Be Excellent To Each Other

Ello.

Inspired by such good ideas as the Nottingham Meet thread and the Beardy Beer Club, I was wondering:

anyone fancy meeting up at Alton Towers?

1) It's big, so space isn't an issue.
2) It's fairly central. Unless you live y'know, in Portugal or somewhere, but LOL who would ever do that LOL*
3) There's loads of stuff to do. If you want to go on rides and that, you can. If you just want to enjoy the pretty gardens, perhaps from a cable car, you can. There are also arcades there, with a somewhat decent selection of games, I believe.
4) There are places to get food and drink all over the place.
5) If you fancy going to meet folks but don't want to run the risk of having that twat CUS stinking up the place (for pure example, please no reactionary retorts, ta), then hoorah! There's a whole park for you to not see him in!
6) There are various 'Buy one ticket, get a second for half-price' or BOGOF deals and tickets and whatnot around this time of year for the place. Walkers Crisps boxes, for example. And even without them, it's really not that expensive.

Obviously at this time of year it would be a bit mad there. So - how about August or September or even October?

*

Alton Towers isn't actually in Alton. Chinnytrufax!

But as previously discussed, I no longer meet people off of the internet because you are all wierdos who dress up like Doctor Who and name your children Sarah-Jane and Adric.

All of you, every last one.....

Well except Dimrill, but he cuts out peoples livers and eats them raw.

I'd be up for that. Have a BOGOF ticket courtesy of Tesco. Post Sept 1st would be best, avoid the huge crowds.

Alton Towers is reet fabulous.

Bagsy not being between CUS's legs on any ride.

Yup, I'd also be up for that. Been meaning to go to Alton Towers for a long time now, but being single I have no-one to go with *sniff*

Fun story - the last time I went to alton towers a couple of years ago, it was late in the season. Massive fucking dissapointment, half of the rides were closed (the water ones, for example, had all been drained), very few of the amenities were open, and added to that the couple of rides I did go on gave me massive, massive headaches that I eventually went to A&E for and was diagnosed with mild non life-threatening subdermal haemotoma. Headaches lasted for days. I was well pissed off.

Consequently I can't go on rollercoasters or similar ever again, too risky.

It would be something I may be interested in.

Is that the source of your rage?

The sources of my rage are too numerous to describe.

The only plus of the whole late-season experience is that the queues were virtually non-existant, which was fun in a headache-inducing sort of way.

This sounds like a good idea, I've only been a few times (3, I think) and the last one was probably about 5 years ago.
Definitely a good idea to go on a weekday and not during the summer holidays if that's something we could all manage (queuing for 2hrs for a ride isn't fun), but I've only been June/July/August so I don't know what it would be like in September.

Massive waste of time and money for me as I don't go on rides so count me out.

I am in accord with this particular sentence AKA

A spluttering, coffee-dribbling LOL from me there, sir. In real life too.


Isn't it though? Although sadly, I'm told the Black Hole is no longer there. Which sucks, as it was one of my faves. But it does have some excellent newer rides like the 'Spinball Whizzer' which is a) exciting and b) is entirely rideable by Well Built Gentlemen such as myself.

A thought - obviously, one and all would be welcome (even if e.g. CUS took a dislike to e.g. Craster, it's not CUS' house). A lovely big park where it's perfectly fine to wander about with 'your mates', if that's what you fancy, or to hang around as some kind of rather sinister mob, 30 people all queuing up for rides together, or something.

But, I was wondering - assuming that this is a Go - would anyone like to privately, secretly organize (with me or not) some kind of massive, everyone-involved scavenger hunt / clue-following mystery? I'm going to ATowers quite soon with family, y'see, so I'm planning to look for things we could use as some kind of 'game'. Can you say 'ARG'?


There are arcades, beautiful parks, and things which could be considered 'rides' but which are not. Such as a rather excellent ghost ship, that any man capable of climbing the stairs of his house could easily pass through without difficulty.

Also, there are some fun 'rides' which are not - specifically, I'm thinking of the ZOMBIE SHOOT-EM-UP WITH GUNS. This requires you to sit down, hold a gun, and then be gently propelled forwards. Any man capable of sitting on a bus for 5 minutes, can do this.



edit: oh, and booze is sold there. If you just fancy having a nice sit, drink and chat, and a play on the arcades.

I would love this, but babyage on the horizon prevents me.

Dimrill & Myoptika are chicken shit when it comes to rides then.

