The Alton Towers Dungeon is a trip through the horrors of the 1600s via a black underground river and a series of rooms deep under Alton Towers.
We were welcomed to the dungeons by a guard who put one of us in the stocks to be photographed (photo available afterwards free of charge).
With our group of fellow guests/prisoners we were taken before a decidedly fierce judge who spoke menacingly about the dire punishments awaiting the guilty. He left no doubt that no one would ever be declared innocent. Three people were hauled into the dock and found guilty as charged.
A boat trip down the Black River followed (children less than 1 metre must be accompanied by someone over 16) floating past various scenes of horrific torture - sounds grim but we enjoyed it.
We alighted into a dark dungeon to be greeted by a torturer who imprisoned selected guests in a cage and torturer’s chair. He took great delight in describing what he was going to do to them with his gruesome tools.
Not wanting to give away any detail, further gruesome or ghostly experiences awaited at the Welsh Harp Inn, the Plague Doctor’s Morgue and a haunted cottage.
The scenery and the acting were great throughout and the whole trip lasted about 45 minutes. It was worth paying in advance – it’s cheaper and avoids a long queue in customer services. You have to book a time-slot in advance.
The Dungeon is a great addition to the park.