Best Theme Parks in England

• By: Editor
• On: 15/Jan/2009
• In: UK Travel Tips

Theme Parks in Northern England

If you are holidaying in northern England then you have a good selection of Theme Parks to choose from.

Blackpool Pleasure Beach is the most popular theme park in the UK and is also home to the tallest Rollercoaster in Europe, the Pepsi Max Big One. The Pepsi Max Big One was the tallest, steepest and fastest rollercoaster in the world when it opened in 1992, though these records have since been surpassed. The park has over 145 different rides as well as 11 other roller coasters, including a traditional wooden Wild Mouse coaster.

2007 saw the addition of Infusion, the world’s first inverted (the rail is over your head and your feet dangle free!) roller coaster suspended entirely over water and in 2008 a new £1.5million 12 hole Adventure Golf course was added. This park is located in the north west of the country, about 90kms north of Liverpool.

Flamingo Land is both a theme park and a zoo and it attracts over 1.4 million visitors a year. Rides you can find here include Cliff Hanger, the second tallest drop tower ride in the UK; the Navigator, a giant spinning disk; Velocity, a motorbike rollercoaster; and if the weather is fine try out Splash Battle where you get your own submarine and fight water battles against other subs.

In the zoo, you can find a wide variety of animals such as giraffes, meerkats, monkeys, rhinos, tigers, sea lions, birds of paradise and many more. Other attractions at Flamingo Land include a gym, a leisure centre, a spa, a golf course and if you would like to stay here there is holiday accommodation available. This park is located in Pickering, Yorkshire, in the north east of the country, about 85kms north-east of Leeds.

Lightwater Valley was originally a small farm attraction and has now evolved into one of the top theme parks in the country. The most popular ride in the park is The Ultimate, formerly the world’s longest rollercoaster (currently 3rd) at 2,268 metres!

In addition to the rides, there is a Bird of Prey Centre, which has a show detailing how they train and keep such birds as the regal Golden Eagle. There is also a Creepy Crawly Cave, which houses many different types of snakes, spiders, frogs, toads, rats and Australian Bearded Dragons. This park is located in Ripon, Yorkshire, in the north east of the country, about 60kms north of Leeds.

Theme Parks in Central England

Moving south into the midlands there are a few more parks worth visiting.

Another park that is both a theme park and a zoo is Drayton Manor. The rides include Apocalypse, G Force, Pandemonium, Maelstrom and Shockwave, Europe’s only stand up rollercoaster. The main attraction is Stormforce 10, a water ride themed after a lifeboat rescue and they accept donations for the RNLI.

In the zoo you can find over 100 species of animals from all over the world. This park is located in Tamworth, Staffordshire, in the middle of the country, between Birmingham and Leicester.

Alton Towers is the UK's 2nd most popular theme park destination after Blackpool. The park is situated on the grounds of a semi-ruined gothic revival country house, the former seat of the Earls of Shrewsbury. Some of the rides include Nemesis, Europe's first inverted roller coaster; Oblivion, the world's first vertical drop roller coaster; Air, the world's first B&M flying roller coaster; and Rita - Queen of Speed, where you are launched to 100 km/h in 2.5 seconds!

If you would like to stay at the park - The Alton Towers Hotel and Splash Landings Hotel are located on site.

This park is located in Alton, Staffordshire, in the midlands between Stoke-on-Trent and Nottingham.

Fantasy Island is an amusement park located in the midst of a number of coastal holiday parks. The park has many family rides and rides suitable for smaller children. For the adrenaline junkies there are a few white knuckle rides including the Jubilee Odyssey which was so named after the Golden Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II. This park is located in Ingoldmells on the east coast about 6kms north of Skegness.

Theme Parks in Southern England

If you're in the London area and don’t mind driving out of the city you can easily reach any of these.

As Chessington is located quite close to Thorpe Park (and both owned by the same company), it was decided that they would take different markets to prevent competition. Because of this Chessington is directed more at families while Thorpe is for those who enjoy more daring rides.

Chessington World of Adventures is actually located in the south-western reaches of the greater London area, about 25kms southwest of the city centre. Originally opened as a zoo, it added a theme park in 1987.

In the zoo you can find the Trails of the Kings, which displays tigers, lions and leopards. In 2008 a Sea Life Centre was added and features a glass tunnel home to sharks, rays and various tropical fish.

One of the rides is the Safari Skyway, which is a monorail that is elevated over the zoo and it travels throughout the park. There is a few rollercoasters here as well, the most significant being Dragon's Fury, a rollercoaster which spins as well as traversing the track.

Thorpe Park is located in Surrey, just outside the greater London area, about 13kms south of Heathrow Airport. Third only to Blackpool and Alton Towers this is one of the most popular parks in the country. As Chessington is targeted at families, Thorpe Park has an above average number of white knuckle rides. These include No Way Out, a ride in the dark that will baffle your senses; the Slammer, a giant human flyswatter; Tidal Wave, saturation guaranteed; and the biggest ride in the park is Stealth, the fastest rollercoaster in Europe!

And finally we have Legoland Windsor, which is a child oriented theme park where almost everything is made from Lego blocks. You can visit Miniland which is a London cityscape made from Lego and a number of other themed areas. As for rides there are a few mostly oriented towards the kiddies such as The Dragon's Apprentice but for bigger kids there is the Jungle Coaster and the Viking's River Splash. The park is located in Windsor, Berkshire some 18kms to the west of Heathrow Airport.

While particular attention has been paid to the bigger and more exciting rides, most of these theme parks have plenty of family friendly rides and rides designed for smaller children. Many of these parks are dependant on tourists from abroad; therefore they are usually closed for the winter months when tourists are few and far between. Please keep this in mind to avoid disappointment.

Getting around England, to and from these theme parks will most likely need a car. So why not have a look at our car hire UK page.

If you have been to any of these Theme Parks and have any comments or you are planning to visit them and have a question, please leave your message in the comment box below.