Bk, Bk, Bk, Bacaaarrrw!!!

It a fair trek from me and I also suffer from babydom, but I might be interested if it's late in the year.

Put it on a ride. Like in that film.

Me and Alton Towers don't get on, if you're all nice I *MIGHT* explain why when I get back.

Anyway, if it helps I have 6 of the BOGOF tickets and can collect people from the train station/put people up for the night if that helps.

Darryl never heard back about the job before anybody asks.

I'll play! My mates and I go every year anyway. So I'll just pretend to be meeting you guys, when in fact, I'll be having more fun with my REAL friends.

Jonarob will be there with his mum.

Aw.



You're ace.



Aw.

Spinball Whizzer = ARGH

Sorry to hear that GJasmine Thank-you for your offers of generosity too, excellent

Spinball Whizzer = WAHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEY! (imo)

Also, looking at the map, have the swans been replaced by PIRATES?

One year my friends and I decided to go with the BOGOF tickets (we were poor students at the time), and when we got there went up to people who were paying full price and asked if we could get in free, since they were paying anyway.

We fully expected people to decry how cheeky that was, and ask us for some cash (we would ahve happily paid anyone helping us in this fashion at least a fiver).

Every single person we asked just said, "Sure". So we all got in free.

Wee! I went to Alton Towers for a forum meet a couple of years ago, and it was aces.

We ran out of time to go on lots of the rides though, so a Scavenger Hunt may be pushing it CUS. Never underestimate the slowness of people in groups.

I may be able to make an early-mid September jaunt.

That's genius, I would have perhaps used the BOGOF but expected us to split the cost of the tickets. Bravo!

I'm not scared of rides as such, but I'm not a big fan of heights. Also they make me feel a bit sick.

That's fair enough. I'm (variously) afraid of heights too. Even playing Crackdown was a bit iffy at times.

There honestly are - or were - a good many things there which don't require being locked into a cage (or such) and then spun around in the air (or such). Including rides too, such as the the Rapids, the Zombie Shooter Thingy, the Ghost Ship - and various others. Then there's also the like of the Log Flume, which mostly just trundles along getting you a bit damp, before a really-not-very-high-at-all drop at the end. And the Pirate Ship, where you just are 'lifted' into the air, and where you can sit closer to the middle, for just a light thrill, whilst those at the ends scream and shout and almost fall out. But fair play if that would be too much, a phobia is a phobia. You would of course be entirely welcome to come and just enjoy a nice day out with lots of forumites, having some beers, getting something to eat (not cheaply, but then you might even get inside for free), playing on some arcade games... just a bit of a nice day out.

So long as I have someone to travel from London with, I'm in. It's far too fucking far/expensive on your own.

As long as the person I'm stuck in a car with for three hours isn't Dudley.

I agree with CUS.

*washes out mouth*

Quoted, printed, framed

This is an excellent place for a meetup. Dunno if I'd be available, but I'd certainly be up for it if I am.

MR SOBBING IN THE CORNER FACE

I don't really do "rides" either, but I might be up for this if someone can arrange some travel with me. No car, y'see, and if I have to take a train that goes further than a few stops I'll end up in Cardiff.

Bk, Bk, Bk, Bacaaarrrw!!!

Has anyone in this family ever even seen a chicken?

I'll be able to offer a lift to one lucky individual [who happens to live in between Shrewsbury and Alton Towers], unless I have a different car by the time this happens in which case there might be more places available.

Chok-a-chok-a-chok-a-chok!! Chok-a-chok-a-chok-a-chok!!

Good, glad someone got that.

No, but plenty of cocks.

If enough people turn up for this then I'll come, as I'm just down the road. Although I'll be mightily upset to see people pull out of the Nottingham meet for this. *concerned face*

So Alton Towers meet, August 9th, right?

*kills self*

I think, due to pricing, people going off on holiday, queues etc. that this will probably take place in late August or September...

Yes. The quieter it is, the more BETEO people there are per civilian, then we have a greater chance of taking it over by force* and never having to leave.


*substitute for real-world skills

Might be best to not have it within a month of the other Midlands meet, if I'm quite honest. Obviously up to you, but would be better to space it out.

I dunno - I thought the Nottingham meet was for people in Nottingham or those who are mates with those in Nottingham.

How about late September? That's almost two months from August 9th, give or take a week or so... the problem is that the longer it's left, the crappier the weather gets, making it worse to be outside.