Saturday, September 4th 2010


Corkscrew, Alton Towers, Uttoxeter, Staffordshire

Coasters
AirSonic Spinball | Nemesis | Rita: Queen of Speed | Beastie |
Corkscrew | Runaway Mine Train | Oblivion | Thirteen
Other Attractions
The Flume | Congo River Rapids | Hex | Submission | Enterprise | Duel | Ug Swinger | Ripsaw |
Blade | Charlie & The Chocolate Factory | Battle Galleons | Just for kids!

Before Ug Land was revamped to make room for Rita, Corkscrew ruled the roost in that area of the park. Due to the Vekoma track, it had an almost skeletal appearance which suited the theme superbly.

Nowadays it seems as Corkscrew is almost forgotten, despite it being Alton Towers' oldest operating roller coaster. The entrance is tucked away beyond Rita's entrance and there's no fanfare about the ride.

It is a cloned ride that some people have have been on before and it's renowned for it's apparent roughness.

On Sunday 9th November 2008, Corkscrew did it's final lap. The ride is being removed to make way for a "world's first ride" that will debut in 2010.


CoasterForce wave goodbye to Corkie on closing day.


Type: Corkscrew
Manufacturer: Vekoma
Opened: 1980
Height: 75 ft 
Speed: 40 mph 



Photos
Click on the caption to view full size!

 
 Around it goes Corkscrew inversions
  
 Pre-drop Turnaround

Videos
Point of View | Off-Ride
Note: Links will only be active if we have videos for this attraction.



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Force Factor

Average Member Rating Out of Ten


Actual Rating: 6.379

Members Who Have Been on and Rated Corkscrew: (29)
Ratings in Brackets


OfficialAltonTowers(10), nemesisamazing(10), dj-fireball999(10), Air_Dan(8), kitsune(8), AmandaPanda(8), 
Jools(8), The Grape Wizard(7), jacoaster(7), flamingolandlover12(7), ciallkennett(7), danthecoasterman(7), Kebab(6), 
memphis_O.W(6), alexdude98(6), Enicomb(6), A-Kid(6), Martyn H(6), slappy mcguire(6), coasterdolphin(6), 
Rush(5), nemesis_guy(5), DjTommyB(5), Patrick(5), 07barkerk(5), Inverse(5), Casio(5), 
Tony(3), Blaze(2), 


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coastercrazy11


Posts: 24
Location: thirsk
ive never been on this....id of loved to ride it but atleast i have the one in Flamingo Land to ride instead :D and the
future corkscrew at LWV! i wanted to ride this bad :(
JiMaNeYbOb


Posts: 0
Location: 
to be truthfully honest... i was never a fan of corkscrew... it never did it for me but it was a great ride considering
when it was built (a good 30 years ago!) and yeah its a ledgend and yeah alot of people had great memories on it but it
was its time to go! plus i never knew that the purple loops at the front were the corkscrews! i wandered what the hell
the were!
OfficialAltonTowers


Posts: 28
Location: WALES !!! Soon to be Crewe !!!
RIP Corky we will miss you, Alton has lost some of its atmosphere now corkys not there, every time i go now i want to
hear the whining of its lift hill and the screams of the poeple getting the airtime off the second drop, They shouldve
refurbed it and put it into the forbidden valley or X-Sector where blackhole used to be, insted they just put the iconic
double inverted helix as a Kind of monument on the way in to the park, 10/10, was a tad rough on the neck though.
nemesisamazing


Posts: 44
Location: Preston
I never got to ride it :-( they took it down the day before I got to go :-(
CoasterGalz


Posts: 6
Location: 
sad to see her go, had many good times on this
HarryT


Posts: 18
Location: 
I am sad to see this ride leave as I never got to go on it. I thought it was an amazingly well themed coaster, even
though it is so simple. The new coaster looks amazing, but this was classic. They now have put the corcscrews at the
entrance to the park. They are painted purple and look stunning!
paul hazlewood


