5 Thrilling Theme Parks in the UK

1. Blackpool Pleasure Beach-North-West

Situated close to our three Blackpool hotels, the Pleasure Beach offers over 125 rides and attractions for all the family, from thrill seekers to those wanting to enjoy a show. For little ones there is Nickelodeon Land, which has 12 rides featuring cartoons such as SpongeBob SquarePants, Dora’s World Voyage and Wallace and Gromit’s Thrill-O-Matic ride…. GERONIMOOOOO!!!

For those seeking thrilling adventures, there are a range of rides including the world famous Big One, Ice Blast, Infusion and the latest ride called Red Arrow’s Skyforce. If you aren’t into rides, there are a range of shows on offer to watch in a seat that doesn’t move, spin, dip or dive such as the Circus of Horrors, Hot Ice and hypnotist Ken Webster.

2. Thorpe Park - Surrey

Thorpe Park has arguably one of the most interesting new rides in the UK, the Derren Brown created Ghost Train experience, which arrives this month. The traditional ghost train experience has been reinvented with this 13 minute psychological experience that manipulates the mind. During the experience you will end up in a Victorian train where all is not as it seems…..For fans of I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here, there is a jungle maze and you can take part in a range of trials such as the Catacombs of Doom and the Celebrity Cyclone finale.

For horror fans, there is SAW – THE RIDE, which is the world’s first horror film rollercoaster where you can ‘enjoy’ a drop at 100 degrees from a hundred foot height. Terrifying!

3. Alton Towers – North-West

Alton Towers has a wide range of rides and experiences on offer. For little ones there is Cbeebies Land featuring Ice Age: The 4D Experience, Octonauts Rollercoaster Experience, In the Night Garden Magical Boat Ride and Congo River Rapids.

There are some jaw-dropping rides including Rita, which takes you up to 100kph in under three seconds and TH13TEEN, which is the world’s first freefall drop rollercoaster. If you are interested in seeing some sharks you can go and see Sharkbait Reef where you will see blacktip sharks, seahorses and a Tropical Interactive pool where the shrimps will nip at your fingertips (better/safer than sharks!). You can stay at our North Stafford hotel which is only 13.2 miles away from the theme park.

4. Drayton Manor - The Midlands

Featuring over 280 acres of parkland, there are a wide variety of rides and attractions on offer, including some of the wettest rides around, so bring your raincoat! One of the most popular rides is Apocalypse, which is the world’s first ever stand up tower drop, as well as Shockwave, which is Europe’s only stand-up rollercoaster. For family fun there is a zoo which houses over a hundred species, as well as Dinosaurland and there are shops and cafes around the park. There is also The Pirate Adventure, live theatres and Thomas and Friend’s area, all at Drayton Manor Park.

5. Gulliver’s World - Cheshire

For a great day out near our Daresbury Park hotel, Gulliver’s World offers a wide range of attractions and shows. Geared towards family fun days out, there are rides for all ages and you can bring your own picnics and car parking is free. There are five family restaurants on-site and the park is geared towards 2-13 year olds. There are live theatre shows and birthday parties, as well as Clown School for the youngsters. Areas of the park include Lilliput Land, Waterworld, Adventure World and Smugglers Wharf. This is a great day out for families as the park caters for children and even toddlers with their very own play area. As the park is for children you won’t find any death defying ride which turns you upside down, dumps water all over you or makes you scream in half terror, half excitement!