
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
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.
Advertisement
6
Despite being landlocked, there are many waterparks in and close to Leicestershire
6
American holiday chain Great Wolf Lodge, is also due to create a waterpark near Bicester
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
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
So we're excited that American holiday chain Great Wolf Lodge, which has 23 resorts overseas, could be bringing one of its
Advertisement
Read more on waterparks
That'll mean my boys have access to eight indoor waterparks in
driving
distance, as well as several
The new
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
Advertisement
Most read in News Travel
With free parking and a huge aqua inflatable course in the
money
.
There's a
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.
The perfect Haven holiday park for a kid-friendly break - with direct beach access, indoor waterpark and neighbouring seaside theme park
At
Advertisement
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
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.
Advertisement
If my family of five book a
6
Parent and toddler waterpark tickets cost from £23 on term-time midweek dates at Alton Towers
Credit: Alamy
6
Waterworld in Stoke-on-Trent has a 'tornado alley' of waterslides
Credit: Alamy
6
Center Parcs also have good waterpark options
Advertisement
And there was recently a midweek term-time deal that included two
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
And now discussions with Bolsover Council in Derbyshire to bring a second resort to Clowne near
Advertisement
Hopefully the
The Sun has also listed
Plus, the
6
There are also discussions to bring a second resort to Clowne near Chesterfield
Advertisement

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Irish Independent
2 days ago
- Irish Independent
Takeover battle looms at Ireland's largest hotel operator
The offer of €6.05 per share by Pandox and Eiendomsspar represents a premium of just over 27pc on the €4.76 closing price of March 5, the last trading day before Dalata announced it was launching a strategic review, with one option being a sale. It is a 14pc premium to the three-month average price of €5.32 per share. Russ Mould, an analyst with AJ Bell, said: 'The big unknown is whether their proposed bid is enough to seal the deal and whether another party makes a higher offer. The consortium's 27.1pc bid premium is below the 36pc average on UK-listed takeovers so far this year. That leaves scope for someone else to come along and offer slightly more.' A number of American investment firms have already submitted bids for Dalata, according to reports by Green Street, a property news website. They are said to include Bain, Apollo and Starwood, which already owns 2.7pc of Dalata through an affiliate. The board of Dalata has hired Rothschild, an investment bank, to carry out the strategic review. The consortium said it has not participated in that process and formulated its proposal independently. Dalata is listed in Dublin and London, and its share price was boosted by the announcement of the bid. It was up over 8pc in London, to £5.10, and by over 5pc on Euronext in Dublin, reaching €6.07 at lunchtime. Eiendomsspar, one of the largest property owners in Norway, with its portfolio including 11 hotels, already has an 8.8pc stake in Dalata. It controls 36pc of the shares in Pandox, a Swedish firm that owns 163 hotels across 11 countries in Europe, with about 36,000 rooms. Based in Stockholm, Pandox develops and then leases hotels to operators under long-term deals. Its hotels in Ireland operate under the Leonardo brand. 'As established hotel investors with deep knowledge of the European hotel sector and experience in successfully executing similar transactions in the UK and Ireland, the consortium is well positioned to support Dalata's business and long-term growth ambitions,' it said in an announcement to the stock exchange. 'The consortium is currently negotiating with a reputable European hotel operator to enter into a framework agreement for the operation of the Dalata hotels if the consortium acquires Dalata. This operator shares the consortium's commitment to long-term profitability and sustainable growth.' ADVERTISEMENT Learn more Under takeover rules, the consortium has until July 15 to either announce a binding intention to make a bid for Dalata, or to pull out. Dalata, whose chief executive is Dermot Crowley and which was established in 2007, has a portfolio of 55 hotels in Ireland and Britain, both owned and leased, operating under the Maldron and Clayton brands. Its portfolio has grown by a third over the last four years, and it has declared an aim of having 21,000 rooms by 2030. In April, the company said it had done a deal with a Spanish real estate firm to lease to develop a Clayton hotel in Madrid. The share price was bumping along around the €4 mark for much of last year, leading its board to conclude that this did not reflect the asset base, performance, cash generation and growth prospects of the business. After the announcement of the strategic review, analysts at Jeffries said the external valuation on the estate of hotels was €1.64bn but adding in earnings from its leased estate, and its pipeline, the value could jump to 'at least €2bn'. Apart from Eiendomsppar, other prominent shareholders in Dalata include the Saudi conglomerate Zahid Group and the British hedge fund Helikon Investments, which has a stake of over 17pc. Barry English, founder of Winthrop Technologies, has built up a share of over 1pc in Dalata, but this is thought to be a value play rather than a signal of interest in purchasing, although he already owns Mount Juliet, the Johnstown Estate Hotel and Trim Castle Hotel.


