TRAVEL test STUART BRENNAN
AT ALTON TOWERS
WHAT: ALTON TOWERS SCAREFEST, the Halloween celebration which adds terrifying live action mazes to the more conventional frights and thrills of the theme park.
Theme park entry and a three-maze combination starts at £60 for adult mazes, but there are also two for children 10 and over, and the hauntingly beautiful ‘Whispering Souls’ lights walk after dark (altontowers.com).
WHERE: Two of the scare mazes – The Attic, inset, and Altonville Mine Tours – are within the spooky old stately home, while clown feast Freak Show: Toxic Junkyard is an outdoor maze best enjoyed at night.
The Staffordshire park is between the M6 and M1, while the nearest train stations are Stoke-on-trent, Uttoxeter and Derby, with bus connections.
EXPERIENCE: The adult scare mazes offer three different experiences – the Attic is a tootle through dark, winding corridors in the old Alton Towers mansion, haunted by a mad governess and her child victims – an intense assault on the senses.
Altonville Mine Tours uses the darkness of the passages under the hall to recreate a Wild West mine, plagued by zombies and littered with mangled corpses.
For kids 10 and over, Darkest Depths is a ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ style walk-through, while the Alton Towers Dungeon gives a peek into the gory and ghoul-filled history of Alton.
QUIBBLES: With the monorail shut due to Covid, getting around is a hike. And expect an hour’s wait for the restaurant at weekends.
VERDICT: In fearful times, some good old-fashioned horror is a welcome relief – the scare mazes are great fun, especially with a spouse who scares easily!