Top 10 Best UK Theme Parks
You've got a weekend to kill, a need for speed, and a craving for overpriced snacks served next to a rollercoaster that dares you to question your life choices. Sounds like it's time for a trip to a UK theme park. But not just any park. You want the best of the bunch. The places with the tallest drops, the wildest rides, the most sugar-fueled kids, and yes, the most ridiculous photo faces on the log flume.This list is built by votes from people like you. People who've queued for two hours just to scream their lungs out on a steel monster and then gone right back in line for round two. So cast your votes, climb aboard, and help decide which parks really bring the thrills. From family-friendly fantasy lands to full-on thrill seeker battlegrounds, every vote gets us closer to crowning the ultimate destination for adrenaline, nostalgia, and possibly mild regret after eating a hot dog before a loop the loop.
Strap in. Your voice counts.
It's not about the height of the coasters or any of the stats. Alton Towers is a good example of this. They have some brilliant coasters: Nemesis, The Smiler, and, of course, Oblivion. They are not very tall or fast, but just enjoyable rides.
Yes, they do have a bad problem with flat rides (probably worse than Six Flags). Also, the scenery is better than Thorpe Park or Blackpool Pleasure Beach.
Alton Towers is so amazing! I promise you that you'll have an amazing time there! My whole family went: they are 40, 41, 13, 11 (me), 9, and 6. We all enjoyed it since there are so many family rides to go on!
Try the Runaway Mine Train for a thrilling family experience or Congo River Rapids for some soaking wet excitement! Or try scarier ones like Oblivion and Nemesis. Just don't go on The Smiler! It's very unsafe!
This park is well known for the Pepsi Max Big One, the tallest coaster in England. But Blackpool Pleasure Beach has a lot of other rides too. They have the only Steeplechase ride left in the world. Valhalla is a world-class water ride taking you through an era of Vikings.
Roller Coaster is one of the few out there that has no restraints. A classic Noah's Ark funhouse is still there. They also have the oldest Haunted Swing ride still in operation. Grand National is a rare Mobius loop coaster that features two trains racing each other on a single track.
The wooden Wild Mouse is something to behold with its crazy structure and equally crazy ride. And new for 2018, they'll introduce Icon, a multi-launch coaster.
Sure, I might not be able to go on those rides, but I was able to go on Rush. I was like, "Holy mother of God!"
Saw probably would break a record for the most nuts and bolts used in one ride (11,788). Nemesis Inferno has a similar amount of G-force an astronaut experiences during a rocket launch (4.2). Colossus has probably the most track inversions (9) with 2 corkscrews, 1 vertical loop, 5 heartline rolls, and a cobra roll.
And The Swarm probably breaks 2 records: the longest track length (2,543 ft or 38.6 m) and the most tonnes of steel used in a ride (100 tonnes). This makes it an awesome and record-breaking theme park.
Top tip: If you live near enough to Legoland like I do, you get a number of free tickets for guests and either free or half-price (depending on how near you are) season tickets. You also get to have an opinion on new rides and ideas.
They have taken over some new land and may be making a campsite soon with log cabins as well, and making some more lakes too.
You also get to see the Bonfire Night and New Year's fireworks for free, and they are in the evening, not at midnight, so you don't get kept up.
I love Legoland, especially the Lego Star Wars area. It's the best theme park ever in the UK, number one. Remember that everything is awesome when you're part of a team!
Stayed there camping for 5 days in the summer of 2011 and had a great time. Loads of rides for old and young ones, plus the zoo is great too, and there is a new wooden park with lots of slides for the kids.
Chessington is excellent! Vampire, Dragon's Fury, Tomb Blaster, Rattlesnake, etc.
It is better than Thorpe Park. Believe me, Dragon's Fury is the best one.
A park with a tall (Apocalypse) ride, a stand-up (Shockwave) roller coaster, and much more.
I literally work here, so of course, I'm voting for it. It doesn't have as many rides as the likes of Thorpe Park and other UK theme parks, but for it being local to me and relatively cheap, it's good value.
The best ride is Axis, and it also has Rage, which is the same ride as Saw (Thorpe Park) with different theming. It's great to go to at least once if you live in Essex.
I used to go here a lot as a kid and loved it every time. There are some amazing rides (especially Rage, Vortex, Dragon's Claw, Sky Drop, and the Time Machine), and the lack of hour-long queues really tops it off. I miss it so much!
Home to the Ultimate, and with the addition of the rides in Skeleton Cove and the transformation of 'The Rat' into 'Raptor Attack,' this park is worth a visit.
Good park with quality attractions, well worth the money, better than Alton Towers. Very friendly staff and keep adding new attractions. Keep it up!
Great park, keeps improving every year. Some OK rides. However, it doesn't take a day to go around. Great marketing team as well.
The Newcomers
Fun places to go to, a shame when you grow up (for under the age of 11 or 12). Can't they make bigger rides? Most of the Gulliver's theme parks have been around for decades.
They made bigger rides with Camelot before it closed. Oh, and Japan used to have a Gulliver's theme park.
Previously a sister park of Blackpool Pleasure Beach, this park had historical rides such as the Cyclone, a wooden roller coaster much like the Big Dipper at Blackpool, a mini circus, an old caterpillar ride, and some good modern rides.
It was the original home of the Traumatizer, which was stripped down and moved to Pleasure Beach and renamed Infusion when the park closed in 2006. It has since reopened, and although most of the rides were sold or demolished like the Cyclone, it is no longer the same park as it was. However, I feel that it should still be on this list as it is developing into a bigger, better park every year now! In time, this will be a great place to have fun!