Posts: 0
Location: 
wasnt my favorite ride,,,i was 5 when i first went to alton towers in 1985 and obviously wasnt tall enough at the
time,,,my first inverted coaster was the missile at the now condemed american adventure and thats when my fear turned to
love of coasters in 1994 i got my first go on corky, corky was my 3rd inverted coaster, nemesis my 2nd, corky had to go
but it will always be the face of alton towers, my only fear now is that nemesis will also go the way of the corky,
dismantled!!!
coasterC


Posts: 13
Location: Wiltshire, UK
I am so angry at my childhood fear of rides, because i never went on her before the demolition.......... waaaaah!!
Zamey


Posts: 1
Location: 
It was my first coaster & my favourite when i was like 8 :) My dad kept trying to force me on Nemesis when i just wanted
to go on Corky! Yeah, it did get a little rough, but how long it lasted for was bloody good, and it still had life in
it. I cried for 3 whole days when i knew it was going :( Lol, RIP Corky.
flamingolandlover12


Posts: 16
Location: Middlesbrough, England
was a bir tough! wobder what the world first is|????? :/
carrot2010


Posts: 1
Location: thurrock
thank god this has now gone, was getting way too rough. cant wait for thirteen!
coaster rider118


Posts: 0
Location: 
i loved corkscrew cant bilieve theyr gettin rid of it :(
ciallkennett


Posts: 3669
Location: Oooh! Who lives in MK and not in the sea...CI-ALL KENNETT!
Th13teen times are not for everyone...
MetaKnight2393


Posts: 1
Location: Battleship Halberd
This one was special to me as it was the first Inverting Coaster I ever went on. It was getting outdated and rough, but
I couldn't hate it simply for that- R.I.P. (Rust In Peace) Corkscrew!
bestever48202


Posts: 1
Location: England
It really hurts your head and its very rough but... R.I.P-Corkscrew
Blaze


Posts: 1325
Location: 
spawn of satan
coastercrazy11


Posts: 24
Location: thirsk
i really hope that the new ride will be as good as the other amazing rides at Alton Towers
macsftw906


Posts: 0
Location: 
rough sometimes but will be missed and it was an awesome ride for smaller children who wern't tall enough for the likes
of oblivion and nemesis
Blaze


Posts: 1325
Location: 
Worst coaster I have ever had the misfortune to ride. Worse than Rita. Says it all.
ciallkennett


Posts: 3669
Location: Oooh! Who lives in MK and not in the sea...CI-ALL KENNETT!
I loved it <3
Martyn H


Posts: 1138
Location: 
It was running brilliantly on its last day. I used to hate it, but now I kinda miss it. It was rough and the layout was
dull, but it was actually doing something for me on the last day. And because I was on the last public train, I feel
like giving it a higher score than before :)
morgar


Posts: 4
Location: 
An old classic, I know it's not an "Arrow Original" but it was a good ride in it's day - I'm glad I got to go for one
last ride in its last season of operation. Yes it was a rough old bugger but it was all part of the experience
alexdude98


Posts: 65
Location: Home sweet home!
Corkscrew was a rough coaster. But I do feel sad about going there this year without the Corkscrew being there. However,
I'm more happy then sad, because I'm looking forward to Secret Weapon 6!
tommylawrence


Posts: 26
Location: Ashton (aka chav land).
so bloody excited about sw6!!! Going to be a world first too :)! Rumors are that John Wardly has been seen around the
park, and the area where corkie used to be. I pray to GOD that it will have Johns ideas backing sw6!
coastercrazy11


Posts: 24
Location: thirsk
ie got the flamingo land corkscrew (aka, the better one)so i aint that sad to see it go cuz i didnt go on it wen iwent
cuz of large queues
sawfan1993


Posts: 0
Location: 
sad to have seen it go but it did kill my neck hell of a lot!
c-r1d4


Posts: 4
Location: Scotland
killed my neck
MUPPER06


Posts: 5
Location: 
im so sad to see it go
MetaKnight2393


Posts: 1
Location: Battleship Halberd
This was the first coaster with inversions I ever rode, so Corkscrew is really rather special to me-If I had the cash,
I'd have bought it off Alton Towers =P R.I.P (Rust in Peace) Corkscrew ='(
BloodCage


