Alton Towers Almanac

A fairground ride that will probably do nothing more than entertain the kids for a few minutes

Why, where, when?

Even though this Wave Swinger was installed in 1984, there has been a fairground version of the ride here as long as we can remember. The ride is manufactured by Zierer, and began its life decorated as a traditional fairground ride. Then in 1999, with the transformation of Festival Park into Ug Land, Wave Swinger became Ug Swinger, and got a new lick of paint in the process. The ride was moved into Cloud Cuckoo Land for the 2009 season and rethemed as a toadstool.

A very old ride, which may well be replaced in the next few years.

But what is it like?

This ride is made up of many chairs hanging from the ride by long chains. When the ride begins, the chairs are lifted several metres off the ground, then they begin to rotate. Once the chairs have been lifted to a certain height, and are rotating fast enough, the chairs are banked as the ride tilts. This creates a strange up and down spinning motion, which may well be uncomfortable for people who don't like this kind of ride.