Huge outdoor waterpark found at one of the UK’s best value theme parks – and you probably haven’t heard of it
THERE’S a lesser-known theme park in the UK that has a huge outdoor water park – and you’ve probably never heard of it.
There are so many theme parks across Europe that some inevitably end up getting overlooked.
Included in that is Wheelgate in Nottingham, home to seven different themed zones, including the Animal Adventure Zone, the Alien Galaxy Zone, the Land of the Pharaohs, the Robin Hood Zone and the Tropical Zone.
One of the theme parks best attractions is the Splash Play area in the Robin Hood zone, which features a range of water slides, cascading waterfalls and a huge drop waterfall.
Spanning more than 30 acres, there are plenty of other rides and attractions at the East Midlands theme park, including the High Hazel Mini Mine Coaster, a tiny little train ride that’s full of twists and turns.
There’s also the Lunar Launch Tower Ride, an indoor tower ride where park-goers are launched into the air.
Another indoor ride is the Syber Shuttle Ride, in the Alien Galaxy Zone.
Other attractions include the Yellow Grit Road Maze, Safari Swings, the Martians Mirror Maze and Pedal Tractors.
There are lots of rides for younger visitors, including a carousel ride, a merry-go-round and mini pedal karts.
For younger guests, there’s even an indoor play area, a bouncy castle, trampolines, a climbing wall and many, many, more.
The theme park has a 4/5 star rating from more than 1,900 reviews on TripAdvisor.
One person wrote: “We had a fantastic day out here. We all enjoyed ourselves and the kids had a smile on their face all-day long.”
Another person said: “Great family fun! The splash park is a must for your trip here and there’s something to do no matter the weather.”
Someone else added: “We had a brilliant day out today! All of the rides were open and the queues were short and quick considering it was during the summer holidays.”
In 2022, holiday rentals site Big Domain named the best-value theme parks in the UK.
They said that they wanted to find out which of the UK’s theme parks offered the best value for money.
The theme parks were ranked based on a number of criteria, including the number of rides, cost of entry, parking fees, TripAdvisor ratings and ‘Instagramability’.
Alton Towers was crowned the winner, with Legoland taking second place.
The splash park is a must
In the rankings, Wheelgate managed to creep into the top ten just ahead of Thorpe Park in Surrey.
Entry tickets to Wheelgate cost between £9.76 to £20.49, depending on the date and time visitors go.
There are plenty of other little-known theme parks in the UK, including lots that people probably don’t know about.
OTHER LITTLE-KNOWN THEME PARKS
Another theme park people may not have heard of is Greenwood Theme Park in Wales, near Snowdonia.
The theme park opened in 1993, and it is home to the world’s only “people-powered rollercoaster” called the Green Dragon Roller Coaster.
The five-car train, which seats 20 passengers, uses their energy to lift the train before gravity takes over.
There is also the Solar Splash, a dual wave chute, which is the first solar powered ride in the UK.
Use these tips on your next theme park trip
Next time you visit a theme park, you may want to use our top tips to make the most of your adrenaline-inducing day out.
- Go to the back of the theme park first. Rides at the front will have the longest queues as soon as it opens.
- Go on water rides in the middle of the day in the summer – this will cool you off when the sun is at its hottest.
- Download the park’s app to track which rides have the shortest queues.
- Visit on your birthday, as some parks give out “birthday badges” that can get you freebies.
- If it rains, contact the park. Depending on how much it rained, you may get a free ticket to return.
And one UK attraction is known for having no technology or loud rides.
With two UK locations, BeWilderwood also has cheap tickets currently on sale – here’s how to find them.
