It’s been four years in the making.
Alton Towers have released the first photographs of their new ride, the Wicker Man, and it is, erm, terrifying, to be completely honest.
It has all the key ingredients to any exciting rollercoaster: there’s fire, it’s wooden, it’s really high up and oh, did I mention there’s fire?
The Wicker Man will open this spring; a six-storey high behemoth that will consist of two trains, 12 passengers and over 2000 feet of timber track to hurtle across, complete with a gigantic wooden Nicolas Cage effigy towering over it.
Ok, it’s not Nicolas Cage. It’s just a weird, creepy ram thing.
The effect is pretty much the same though.
The ride has taken over four years to build and involved moving over 40,000 tonnes of soil in the construction process. It’s the first wooden rollercoaster to be built in the UK in over 20 years, with each inch hand-carved specifically for the project.
It will burst into fire a bit, yeah. At points there will be quite a lot of fire. But it’s fine. Honestly. It’s all part of the ride. You will not actually be set on fire.
Francis Jackson, Head of Operations at Alton Towers reiterated the sense of excitement surrounding the ride, explaining “we’ve spent four years creating an experience that is truly spectacular by investing in the latest technologies which combine wood, fire and special effects to give riders the genuine feeling that they will be racing though flames. We can’t wait for everyone to experience Wicker Man when the park opens this Spring.”
It’ll be peak rollercoaster season by then, so you’re best booking your tickets early on the Alton Towers website.
