Many people want to know what’s the best theme park in the UK. In this article we rank, in order, our opinion on the 5 best theme parks in the UK.
5. Chessington World of Adventure
Located in the south of England, Chessington is the third park on this list to be owned and operated by Merlin Entertainment. Chessinton does not have any majorly thrilling attractions but it does have an abundance of attractions suitable for the whole family.
The park has several different rollercoasters, a newly refurbished log flume, an indoor shooting ride and several nicely themed flat rides. The park also has a safari attraction similar in style to that of the one at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. With that said, the safari at Chessington falls a long way short of matching the fantastic Kilimanjaro Safari on offer at Animal Kingdom.
There are also several other animal exhibits throughout the park, including a SeaLife centre. Chessington is a great park for younger children but for those looking for thrills, Chessington is not the place for you.
4. Drayton Manor
Drayton Manor is one of a few privately owned theme parks in the UK located in the centre of England. This park is definitely smaller than the other 3 parks mentioned so far.However, it still has a lot to offer and is a park suitable for any age.
The major rollercoaster at the park is Shockwave. Shockwave was the first stand up coaster to be built in Europe. G-Force is the other major thrill coaster at the park.
The park also has several family style coasters such as the classic Buffalo coaster. My favourite attraction at Alton Towers is Apocalypse. Apocalypse is a large drop tower which offers guests three different ways to ride; sat down, standing up and standing up with no floor. The standing up with no floor version of this attraction is definitely not for the faint hearted.
Another great attraction at Drayton Manor is the always popular water ride, Storm Force. Storm Force has 3 drops, 1 of which you go down facing backwards.
Drayton Manor also has a large children’s area based on Thomas the Tank Engine. Thomas Land is a brilliant and immersive kids area which is, in my opinion, the best child friendly area of any theme park in the UK.
Also included in your park admission to Drayton Manor is the zoo which is home to a variety of exotic animals, such as monkeys, bobcats and lions. Drayton Manor are also currently building a new state of the art penguin enclosure.
3. Blackpool Pleasure Beach
Blackpool Pleasure Beach is one of the most iconic, pardon the pun, theme parks in the UK and the world. The park still contains many classic attractions such as the famous Grand National Wooden rollercoaster and the now unusual Steeplechase rollercoaster.
Blackpool is also home to Pepsi Max: The Big One which, when it opened, was the tallest rollercoaster in the world. This attraction still dominates the parks skyline and the ride is probably one of the most widely recognised rollercoasters throughout Europe. For those who may not have experienced this rollercoaster and live in the US, it is quite similar to Steel Force at Dorney Park and Magnum XL at Cedar Point.
Earlier this year, a new rollercoaster, Icon, opened at the park. Icon is the first dual launched coaster to be built in the UK. Icon offers a good amount of airtime and it’s probably now my favourite rollercoaster in the UK.
Blackpool Pleasure Beach also has a lot to offer outside of rollercoasters such as the Nickelodeon land which is a perfect place to take young children. Another ride not to miss is the fantastic indoor, boat ride Valhalla. Valhalla is a fantastic water ride which incorporates some very impressive fire effects and it also has both forwards and backwards drops. Be warned though, you will get very wet so it’s probably best to leave this ride until last.
2. Thorpe Park
Thorpe Park, located just outside of central London, is home to a variety of great theme park attractions. The park, like Alton Towers, is operated by Merlin Entertainment. Thorpe Park is definitely a theme park aimed at thrill seekers as the park is home to 5 very thrilling rollercoasters.
The newest rollercoaster at the park is The Swarm, the first wing coaster to open in the UK. The Swarm was also the first wing coaster in the world to offer backwards facing seats.
In 2018, the park converted the indoor rollercoaster X into The Walking Dead: The Ride. Unfortunately, the special effects on this new ride aren’t great but despite that I still think fans of the show will enjoy this new attraction.
My personal favourite attraction at Thorpe Park is Saw: The Ride, a thrilling rollercoaster which includes a beyond vertical drop and several inversions. The few show elements on this ride, which help reinforce the coasters Saw theme, also help enhance the ride experience as they give you that near miss sensation which helps increase the tension.
Thorpe Park is also home to probably the scariest attraction inside any theme park in the UK , Derren Browns ghost train. This attraction utilises the latest in virtual reality technology and then combines this with live actors to create a truly terrifying experience. I won’t go into the ride any more than this though, as I don’t want to give too much away to those who may not yet have experienced it.
Overall, Thorpe Park is a great park and, in my opinion, by far the best theme park located in the south of the country.
1. Alton Towers
Alton Towers is definitely the biggest and best out of all the theme parks in the UK. Located in the small village of Alton in Staffordshire the park attracts millions of guests every year. Alton Towers has a huge variety of attractions ranging from the kid friendly to those only suitable for extreme thrill seekers. Alton Towers has 7 major roller coasters.
The newest attraction at the park is Wicker Man which opened earlier this year. Wicker Man is an extremely good wooden rollercoaster which was built by the expert wooden coaster manufacturer Great Coasters International (CGI). Wicker Man is also the first wooden coaster in the world to utilise fire effects.
Another notable coaster at the park is Nemesis. Nemesis is often regarded as the best floorless, inverted rollercoaster in the world. Alton Towers is also home to The Smiler which contains more inversions (14 inversions) than any other coaster in the world. I could go on and on describing the numerous other brilliant attractions at the park but I think that’s enough for now.
One thing that does make Alton Towers extra special is the parks setting. Alton Towers was built on the grounds of an old British estate and the beautiful gardens from this estate still remain today, open for guests to walk around them. The old, historic Manor House has also been preserved and now sits in the centre of the theme park. In fact, the popular Hex ride is built within the manor and every year during Halloween, Alton Towers build several different horror houses within this building.
Click here to check out Alton Towers official website.
Do you agree with our list of the top 5 theme parks in the UK?