Posts: 1
Location: 
the fun things on coasters are slow loops and slow corkscrews even if it bangs your head, all you think about is if you
will make it around the loop or not
ashleyB2961


Posts: 1
Location: 
worlds first ride? i wonder wt that will B?
dj-fireball999


Posts: 271
Location: Cheltenham
I MISS IT ALREADY!!!!
coasterdolphin


Posts: 22
Location: 
First Rollercoaster ever- Very fun . bangs your head though and corkscrews are slower than they look
blaze123


Posts: 22
Location: 
You know a ride isnt any good when the best bit about it was the view, day or night it was amazing, the only thing I
will miss about this disaster, but shows how quickly things move on in the coaster world
Coaster-Fiend


Posts: 386
Location: Manchester, England
Great in it's day, but the truth is it was merely an average coaster for the last 10 years. I rated it 5. Roll on SW6!
ciallkennett


Posts: 3669
Location: Oooh! Who lives in MK and not in the sea...CI-ALL KENNETT!
Goodbye Corkie!!
looplover


Posts: 2
Location: 
I am honoured to see this ride last 28 years. I think Vekoma a fantastic.
slash1994


Posts: 2
Location: 
I gave it an 8 as it was one of the best in its day and it was my first coaster with inversions, which is important to
me.
coastermac


Posts: 98
Location: Ye olde York
I was on the last public paying ride, on the very last car!
blaze123


Posts: 98
Location: Ye olde York
also, any one else seen on the news what they found inside the circuit?10 pair of underwear and a prosthetic leg to name
just a few!
blaze123


Posts: 98
Location: Ye olde York
well i did ride it(for first time, twice)) and it was the most painfull ride I have ever been on save submission. the
first time was on the very front thanks to fastpass, which was very rough but not too bad apart from the corkscrews,
which were just as bad as i was expecting, and some bits that looked bad, like the exit to the pre-drop, and entry to
the last corner before the brakes were not actually rough and painfull. but the seccond time, i was in very back, which
was much worse, and every little piece of track brought with it a new way to hurt. pieces that were not painfull were
agonising, and the corkscrews were just plain wrong. i can see why it is time for this to go. the only good part of this
ride was the amazing view at the top, both in day and night, and its a shame its a view I will never see again.
blaze123


Posts: 98
Location: Ye olde York
shame i cantmake it on 9th. would have loved to have beeen on the last ever circuit.ahwell, I am going before the end of
season and I'll ride it then
coastermac


Posts: 98
Location: Ye olde York
All going to Alton on the 9th right? Just to have one last go, gonna try and get on the last ride.
joeraine


Posts: 39
Location: 
Damn it's going. I haven't been on it and I doubt i'll go there in time to go on it. Well from what I've heard there
isn't really that much of a point.
coasterchris93


Posts: 39
Location: 
Lol; i must admit i really like corkscrew and its pop of airtime :P But it needs to go.. We need a woodie with 10x the
airtime :)
popboy84


Posts: 18
Location: Leicestershire, UK.
its closing at the end of the 2008 season shame
Jewls1993


Posts: 18
Location: Leicestershire, UK.
Rest in peice my beautiful :'( 1) First inverting ride 2) Packs a punch still 3) Looks nice (apart from the centre
where the frams are) 4) Sounds good 5) I love seeing all of the kids come off thinking it was amazing then they want
to try bigger rides :) *sigh* Can't believe it is going :( BUT HEY! Sounds to me like something big is coming to
Alton in the next few years!
looplover


Posts: 2
Location: 
Rubbish and hear it closed down on 2/10/08. Also a rough coaster
coasterchris93


Posts: 2
Location: 
@blaze: its not going to be a B&M coaster; but I'm betting it will be a family sized woodie.
CoasterKing


Posts: 197
Location: Staffordshire
I will be sad to see this go. I know I ranted about it being rough etc but last week it really didn't seem that bad. It
might not have the airtime or speed of Alton's other coasters but it is a fun ride and it has served the park well for
over 20 years. Thanks Corkie.










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