As part of our visit as many Uni’s as possible to narrow down the choices, the eldest and I have just returned from an 8 day road trip. Part of it involved going to Alton Towers and it was the best day ever.

Weather man said rain (it didn’t), school kids were mostly locked away in their schools and the park visitors were nearly outnumbered by the staff. Alton has 9 “Thrill Rides” and our aim was to go on them all. At the start of the day littke did we know that this would mean going on all 9 at least twice with some 3 or 4 times before 1pm!

The upshot was that by 1.30pm both I and the teenager were dog tired and I was feeling utterly drained. Turns out the teen was the same but he was trying to put on a face until I told him how I felt. I can only surmise that the body can only cope with so much G Force and Adrenalin before it goes into an overlaod situation and starts to shut down. The remedy? 2litres of full fat Coke, a packet of crisps (chips to the Americans out there) and a small chocolate bar. As we left the park after recovering only one of the rides was starting to register a queue time to it.

Oh, and my recommendations for a good day out there is to ensure you include Air, Oblivion and for a hoot Spinball Whizz - and unless you’re into it, avoid the gardens.

Tags: alton towers, adrenalin, coke