Staycations Near the UK Theme Parks

A theme park is a full day and often an expensive one, which makes it a poor foundation for a whole week but an excellent centrepiece for a few days. The mistake most families make is to book everything around the park and then discover they have three more days in an area they know nothing about. Every one of the big parks has decent country within half an hour of it.

The main parks and what surrounds them

Staffordshire and the Peak District

Alton Towers sits in Staffordshire, on the southern edge of the Peak District. Drayton Manor is in the same county. This is the best-placed of all the parks for a mixed trip: an hour after leaving the queues you can be walking in limestone dales or in Bakewell eating something you should not.

Windsor and the Thames

Legoland is at Windsor, which means a castle, a river and a walkable town centre are all on the doorstep. Good for a two-day trip where the second day is deliberately quieter.

Surrey

Thorpe Park is in Surrey, close enough to London to combine with a city day and well placed for the Thames and the North Downs.

Hampshire and the New Forest

Paultons Park sits in Hampshire right beside the New Forest, which is the single best pairing on this list for families with young children. Ponies, flat easy walks and open heath, ten minutes from the park gates.

The Lancashire coast

Blackpool is a whole resort rather than a single park, with the Pleasure Beach, the tower and miles of sand. It also puts you within reach of the Lancashire countryside and the Ribble Valley when you have had enough.

Staying just outside

It is usually cheaper and quieter

On-site and immediately adjacent accommodation carries a premium and is loud in the evenings. Ten or fifteen minutes away in a village usually costs less and sleeps better, and the drive in the morning is short.

You get a second day for free

Staying somewhere with its own walks, pub and river means the non-park days need no planning and no further expense.

Surviving the park day itself

Work backwards from the youngest

The day ends when the smallest member of the party has had enough, and no amount of planning changes that. Building the schedule around the rides they can actually go on, rather than around the headline attraction somebody else wants, tends to produce a better day for everyone.

Eat early or bring it

Park food queues peak sharply between twelve and two. Eating at half past eleven, or bringing a picnic to the car and going out at lunchtime, buys back an hour of the day.

Plan the evening to be dull

After a full day of queues and noise, an ambitious dinner is a mistake. Somewhere with a kitchen, or a pub five minutes from the door, is worth more than any restaurant booking.

Practical points

Buy park tickets in advance, because gate prices are almost always higher. Arrive at opening rather than mid-morning, as the first ninety minutes are consistently the quietest part of the day. And check the park calendar before booking the dates, since several close on weekdays outside the main season and some ride availability is seasonal.

For the surrounding areas, see the Peak District, the New Forest and Lancashire, or our family staycations and rainy day guides.