When it opened in 1994, Alton Towers’ Nemesis cost £10m, and was crowned Europe’s first inverted rollercoaster. And this weekend, I took one last white-knuckle ride on the coaster before it closed, 28 years later.
But worry not, this isn’t the end of Nemesis - the iconic ride is simply beginning a fascinating transformation and retracking, before reopening again in 2024.
On Sunday, November 6, thousands of thrillseekers flocked to the resort for one last chance to brave the Nemesis rollercoaster. Among them were 28 lucky competition winners who would take the final ride with the coaster’s creator John Wardley, including superfan Ben and his fiancee - who he proposed to on the ride back in March.
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We caught a skyride over the gardens before heading to the Forbidden Valley to ride Nemesis for the final time. I decided to beat the queues and take a relatively early ride at 2pm, where we fast-tracked the queue for a shorter wait time of around 10 minutes.
Some rides were seeing hour-long queues without fast-tracks - with Galactaca’s reaching 200 minutes at one point on Sunday. I always recommend buying a fast-track ticket in order to make the most of the park and avoid queue fatigue, particularly on busy days like weekends, or when a legendary rollercoaster closes. RIP Ripsaw and Black Hole.
I’ve dangled my legs from the roller coaster countless times over the past 15 years or so, but something felt really special about this final visit to Nemesis as I took in every detail walking up the ramps towards the tentacled building.
For those unfamiliar with the legend of Nemesis, Nemesis is the name of a creature who comes from another dimension, who lived deep beneath the ground at Alton Towers Resort for a time. After being disturbed by workmen during routine maintenance, the monster that lay dormant was unleashed, wreaking havoc on the surrounding area.
Secret agents at The Phalanx immediately launched their extreme security division to pin down the creature and disable It. It took 250 tonnes of steel, bent and twisted around the monster, and 200 men to hold it down.
The steel that imprisons the creature was then transformed into the tangled rollercoaster we all know and love today.
I clambered into row five and pulled down my safety harness, clipping it in before a final safety check was completed by Phalanx members in red boiler suits. The platform below us sunk leaving my legs dangling beneath me, which was when the nerves kicked in as I gripped the metal handles tighter.
Within seconds we were off, racing around twists and turns at speeds of up to 50mph. On the way around, thrillseekers experience 3.5 G-force as they race past the rocks and rivers of the theme park’s Forbidden Valley, with four inversions for an utterly exhilarating experience. The ride’s terrifying twists, corkscrews and loops mark it out as one of the world’s best rollercoasters, which is why it’s consistently attracted people from across the globe to the Staffordshire theme park.
The ride offers one minute and 20 seconds of pure adrenaline. Unlike most other rollercoasters with a 32m drop, Nemesis remains close to the ground, diving into an underground tunnel where your feet are inches away from the ‘river of blood’ below.
It’s one of those rollercoasters where you want to get straight back on it after it’s ended.
As we exited the ride to go and get a copy of our photograph, we spotted ride designer John Wardley having photos with fans near to the entrance of the rollercoaster. The creator previously said: “The layout of Nemesis broke the rules. What we’re doing in twisted steel is what a scriptwriter does with words.”
We went on to explore the rest of the park, before heading over to the lawn for the Resort’s spectacular fireworks display, which marks the last day of the season.
After the phenomenal light display, spotlights searched the darkened skies of the front lawn to create the illusion of a helicopter landing. Nemesis was closed by order of the Phalanx - the secret organisation tasked with keeping the beast pinned beneath its steel structure under control - over fears about her “abnormal behaviour”.
A Phalanx spokesperson, appearing on a giant screen, announced that its “most experienced team” was in charge of the operation and urged park-goers to say their final goodbyes to the famous ride.
Back at the ride, mysterious figures in hazmat suits were seen marching in formation towards Nemesis, with some collecting samples and covering parts of the site in biohazard tape, and white chemical investigation tents were hastily erected around the ride’s entrance.
Once the queue had emptied, the very last of group riders - known to the Phalanx as the ‘final test specimens’ - took their seats on the ride, to claim their money-can’t-buy experience which they won through The Resort’s own competition, which received more than 15,000 entries from fans wanting to be part of the action.
Dressed in boiler suits, they were escorted by the hazmat-clad team as they walked through the site and also received a guard of honour as they took their seats, along with John Wardley.
It’s one of the most heart-pounding and exciting experiences, which is why die-hard superfan Ben rides it around 700 times a year.
One of the lucky last riders, Ben Clarke from Sheffield said: “Nemesis is an incredible rollercoaster and I’m so happy I got to ride it one final time before it's given a revamp.”
The superfan even proposed to his fiancee on the ride in March 2022. It holds such a special place in their hearts, they’ve even got matching Nemesis tattoos.
He added: “It truly means the world to be part of history on our favourite coaster. The theming, the near misses and intensity all add up to it being the world’s greatest coaster. I will miss Nemesis more than anything.
“Especially my favourite seat - row 8 back right - that seat really is something else. I honestly don’t know what we’re going to do next year without it. Few rides provide so many thrills. I can’t wait for it to return.”
Nemesis devotees have keenly followed developments since news of the closure last month. But for now, and until the Phalanx have completed their investigations, Nemesis will stay closed and details of its transformation remain tightly under wraps.
Kate McBirnie, Head of Guest Excellence at the Alton Towers Resort, said: “It was wonderful so many people came for Nemesis’s big send off. The legendary rollercoaster has been thrilling fans and visitors since 1994 so it’s understandable so many wanted to take one final ride before it undergoes its exciting revamp.
“We can’t reveal too much at the moment but more details will be revealed ahead of its spectacular return in 2024."
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