Full information about the following parks and attractions can be found in the September 2004 issue of Practical Caravan. For back issues telephone 08456 777812. Admission Price and Opening Times were correct at the time of publishing. Please check for latest information before visiting.

Where to go: ALTON TOWERS

Address Alton, Staffordshire ST10 4DB
Website Click Here
Admmission: Family of four in August £82; Sept £68 (£78 at weekends). Group tickets available
 • The designers at Alton Towers take traditional fairground rides and add new twists for the maximum adrenaline rush. Take the ride Air, for example; it's a roller coaster, but you lie on your stomach as if you were flying.

Where to stay: CANNOCK CHASE CAMPING AND CARAVANNING CLUB SITE

Address Old Youth Hostel,Wandon, Rugeley, Staffordshire WS15 1QW
Website Click Here Open 1 March - 31 October

Where to go: THORPE PARK

Address Staines Road, Chertsey, Surrey KT16 8PN
Website Click Here
Admmission £75 family of four (two children under 12)
 • If you're of a nervous disposition you might be scared before you even arrive at Thorpe Park. Its rides have names like Detonator, Vortex, Tidal Wave and No Way Out that will spin and speed you round all manner of different courses.

Where to stay: CHERTSEY CAMPING AND CARAVANNING CLUB

Address Bridge Road, Chertsey, Surrey KT16 8JX
Website Click Here
Open All year

Where to go: CODONA'S AMUSEMENT PARK

Address Queens Links, Aberdeen AB24 5ED
Website Click Here
 • Set on the beach front in Aberdeen, this is more an entertainment complex than a straightforward amusement park. It's got a looping roller coaster – the only one in Scotland – log flumes, dodgems, a ghost train and other white-knuckle rides, but it's also got full-sized pool tables, a bowling complex and simulators.

Where to stay: HILLHEAD CARAVAN PARK

Address Kintore, Aberdeenshire AB51 0YX
Website Click Here
Open March to October

Where to go: CAMELOT THEME PARK

Address Charnock Richard, Chorley, Lancs PR7 5LP
Website Click Here
 • If you thought 'theme park' just meant somewhere with rides, think again. Here it means King Arthur, too – from the rides to the restaurants, everything is touched with the magic of Merlin's wand.

Where to stay: ABBEY FARM CARAVAN PARK

Address Dark Lane, Ormskirk
Website Click Here
Open All year

Where to go: LIGHTWATER VALLEY

Address North Stainley, Ripon HG4 3HT
Website Click Here
 • The roller coaster at Lightwater Valley is the longest in Britain, and it's probably the only one that takes you off through trees and fields away from the amusement park as part of the ride.

Where to stay: RIPLEY CARAVAN PARK

Address Ripley, Harrogate, N Yorkshire HG3 3AU
Website Click Here
Open Easter-31 October

Where to go: GULLIVER'S

Address Temple Walk, Matlock DE4 3PG
Website Click Here
Admission £25.20 for family of four (free for those under 90cm)
 • Billed as a theme park for two- to 13-year-olds, Gulliver's isn't full of state-of-the-art white-knuckle rides, but instead features log flumes, a pirate's ship, a vintage car ride and shows.

Where to stay: CHATSWORTH PARK CARAVAN CLUB SITE

Address Chatsworth, Bakewell DE45 1PN
Website Click Here
Open Mid March-end October

Where to go: ALICE IN WONDERLAND PARK

Address Merritown Lane, Hurn, Christchurch BH23 6BA
Website Click Here
Admmission Entry for a family of four £27
 • The clue is in its name – everything here is themed around Lewis Carroll's Alice books. Characters wander around, mingling with the guests, and put on a daily panto-style show.

Where to stay: HARROW WOOD FARM CARAVAN PARK

Address Poplar Lane, Bransgore, near Christchurch, Dorset BH23 8JE Website Click Here
Open March - October

Where to go: FLAMINGO LAND, KIRBY MISPERTON

Address Kirby Misperton, Malton, N Yorks YO17 6UX
Website: Click Here
 • As its name suggests, Flamingo Land is more than just a theme park; it's a zoo, too, but that doesn't make it any less of an adrenaline-filled day out. It has eight rides, including one that loops three times and another that spirals 360 degrees.

Where to stay: ST HELENS-IN-THE-PARK

Address Wykeham, Scarborough, North Yorkshire YO13 9QD
Website Click Here
Open All year (except mid-Jan to mid-Feb)

Where to go: OAKWOOD PARK

Address Canaston Bridge, Narberth SA67 8DE
Website Click Here
 • If ever you wanted to prove that the old ones are the best ones when it comes to roller coasters, then head for Oakwood. Its wooden roller coaster, Megafobia, is stacked full of twists and turns, climbs and drops that will have your heart in your mouth and your shoes in quick succession.

Where to stay: NOBLE COURT HOLIDAY PARK

Address Redstone Road, Narberth, Pembrokeshire
Website Click Here
Open 6 March-31 October

Where to go: LEGOLAND

Address Winkfield Road, Windsor, Berks SL4 4AY
Website Click Here
Admission Entry for family of four £86
 • Even if you come to Legoland for the Pirate Falls, the Dragon Roller Coaster or to captain a jet ski while spectators explode water bombs beneath you, you'll leave with an amazing sense of how much can be done with Lego bricks; the Hall of Fame is like Madame Tussauds, only with Lego instead of wax.

Where to stay: HURLEY RIVERSIDE PARK

Address Hurley, Berkshire SL6 5NE
Website Click Here
Open 1 March-31 October

Full information about the above parks and attractions can be found in the September 2004 issue of Practical Caravan. For back issues telephone 08456 777812. Admission Price and Opening Times were correct at the time of publishing. Please check for latest information before visiting.