Surprised that there isn't already a topic for this! (Unless it somehow didn't get spotted).

There's no doubt that The Towers Ruins, Gardens and Estate is incredibly important to Alton Towers, but it is often overlooked by many guests and sometimes even the community. The Estate may be beyond it's prime but there's still many stories and interesting little bits to explore. And with the recent application for the restoration of the Banqueting Hall's signature window, what better time to start the discussion.




There's so much to see and it's more than certainly worth your time when you're at the Resort! Happy discussing.

I really like the Towers and the Gardens. They are historic and without them, the theme park would have never been built!
The Gardens are a great place to relax during a busy day, too.

Believe the bit you're on about is the Ice House? Haven't been in there yet- first time there was some weird smoke coming out from it so we'd thought we'd leave whoever was there to their own buisness; went a few weeks back to see it boarded up!

My Favourite bit? Probably the little bank in front of the Conservatory. The view across the valley with the millions of colours is breathtaking.


Walking through it is pure joy too.


And it's even more gorgeous in Autumn.

King Ina's Rock

"The Golden Gates lead from the gardens into the Rock Walk, which winds on the face of the cliffs for more than a mile, through the plantations to a huge projecting rock, called Ina's Rock, in memory of the Saxon King, who held his parliament under it after his victory, mentioned in the earlier portion of the guide."
Excerpt from an Alton Towers Guidebook, circa 1930

King Ina's Rock is one of the more obscure Heritage sites around Alton Towers.The story goes that King Ina sheltered under the rock and held councils there during The Battle of Slain Hollow, and is where the area gets it's name. Although it hasn't been referenced on any park map since 1988 and is indeed no longer part of the Estate, the rock is far easier to find than you'd expect, and offers beautiful views across the rolling hills.

If you're planning on heading down to see the rock, it's worth noting that as it follows dirt tracks, steep hills and the route takes you through tight nettle beds, it's not something you'd be comfortably able to get a wheelchair or buggy user through. I would also recommend wearing a jacket and long trousers to protect yourself from any stingy bits. There's likely a more direct route that probably avoids these though!



You'll need to start by using a cheeky little public footpath that runs through the car parks of Alton Towers- more specifically, the path right on the edge of the Enchanted Village. Head down here and take a right.


Follow this path as close to the Resort as possible, before you are roughly behind the Treehouses. On the left there'll be a gate- pass through, head down the hill, and carry on right.


After you've dodged several nettles and fallen trees, you'll find yourself here- just don't mistake this for King Ina's Rock, as beautiful as it is, although it is worth climbing up.


Continuing on the path for another few minutes with even more obstructions for good measure, and you'll arrive at the rock itself. It's quite a sight!






One of the more fascinating bits of the rock is where it seems a carving of a face was once started- presumably of King Ina himself- however this could just be pareidolia!


If you've ever got a spare bit of time whilst at the Resort it's well worth your time to go see the rock. Whilst it may sound boring, it's a lovely area to visit.

Thanks Tom! We had a spare hour before dinner a few weeks back so we went to go see it. Next stop is the old Station, although we didn't get that far as we didn't want to get run over