Braving 'The Edge of the Forest' at Alton Towers' annual Scarefest

Bathed in greens and purples, the ruins of a once-grand mansion come alive beneath the moonlit sky, a large stained-glass window glowing a fiery orange from within, writes Sean Gleaves.

- Sean Gleaves

Monsters stalk the pathways, ghouls lunge from the shadows and terrified screams echo across the park. This is Alton Towers Scarefest 2025.

It had been a few years since I last visited the resort during its spooky season, so I was eager to see what this year had in store.

I wasn't too nervous about the scare mazes at first - after all, I'd done plenty before. But as we queued for our first, with bloodcurdling screams drifting from a building tucked away in the woods, the nerves began to creep in.

The Edge of the Forest

Our first maze of the night was The Edge of the Forest, a brand-new addition for 2025.

Set deep in the Dark Forest - the twisted, fictional home of rides like Rita and TH13TEEN - this live-action experience plunges guests into a world where the line between nature and nightmare blurs.

We were split into small groups, myself unluckily ending up at the very back.

A frail old woman beckoned us into her cottage, but forget cosy firesides and knitted blankets. The space was dank and ominous, and when the door slammed shut, only a few flickering candles lit the room.

I grabbed my partner's arm as the woman whispered a chilling warning about the Leshwall, a spirit said to twist the trees and infiltrate the mind.