The Irish Sun
2 days ago
- The Irish Sun
Aer Lingus launch new flight sale with prices from €192 to top holiday spots including New York, Orlando and Boston
AER Lingus bosses have launched a new flight sale with trips to dream American destinations from just €192 - but jetsetters need to act fast. Holidaymakers can choose from New York, Boston, Orlando, Chicago and many more with these amazing deals. 7 Aer Lingus has launched an American flight sale Credit: John Allen 7 Flight prices have been slashed on top American hotspots Credit: Getty Images - Getty 7 Choose from Boston, New York, Orlando and even Nashville with the latest sale Credit: Getty Images - Getty The popular Visit the city that never sleeps from Dublin airport this year as flights to New York are just €194.44. Explore the busy city of Chicago with flights from Dublin at €206.44 in September. READ MORE IN TRAVEL Choose from the wide range of theme parks and amusements in Florida this summer with Aer Lingus. With flights to Orlando from just €282.40 in September, have fun for all the family with hot spots like Disney World and Universal Studios. Taste some of the best pizza in the world or see a live baseball game in action in Chicago this year. With flights from just €206.44 from Dublin, you could tick the infamous Bean (Cloud Gate) off your bucket list this summer. Most read in The Irish Sun Country music fans are set to love the latest Nashville flight in September for just €294.91. And any I'm an Irish holidaymaker and I upgraded to Aer Lingus' business class for FREE Shannon Airport is supplying holiday-goers with the chance to go to America too with two popular routes on offer. Fly to New York JFK for just €194.21 from the 16 September. Or visit the stunning city of Boston with flights from €234.21. Meanwhile holidaymakers are set to love the newest route launched by Aer Lingus just in time for summer. Passengers can now book a holiday to , with direct flights from Dublin Aiport. It will run from January 6, 2026 until April 29 without needing to stop over on the way. According to the , fares to the "paradise" destination start from just €291 each way and will operate three times a week . 7 Fly from either Shannon or Dublin airport this September Credit: GETTY 7 Find fun for all the family with flights to Orlando from €282.40 Credit: GETTY 7 Aer Lingus unveiled direct flights from Dublin to Cancún Credit: Aer Lingus 7 Ireland's first direct flight from Dublin to Cancun is starting in January 2026 Credit: Naoise Culhane

The 42
2 days ago
- The 42
Pádraig Harrington narrowly misses out on US Open qualification
PÁDRAIG HARRINGTON MISSED out on a place at next week's US Open by the slenderest of margins despite shooting a 66 in the final round of qualifying in Columbus, Ohio. Three-time major winner Harrington was one shot off joining a play-off at Kinsale Golf and Fitness Club, where the top six players booked their spots at Oakmont on 12 June. Harrington's initial two-over-par 74 appeared to blow his chances but the Dubliner caught a heater on the front nine of his second 18, moving six under par through 11 holes for that round — four under overall — and into a tie for sixth, which would have been enough to seal a play-off. The birdies dried up from there, however, and a dropped shot on 17 all but ended Harrington's chances of booking a return to the US Open, in which he last competed in 2023. A birdie on the last wasn't enough to reenter the play-off picture. Graeme McDowell still has a chance of joining Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry at Oakmont after his final qualifier at Florida's Emerald Dunes was suspended due to inclement weather. The 2010 US Open champion sits on -4 overall, three shots shy of the provisional cut mark and in a share of 15th, with eight holes still to play. There are just four qualifying places on offer at Palm Beach. Advertisement Seámus Power, Tom McKibbin and amateur Patrick Keeling all missed out on qualification at their respective tournaments. South African Eric van Rooyen and Australian Marc Leishman were among those who earned berths at Oakmont next week from the final 36-hole qualifiers on Monday. Van Rooyen fired rounds of 64 and 67 to finish first on 13-under 131, with Americans Bud Cauley, Justin Lower and Lanto Griffin sharing second on 137 and countryman Harrison Ott on 138. That left a five-man playoff for the final available US Open berth, a fight that included US PGA Tour players Max Homa, Rickie Fowler, Eric Cole and Cameron Young plus compatriot Chase Johnson. Young won the spot with a birdie on the first playoff hole. Homa was notable as the only player carrying his own bag through the all-day affair. Van Rooyen, 35, missed the cut in his last three US Open starts over the past four years after making his best finish, a share of 23rd, in 2020. He is a two-time PGA Tour winner, most recently at Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, in 2023, and was a runner-up at last month's CJ Cup Byron Nelson tournament. At Woodmont in suburban Washington, Americans Ryan McCormack and Trevor Cone took the lead, claiming two US Open spots. That left a three-way playoff for two final US Open spots between Australian Marc Leishman, Colombian Sebastian Munoz from LIV Golf and American Bryan Lee. Leishman, who won his first LIV Golf title in April at Miami, and Lee parred the first two extra holes and booked their berths at Oakmont when Munoz lipped out a par putt to make bogey on the second playoff hole. At Lambton in York, Canada, it was American Kevin Velo setting the pace — but six others joined him including Danes Niklas Norgaard and Thorbjorn Olesen, England's Matt Wallace, Argentina's Emiliano Grillo, American Mark Hubbard and France's Victor Perez. Americans James Nicholas and Chris Gotterup led four qualifiers at Canoe Brook in Summit, New Jersey, with Mexico's Roberto Diaz and US amateur Ben James taking the last spots. American Zach Bauchou led qualifiers at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, with Mexicans Alvaro Ortiz and Emilio Gonzalez and American Alistair Docherty one stroke back to also qualify. – © AFP 2025, with reporting from Gavan Casey