I live in the water park capital of the UK – we can visit 5 of the country's best on a day trip from just £8

The Sun

13-05-2025

LIVING in a landlocked part of the country, as far away from the sea as we can be, we have a raft of fantastic water parks to make up for our lack of coastline.
I can drive less than 90 minutes in any direction and get to some of the best indoor splash parks in the UK.
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From our home in Leicestershire, we can visit five water parks on day trips, including Alton Towers, The Wave Coventry, Waterworld in Stoke-on-Trent and two Center Parcs.
My boys love a splash about and what we look for in a great waterpark is a wave pool, a variety of slides and flumes and a splashpad with fountains and jets for little ones who might be too small for some of the bigger rides.
An outdoor space with rapids or a lazy river is an added bonus.
So we're excited that American holiday chain Great Wolf Lodge, which has 23 resorts overseas, could be bringing one of its epic waterparks to neighbouring Derbyshire, after already getting planning permission to build one near Bicester.
That'll mean my boys have access to eight indoor waterparks in driving distance, as well as several great outdoor options, like Twinlakes near Melton Mowbray and Wheelgate up near Nottingham.
The new Therme Manchester, due to open in 2027, and Blackpool's Sandcastle are only a couple of hours away too.
Our favourite is actually a council-run park as it's just such a cost-effective option for a few hours of fun.
Moorways in Derby only opened its indoor splashpad with slides and rides in 2022 and it often has deals that drop the price down to £8 per person, even during school holidays.
With free parking and a huge aqua inflatable course in the main pool included in the price for some sessions, it really is incredible value for money.
There's a soft play on site and other sports facilities too, so you can make a day of it.
If you decide to head to one of the other options, there's ways to keep costs down so you don't end up paying over the odds for a day of water fun.
At Alton Towers, you can get a parent and toddler waterpark ticket for £23 on term-time midweek dates if you're visiting with a little one aged five or under.
That's quite a saving compared to around £25 per person normally.
If you have Blue Light Card membership, you can visit the waterpark from £15, depending on the date.
At the Wave in Coventry, if your children are on benefits-related free school meals, you could use your Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) code to get family entry free for certain sessions in the school holidays.
And while you can't visit Center Parcs just for the day unless you know someone who is on holiday there, it's worth an ask if you've got family members or friends who have a break booked.
If my family of five book a lodge, we have a spare sixth space that we could assign to a friend or relative, even if they're only coming for the day.
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And there was recently a midweek term-time deal that included two free day visit passes, so it's worth keeping an eye open in case that pops up again.
I can't wait to see how the plans to bring Great Wolf Lodge to the UK progress.
Work is already underway at the site near Bicester, which will include accommodation and other attractions as well as the waterpark.
And now discussions with Bolsover Council in Derbyshire to bring a second resort to Clowne near Chesterfield means we could get a park an hour north of us, as well as an hour south of us, as we are exactly in between the two Great Wolf spots.
Hopefully the American ethos of bigger is better will be in full force when Great Wolf unveils its plans.
The Sun has also listed the UK's best outdoor water parks and lidos – as temperatures rise.
Plus, the £75million indoor tropical waterpark that nearly opened in the UK.
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