Theme Parks

Visitors to London who have kids with them or like to get an adrenalin rush have a number of theme parks around the edges of Greater London or a short journey out that they can easily get to for a day trip away from the main tourist centres.

Thorpe Park is located just to the southwest of Heathrow Airport and the town of Staines (home of Ali G), next to Junction 12 of the M25. Its an amusement park set in 500 acres that has plenty of rollercoaster rides with names like Colossus, Stealth, Detonator and Nemesis Inferno along with a lot of water based rides. If you like travelling upside down at 100mph its probably for you. Thorpe Park is closed during the winter months, its opened this week for school halfterm holidays but will be closed during the week until mid-March when it’ll be into its full open seven days a week schedule. The closing times vary, the closer it gets to summer the longer it stays open.

There are height restrictions on some rides, kids under 1m tall get into the park for free, tickets for those up to 1.4m or 11 years old are £15 on the day or £12 online and for anybody older than 12 years £22 on the day or £18 online. To get there you can take the train from Waterloo to Staines, then catch a shuttle bus to the park or if you’re coming by car its a pretty straight forward run from central London. Be aware if you’re driving around the M25 that even though the park is right next to Junction 12 you can only get to it from Junction’s 11 or 13. Parking is free on site.

Chessington World of Adventures is a park that’s aimed at the whole family with sections that are designed to entertain all age groups. For smaller kids there are ToyTown and softplay areas, gentle boat rides and various live shows throughout the year, for older children and adults there are larger water rides and rollercoasters, an Animal Land with gorillas, a selection of big cats including lions, tigers and leopards, a Monkey and Bird Garden, sea lions and a children’s zoo. There are a number of themed areas including Forbidden Kingdom, Land of the Dragons, Transylvania, Mystic East, Mexicana and Beanoland among others.

Chessington is about 6 miles southwest of Wimbledon, about 12 miles from the West End. Its open seven days a week from the end of March to the end of October, during the winter months its open weekends and school holidays. You can get there by train from Waterloo or Wimbledon by taking SouthWest Trains to Chessington South station, the park is a ten minute walk from there. If you’re driving take the A3 from central London or come around the M25 to Junction 9. Tickets cost £19 on the day or £15 online for under 12s, £29 or £22 online for 12 years or over.

Legoland Windsor is a sister theme park to Legolands in Denmark, Germany and California and as the name suggests is located near Windsor, just to the west of Heathrow. Its probably aimed at families with kids about 12 or under and has areas that include Miniland where 35million lego pieces recreate famous European landmarks, Waterworks, Rattrap, a wood and rope climbing area, Orient Expedition, Magic Theatre and Enchanted Forest and others.

There’s a boating school, a balloon school and a Digger Challenge where kids can drive 10 full size mechanical diggers and a driving school where 6-13 year olds can drive electric cars. There are some larger rollercoasters but the park is mainly for kids who come with parents. Legoland is open from mid-March to the end of October, tickets are £31 adult, £24 child, kids under 3 go free. Windsor is a straight shot west out of central London, just over 20 miles from the West End. If you’re driving take the M4 to Junction 6 and follow the signs , there’s free parking at Legoland. By train you can either go from Paddington to Windsor and Eton Central station or from Waterloo to Windsor and Eton Riverside station and then take a quick bus trip to the park.

Adventure Island is in the seaside town of Southend which is about 40 miles due east of central London and very straight forward to get to. This might be a better choice than some of the other parks around London as it shouldn’t get as busy, there are 32 rides to go on, 10 of which are restricted to a minimum height of 1.2m. You buy a band depending on your height and what rides you’re allowed on, Big Adventure Band’s are £16, Junior Band’s £12 and Mini Band’s £7. They’re advertising a special offer for this year where you can get a return train ticket to London and a Big Adventure Band for £20 or the train ticket and Junior Band for £15. To get there by train take the One train from Liverpool Street to Southend Victoria station or the c2c train from Fenchurch Street to Southend Central. If going by car the A12/A127 or A13/A127 puts you right into Southend.

Dickens World Only opened in May 2007 at Chatham on the north Kent coast and a short trip from central London, this indoor park is inspired by one the the greatest figures in English literature who lived his early life in the town. Its open daily and is in easy reach from Charing Cross, London Bridge or Victoria stations.

If you’re thinking about coming over to see what the theme parks in the UK are like don’t forget that by booking your airfares and hostels through Bootsnall you’ll save money to spend on the entrance to the parks

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