A short TikTok video has racked up over a million views this week, and it’s letting people into one of Alton Towers’ best-kept secrets: The Staffordshire-based theme park has a ‘tree top’ rule.
If you’re unsure of what that rule actually means at first glance, then you’re definitely not the only one. Judging by the rising number of views, it doesn’t appear to have been something on the radar of many thrill-seekers until it was brought to our attention thanks to Theme Park Faulk on TikTok.
The short clip posted to the video sharing platform briefly explains the rule specifically applies to the designing and building process of roller coasters.
Some of the theme park’s largest and most popular rides have had to take the rule into account over the years, and it’s one that requires consultation when any new attractions are built.
“Did you know that Alton Towers can’t build any attractions that are taller than the tree height?” the video explains.
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“This is why rides such as Oblivion and Nemesis are built into the ground.”
Explaining why this is the case and what the reasoning is behind the rule, Theme Park Faulk then goes on to say that it’s so “local residents are unable to see track from the roller coasters”.
The rule has been confirmed as true by the designer of some of the park’s most famous roller coasters.
Speaking to Birmingham Live back in 2015 about the build process for Nemesis – which was completed and opened in 1994 – John Wardley explained his vision of what a theme park should be like, and how that led to him revamping and re-theming existing areas within the Alton Towers grounds for “big thrill” rides in an attempt to make it world famous.
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But when phase one of the planning was complete, John encountered a new challenge: “We were instructed to keep everything below the height of the existing tree levels to keep in with the surroundings.
“We quickly realised that we couldn’t go up [and] we needed to be creative due to the planning restrictions, so we built down instead.”
Nemesis was the first roller coaster in the world to suspended riders underneath the track / Credit: Alton Towers
When a huge hole had been dug into the ground, that’s when John designed Nemesis – a rollercoaster that suspended riders underneath the track, rather than riding on top.
It was the first roller coaster in the world to do so, and now many others have followed.
The so-called ‘tree top’ rule is required to be adhered to each time Alton Towers adds a new ride to the attraction, but it isn’t one that’s been widely welcomed by theme park fans over the years.
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A poll on the Attraction Source Forum all the way back in 2008 revealed 39% of voters were unsatisfied with the restrictions and felt the rule would hold the park back from its UK competitors.
35% were on board.
What’s your take on it all?
Featured Image – Alton Towers
Trending
Manc music legends James announced MASSIVE hometown show
Danny Jones
Greater Manchester music legends James have just revealed a massive hometown show here in the city centre as part of a landmark domestic arena tour.
Daisy bucket hats at the ready.
James is arguably the epitome of what it is to be the understated, underdog British band; they’ve gone about the business of making quality music somewhat quietly for several decades now, but they’ve had a fresh wave of interest over the past year or so
Having opened up for the likes of Catfish and the Bottlemen’s comeback shows, not to mention playing multiple big festival slots in recent months alone, they’ve now announced a huge run of UK arena shows – and nowhere does a James crowd quite like us Mancs.
Details have been announced for our 2026 UK arena tour, and we’re delighted to be joined by very special guests @dovesmusicblog with tickets going on general sale this Friday at 9:30am. Access the ticket pre-sale on Wednesday via our official store: https://t.co/DwpGrAUESZ NBL x pic.twitter.com/A4CWVpCooL
Announced as part of the celebrations around their Nothing But Love ‘best of’ LP, which pulls tracks from James’ whopping 18 studio albums, the new run of UK arena shows in 2026 follows on from numerous noteworthy shows this calendar year.
In addition to the aforementioned outdoor gigs, like their stunning sold-out night at The Piece Hall in Halifax – not too far from frontman Tim Booth’s hometown in Yorkshire – the indie veterans also celebrated a huge landmark in 2025.
Surpassing the milestone of 40 years as a band, with a lineup that’s remained largely intact and only really grown in terms of live session players and touring bandmates.
The new “definitive” greatest hits record also includes two brand-new songs in ‘Wake Up Superman’ and ‘Hallelujah Anyhow’, both of which are produced by Leo Abrahams, who worked with the band on their long-awaited number one album Yummy in 2024 – a feat loooong overdue if you ask us.
As evidenced by the sheer amount of new material they continue to put out and the almost non-stop touring, they remain one of the most prolific artists in the country. FACT.
You can see the rest of James’ upcoming tour dates, including a healthy number of Northern stops in the likes of Liverpool, Leeds and more.
James UK arena tour dates 2026
Fri 2 Birmingham Utilita Arena
Sat 4 Leeds First Direct Bank Arena
Tues 7 Aberdeen P&J Live
Wed 8 Glasgow OVO Hydro
Fri 10 Newcastle Utilita Arena
Sat 11 Liverpool M&S Bank Arena
Mon 13 Cardiff Utilita Arena
Tues 14 Nottingham Motorpoint Arena
Fri 17 London The O2
Sat 18 Manchester Co-op Live
With James returning to Manchester for their Co-op Live arena debut next April, along with a sensational support slot from fellow local legends, Doves (I know, how lucky are you lot?!), you can bank on this one selling out quickly.
General admission goes on sale this Friday, 10 October at 9:30am, so you’d better be ready to grab yours in a flash.
You can find the ticket link HERE, and we’ll see you in the crowd for a good ol’ singalong.
Featured Images — Ehud Lazin/Press shots (supplied)
Trending
Electronic icons Kraftwerk announce first Manchester gig since 2017
Danny Jones
Pioneering German band Kraftwerk have announced their first UK tour since 2017, with fans having to wait almost a decade for another Manchester gig.
Thankfully, they’ll be heading back down the Autobahn and across the channel for a return to our shores soon enough with a long-awaited list of British and Irish live dates.
Kraftwerk remains one of the most groundbreaking groups in the electronic scene to this day, having paved the way for generations of new artists to keep experimenting with the genre in the 50+ years since their formation.
Heading back to Manchester early next year, die-hards will no doubt snap these tickets faster than you can say ‘Das Model’.
For anyone unaware of these veritable legends of electronica and the world of alternative/Euro-synth pop, Kraftwerk formed all the way back in 1970 and went on to shape the modern music industry, bridging the gap between music and the digital age.
Best known for tracks like ‘Computer Love’, ‘The Robots’, ‘Pocket Calculator’ and the aforementioned on named after the national motorway network, they spearheaded futurism in the musical landscape from the outset.
It seems only fitting, therefore, that their upcoming highly anticipated return to the UK comes as part of their ‘Multimedia’ tour.
While they have played a number of live shows all over the globe this year, including an extensive run in the US, next spring will be our domestic visit from Kraftwerk in nine long years.
Credit: Press shot (supplied)
You can see the full list of UK and Ireland tour dates – including a handful of Northern gigs – down below:
Spanning a total of 15 UK dates, as you can see, there will also be tickets to see Kraftwerk nearby in the likes of Liverpool and with our mates over in Sheffield.
Kraftwerk legend Ralf Hütter famously played a set inside our city’s velodrome at the National Cycling Centre for Manchester International Festival (MIF) back in 2009, and has collaborated with the event on multiple ocassions.
In fact, that very performance was seen as a turning point for MIF, so the Manc Kraftwerk connection speaks for itself; O2 members can obviously get pre-sale, but general admission tickets go live from 9am this Friday, 10 October.
Emily Sergeant -
16th June 2021 
