Alton Towers, Theme park in Farley, GB

Alton Towers is a theme park and resort near Alton in Staffordshire, built around the grounds of a former stately home of the Earls of Shrewsbury. Its steel roller coaster Nemesis Reborn has a black track edged in red, a vertical loop and a twisting arc, and runs onto a wooden trestle section. The stone house behind the trees has a square tower with a pointed spire, round towers with domed roofs and battlemented square towers.

The gardens were laid out around 1814 by the eccentric 15th Earl of Shrewsbury, and the grounds later opened to the public after a railway station was built to bring excursion visitors. In 1924 a group of local estate agents formed Alton Towers Ltd to take over the estate and keep the gardens open. The site opened as a theme park on 4 April 1980 under John Broome, with a pay-one-price ticket and the Corkscrew coaster.

The park attracts many British families each year, who often stay for several days at one of the nearby hotels. School groups visit frequently at the end of the academic year, and teenagers celebrate graduations or birthdays here.

The park sits on hilly terrain, and some areas can be reached via stairs or ramps. Visitors with young children or limited mobility should allow extra time for longer walks.

Some of the roller coasters are built into the natural topography of the hills, weaving between trees and valleys. The layout uses the elevation changes and creates perspectives you would not find in flatter installations.