30-07-2025
I moved 170 miles with my partner and child just to live next to Alton Towers - I go every day for less than £1
A rollercoaster enthusiast has revealed how he packed up his life and moved 170 miles away in order to live next to Alton Towers.
Sam, who is known as @coastertog online and has a partner and young daughter, says he visits the theme park in Staffordshire 'basically every day'.
He now only lives a 15-minute drive away from the attraction after making the move from Essex, but admits there's 'not much else to do' nearby - though they do have a Home Bargains.
Speaking on his TikTok account, where he has more than 176,000 followers, the thrill seeker confessed: 'I moved 170 miles from Essex just to live nearby to this park. I know it sounds a bit mental but this place makes me happy.'
Though tickets to the resort can cost up to £68 for an adult day ticket, Sam insists that it's 'actually pretty cheap' to visit every day, explaining that he has the 'platinum Merlin pass'.
This allows him access the park 'whenever I want' and means that, if he visits the park every day, it works out at less than £1 and includes free parking (usually £12).
However, he says he's ridden the rides 'so much' that he no longer finds them scary as 'I know exactly what to expect'.
When asked if he ever gets 'bored' going on the same rides over and over again, he admitted: 'Truthfully, some of the rides aren't as exciting to me as they used to be.'
These days, he generally visits the park as it's become a 'local hangout' for his friends.
'A lot of the time I don't even bother riding anything!' he explained.
In addition to making money from sharing rollercoaster videos on TikTok, Sam also has a 'normal job' as a photographer and videographer.
This means he is his own boss, and can pop down to the Towers whenever he likes.
People were left divided in the comments as, while some said it was their 'dream' to live so close, others didn't get the appeal.
When one person commented: 'This is proper sad', Sam replied: 'Can you please tell me how it's any different from you going and watching your team lose from row z mate.'
Another asked: 'Have you ever kissed a girl?'
Sam had the perfect comeback and responded: 'Married with a kid, geeza.'
One sceptical commenter said: 'Do you not think it takes some of the 'magic' away from it? I think I'd get sick of it quickly if I was there so often, but that's just me.'
However, another said: 'Honestly this is my dream. Never feel happier than in Alton Towers.'
One more said: 'As long as you're happy, fella.'
Sam said: 'I am, been through some rough times and doing this has made me happy every single day!'
Sam, who fell in love with the park after visiting as a child, says his favourite rollercoaster is the wooden Wicker Man.
In May, he shared with excitement that his daughter was finally old enough to go on one of the theme park's rides - the Octonauts Adventure.
He wrote on Instagram at the time: 'I can't believe this day has finally come, my daughter has hit 90cm and rode her first ever rollercoaster at Alton Towers!
'I've been waiting for this moment ever since she was born and I'm so immensely proud that she did it!
People were left divided in the comments as, while some said it was their 'dream' to live so nearby, others didn't get the appeal
He first fell in love with the park when he was a child and now earns money from filming videos of roller coasters
'Alton Towers is such a special place for us and I can't wait for her to hit all the milestones.'
In another video, he shared his best tips for beating the queues at the theme park, which notoriously gets very busy, especially at weekends and during the school holidays.
In order to 'smash out a bunch of major rides in the first hour', he recommends arriving at the entrance at 9am.
After scanning tickets and going through the turnstile, it's then best to head to the 'Forbidden Valley' section of the park.
Nemesis opens at 10am, so Coastertog says there will be some waiting around at this point - but this will save 'hours of queuing' later on in the day.
Next up was new ride Toxicator, which also had a 'very short' five-minute queue, followed by Galactica, meaning that by 10.45am, he had already ticked off three rides.
Underground ride Nemesis Subterra then only had a five-minute queue, meaning he'd completed all rides in Forbidden Valley.
Nipping back to Galactica, he spotted that the ride now had an astonishing waiting time of 100 minutes - proving the huge difference that thoughtful planning can make to queuing times.
'Definitely just get out of bed earlier!' he advised.
The theme park, based in Alton, Staffordshire, sees more than two million visitors each year and is home to famous rides including The Smiler, Oblivion and Nemesis.
Earlier this year, the theme park unveiled its latest ride, the Toxicator, which is the first of its kind in the UK.
On the bright green ride, riders are flipped upside down next to water jets, making it perfect for thrill seekers.
The theme park notoriously made headlines in 2015 when a Smiler carriage crashed into an empty test train on the track in front of them.
