Travel back in
time to the land where fun began and take part in the Thunder Rock
Rally down in Ug Land.
And indeed
this is
area of the park that started Alton Towers transformation
into the theme park we see today back when the Corkscrew
was added way back in 1980. Back then the area was known
as the Talbot Centre and beside the coaster there were
few attractions, mainly aimed at children.
The area
quickly became one of the 'thrill' areas of the park with
the addition of several flat rides some of which can
still be found in the park today, such as the Enterprise
or Twirling Toadstool (known then as the Wave Swinger).
During this period from 1984
the area was known as Festival Park, and it remained one
of the more fast paced areas of the park until in 1999
when it was re-themed into Ug Land.
The
central attraction of Ug Land was the suitably aged
Corkscrew, the lumbering beast that had been at the park
from the very beginning. The coaster was surrounded by a
good selection of other stone age attractions such as
Dino Dancer, Ug Swinger and Ug Bugs, alongside the area's
only entirely new attraction, the pay per play
Soakasaurus.
For
any cavefolk wanting to take a little time out from the boneshaking fun, they could get a great range of
food from the kiosks at Bronto Bites and Swee-T-Rex shop,
or win a prize on one of Ug Land's many sideshows,
including classics such as the Dino Derby, Ug Mobiles or
the Rock Shot with its insanely catchy theme tune. And of
course Ug Land would not have been complete without the
unique entertainment of the Ug Family with their Ug Fire
Brigade, who could often be found performing amongst the
jumping fountains which surrounded the tree house at the
centre of the area.
Like a
fossil, Ug Land only changed a little over its early
years, with the arrival of the Boneshaker in replacement
of the Dino Dancer, Sweet-T-Rex changing from a shop into
a kiosk and the Ug Family show making way for a Shooting
Gallery. However overall the area's caveman charms
remained in its full glory until late 2004.
2005-2009 - Ug Land and the Thunder Rock Ralley
In
September of 2004 almost everything was removed from the
area preparing it to receive a major new ride and a
revamp to the theme. And so in April 2005 Ug Land
featuring the Thunder Rock Rally opened dominated by Rita - Queen Of Speed, an Intamin Rocket coaster that launches you from 0 to 100kph in 2.5 seconds!
And of course no rally would be complete without a
suitably racy soundtrack, provided to Ug Land by Thunder
Rock Radio, blasting out well known hits across the area
through loud halers.
The
arrival of Rita saw the departure many of Ug Land's
original features, such as the area's tree house with
jumping fountains along with Boneshaker (which had
actually closed in 2003). Several other attractions were
moved to accommodate the new ride, including most the
area's theming, the Ug Swinger, Cave Games and the Ug
Mobiles which lost most of it's unique theming when it
returned as the Rita Racers in 2006. Two of Ug Land's
attractions even moved to new areas of the park with the
Ug Bugs moving to Cred Street and the Lava Lump going to
Forbidden Valley.
Much like the dinosaurs, with colossal
rearrangement that was caused by the arrival of the high speed
meteorite that is Rita, Ug Land's days were numbered. And so it
only came a moderate surprise when at the end of the 2008 season
the
ride that originally put Alton Towers on the theme park map, the
legendry Corkscrew rollercoaster closed. After 28 years of service
the ride left the park leaving a gaping hole that will be filled
in 2010 by the park's next big project, code named Secret Weapon
Six.
The 2009 season opened with Ug Land
looking like a shadow of its former self. The Ug Swinger had
moved to the new Cloud Cuckoo Land, leaving Rita and the
Soakasaurus as the only attractions still operating in area after
the closure of the Corkscrew. That said, 2009 did see some
interesting developments for Ug Land, with a new Pie and Mash
kiosk coming to Bronto Bites and also SW6 being constructed
throughout the season, creating something of an attraction in
itself.
Judging by the
plans released for the new ride, the area is likely to become a
gothic wonderland for 2010, more in keeping with Hex then the
current ancient theme.
