So how does Hex work at Alton Towers? It’s a question that you hear so much when leaving the ride to this day.
A mind boggling illusion that still entertains even after you know the secret.
But how does it work I hear you cry?
Let me tell you.
Opening in 2000 Hex tells the story of the Chained Oak Tree, a local legend based on the Towers ruins themselves.
A legend that was admittedly reworked ever so slightly to make the attraction more marketable at the Staffordshire based theme park.
The story speaks of the 15th Earl of Shrewsbury who was cursed by a woman on his way back to the towers when he refused to give her money.
For every time a branch fell from the old oak tree (rumoured to be located where the carriage stopped as the Earl met the woman) a member of the Earl’s family would die.
As a result the Earl tied up the oak tree in chains after a branch fell off the tree one night in a storm and a member of his family mysteriously died.
Alton Towers then embellished the story by saying the Earl took the fallen branch to a vault within the Towers to experiment and find out the secret of this curse and that is where the ride takes place in the vault itself.
It’s a wonderful story (prior to the embellishment) and the real chained oak tree can be visited still to this day in the woods of Alton.
BUT HOW DOES THE RIDE WORK SEAN?!
Ok fine, now i’ll tell you.
So the ride itself takes place within the genuine tower ruins with added theming placed within including scaffolding and old monitors to resemble this excavation style site as you approach the vault.
An archaeological exploration before entering the vaults and seeing the fabled branch.
As you make your way through the themed ruins you will watch two pre-shows.
They do drag on a bit but if you’ve never visited before it’s a great experience.
For those who have been many times however, the preshow may drag on a bit.
As you make your way towards the vault you actually leave the listed building ruins and make your way into the show building.
The theming is done so wonderfully that the transition is seamless and you still believe you’re within the towers ruins.
As you can see in the image the show-building resembles a farm shed or a warehouse but inside it’s a beautifully themed part of the ride experience.
Very clever indeed.
Four rows of benches are laid out infront of you with the ride being able to hold a maximum of 78 people you take your seat.
Before the ride begins the benches are already on a slight incline already adding to that slanted movement before the ride has begun.
Manufactured by Vekoma and known as the Vekoma Madhouse the ride consists of two parts.
Firstly the benches on which you sit.
These benches are connected to a gondola / pendulum hydraulic swing that rock you back and forward at around a 25-30 degree angle.
Hex is one of a rare few Vekoma Madhouses that has the ability to tilt the benches to this angle.
Many others do not.
It is also one of the higher capacity Vekoma Madhouses as usually the ride can only hold 48 people.
The actual angle of incline has not been confirmed although with the additional incline of the benches from their normal seating position it’s safe to say you can reach a good 45 degree incline (at a guesstimate).
The pivot mechanism that controls the ride is cleverly hidden by two pieces of theming at each end of the room.
The second part of the ride is a 6-sided drum, separate from the swing that can rotate a full 360 degrees.
As the ride begins the pendulum and the drum are in-sync but soon the pendulum movement becomes separate to that of the drum and that’s what creates the rotation illusion going forwards and backwards.
The movement can be quite nauseating for some but the effect is very impressive indeed.
The drum is controlled by 8 electric motors that rotate it and the pendulum is controlled by a hydraulic motor.
A wonderful illusion that never ceases to amaze me from its flawless theming to its execution.
If only that damn pre-show was shorter!
The ride experience lasts 5 minutes but with the pre-shows on top and the queues, it can certainly take its toll.
For more information on how the ride works check out the video below and make sure you’re subscribed to our YouTube page.
