Kirsty Bosley, is a reporter at the Birmingham Mail, took a strip to Alton Towers, located in Staffordshire, England for the first time in around ten years, to see how her experience differed from last time.
She is a size 22 woman, and wanted to see how the rides suited her this time around. This is her account of the day, as reported on StaffordshireLive.
Back in the summer, I went to Alton Towers for the first time in perhaps a decade. I was excited, two kids in tow and ready to ride. I hadn't really paid much thought to how much my changed body might cause me problems until the very first ride of the day, when it hit me in the worst way.
Sitting my size 22 bum down into Spinball Whizzer, the barrier was pushed down to secure me. Click. And then, it didn't go any further.
The staff member was kind as she applied a little force to click my harness once more, explaining that one wasn't enough. People started to look around to see what was holding the ride up and I felt my heart sink.
Finally, another member of staff came along and tried one last time, clicking me in and letting the ride go. I tried to have fun, but I just felt humiliated. Living in a fat body is OK most of the time, and at others, the world can make you feel like it's the worst thing a person could be.
In my head, I hear: you don't deserve to shop for nice clothes in town, because you're fat. You don't deserve to be happy. You don't deserve to have fun on rollercoasters with your family and it's all your own fault. Depressing.
And so, for the rest of the day, I actively avoided any rides that would need me to be strapped in. When I was invited back to test out the Halloween Scarefest, I jumped at the chance, knowing there's no strapping in when it comes to horror mazes! So I went.
The scare mazes had me feeling courageous, so I thought, this is it: I'm going to try and get on to all of Alton Towers' biggest rides, to see whether I could fit.
There's always a sign outside showing height restrictions, but what of the fat body restrictions? There weren't many of those test seats knocking around to try, so I threw caution to the wind and queued, pre-emptively apologising to my straight-size pal for any last-minute, second-hand humiliation.
Wickerman
Because Wickerman looks so epic, I was expecting I'd need to be really strapped in for it, but it turns out that it's just a bar that closes down over your thighs. My belly is my biggest bit and so I didn't get much major discomfort from this, but I did feel snug and I wonder if someone with chunkier thighs than me would struggle to fit.
I wanted to feel snug, personally. I was on a ride where someone had just threatened to burn me alive in a human sacrifice. It all went by without a hitch, no burns, no loss of circulation in my legs. Winner.
Nemesis
With Nemesis shutting at the end of this season, I really wanted to ride it for one last time. But knowing it was an old ride, I did worry that perhaps I wouldn't fit my 47in chest into the over-shoulder harness (your legs stay dangling).
So I asked. A lovely assistant with colourful hair was really relaxed when I did, advising that while this ride might not be ideal for people with bigger boobs, there was a trick. If I went to row four specifically, I would find a seat with two seatbelts instead of the usual one. This wasn't marked up as a fat seat, and no one noticed as I sat in it, but it might be more comfortable, I was told.
And I was - I felt safe and secure, not squashed or uncomfortable. It was a top tip, one to remember if you're popping up to have one last go on this legendary coaster!
Galactica
Of all of the coasters I went on, Galactica was the most uncomfortable. I asked about bigger seats and was told that while some are bigger than others, 'it won't make much difference'. The staff member added that they'd 'do what they could', but the idea of another squash attempt made me cringe.
Fortunately, a brief shove clicked the almost full body harness into place, though my boobs were super squished. Factor in the force of being tipped up into a flying position, and I'd say I was uncomfortable. I was in, but I'm not sure it'd work for anyone bigger than I am. I was glad when it was over.
Th13teen
I received excellent customer service from the guy whose job it was to secure me into the very spooky Th13teen. "Am I going to be too fat for this?" I asked while waiting for our turn to board. The young man looked at me kindly, smiled and said: "Of course not". I felt much better.
"Sorry!" he added, as he pushed my bar down tightly. I was in though. My belly was very squashed in and while it wasn't painful, it was a little uncomfortable as the ride blasted around the track.
This one might have been a little more uncomfortable on my body, but the sweet staff member meant it was easy on my heart!
Rita
The Queen of Speed, Rita is that rollercoaster that blasts you from 0-60mph in seconds. As such, I remembered it being quite an uncomfortable experience on the whole, especially if you don't keep your head back and braced for action.
I got on absolutely fine and didn't feel squashed in at all - I had space to move, even. That, I could have done without as we went razzing round the track at mental speeds. I had to have a little break after that!
Smiler
I had never had a go on Smiler before this very day and, looking at all the loop-de-loops and corkscrews, it looked absolutely bonkers. I desperately wanted to fit on it, so we queued.
After the trauma of the horror mazes, Smiler couldn't do anything to ruin my day, even if I didn't fit. I asked if I was going to have any problems, and staff assured me I wouldn't. So when I clipped into place easily, I felt relieved. I didn't feel crushed, I felt comfortable and safe.
It turned out that it was a smart idea to end the day on this one, because it was the best rollercoaster experience I've ever had. I was beaming from ear to ear the entire way round, understanding how it had earnt its name, and also smiling because I hadn't let my fear of having the 'wrong' body stand in the way of a good time. Everyone deserves one.
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