was happy to offer assistance (all from a 2 meter distance).
Another credit to Towers was how much you can walk, besides the gardens opening, you could walk the main pathway up to the towers and towards Wicker Man. So you could see The Smiler, Wicker Man, Oblivion (from a distance) which was all nice to and offered something different from the gardens. The Smiler's 2nd lift hill was testing early on in the day, with maintenance being present throughout the day, all something that you would never normally see on a day at the park. The Smiler eventually did test at the end of day but unfortunately I had left by that time.
The gardens themselves were lovely to explore, something that you'd often overlook at a day on park, it was very weird exploring them without the sound of Nemesis roaring or Wicker Man. Be prepared as they can be exhausting and take it out of you! Make sure to take a drink with you and take regular breaks as they are definitely needed. You can check on the Alton Towers app to see all of the landmarks and brief descriptions on each of them which again adds to the day and offers the potential visit to those that wouldn't normal visit.
Fod and drink offerings I would say could do with a rethink as the only kiosk open was a simple drinks/chocolate stand by Mutiny Bay, but I can understand why it may be like this with such a small staff offering for this event. If you are visiting, I would strongly recommend bringing a picnic/your own food before visiting. When you exit the park, you'll exit via the entrance turnstiles via the old VIP gate (gate nearest to the ticket booths) which wasn't a problem when I left as there was noone else entering at that time.
Overall it was a lovely day out and appreciate the park for opening for this time and offering something new. I think this will help the park and help the staff to see what works with social distancing in place and what could be done differently. I would say that you'll probably spend around 2/3 hours on park so aiming for opening isn't a big priority (bare in mind last entry to the park is 2pm). Again a big thank you to the staff as they've done very well with the entry procedure and anything else needed on the day.


I'm the boy with the bubbles