At the end of the 2008 season the Corkscrew, an iconic Alton Towers ride would close for the final time. To celebrate its life and times, the park decided to give her one final spin on Sunday 9th November, a week after the main season ended.
Key Information
Dates: 9th November
Opening Times: 10am – 4pm (Corkscrew closed at 3.30pm to general public)
Prices
Adult – £20.00
Child – £20.00
Senior – £10.00
Attractions
Corkscrew
Rita – Queen Of Speed
Spinball Whizzer
Squirrel Nutty Ride
Enterprise
Oblivion
Submission
Heave Ho!
Marauder’s Mayhem
Runaway Mine Train
Duel – The Haunted House Strikes Back
Air
The Blade
Nemesis
Monorail
Opening in 1980, the Corkscrew operated at Alton Towers for 28 years making it one of the oldest rides in the park when it closed, along with the Bouncing Bugs, which was also closed at the end of the 2008 season.
It was the opening of the Corkscrew that started the craze for amusement parks in the 1980s which saw the likes of Drayton Manor, Chessington World of Adventures and Thorpe Park appear on the map. Thus in many ways this humble ride played a key role in the development of the theme park map we know today, without which we might never have seen the likes of Nemesis, Rita or SW6 (TH13TEEN), the exciting new project which was set to replace the Corkscrew for the 2010 season.
Whilst it was sure to leave a hole in the theme park experience it was widely agreed that the time was probably right for a change and with the ride starting to really show its age both in looks and ride-ability.
As with many of the coasters of the 80s, Alton Towers version was by no means the last of the Corkscrews, with one still being found not a million miles away in Flamingo Land, until it was relocated to Lunapark for 2012.
On 9th November the Corkscrew would be joined by a host of other rides to celebrate the final fling of this granddaddy of the theme park world. So guests were invited to join Alton Towers, TowersTimes and indeed the Corkscrew for one final twist of the ‘Screw!