Thrill-seeker…

You’re lucky I’m writing this post because I’m knackered following an eventful weekend at Alton Towers.  I had to get up at 07.30 on Saturday morning (painfully early for me as all regular readers will be aware) because although we didn’t aim to set off until 09.00, it takes me at least an hour and a half to make myself look fabulous being the woman that I am. Anyway, even that didn’t allow enough time so we ended up leaving 20 minutes later than planned. It didn’t matter though as there was no traffic (apart from one stretch of road but Gav looked at the map and worked out a slightly different route to by-pass the stationary vehicles).

We arrived at the Splash Landings Hotel (there are two places to stay on the resort) just before 11.30 so after checking in and ditching our bags, the rides were calling us. A monorail takes guests directly to the park entrance, which was a relief for my brother and carer who were pushing me. They needed to save their energy for the steep hills and running away from wasps. Upon entry, I had to pick up a ‘special access’ wristband from guest services. This is one of the only real perks a disabled person gets: the ability to skip the insane queues at a theme park. 5 minutes was the longest we had to wait and that was only for other wheelchair users.

Saturday wasn’t my first visit to Alton Towers. I went back when I was 11 and managed to go on Oblivion (arguably the scariest) but freaked out about the other rides, particularly Rita: Queen of Speed. Basically, there was a small lift (I could still walk but was using the chair as well) up to the ride platform. After stopping the queue and my brother pushing me near to climb in, I can’t remember exactly but apparently I started crying. I’m always reminded about that embarrassing moment and I was determined that I would be a brave boy this time.

Some of my readers don’t like this but I’m going to leave you all in suspense (as if you are on a rollercoaster). That way, I’ve got a subject to blog about tomorrow.

Bye for now!