Thorpe Park – Visiting UK Theme Parks by Car

Continuing in our series of visiting theme parks in the UK see Chessington – Thorpe Park is another attraction that can be driven to from London.

If you’re visiting London, England a hire car will allow you to visit some of the attractions outside of the city. There are several theme parks that you can visit if you hire a car in London. In this article, we take a look at what Thorpe Park has to offer.

London Car Hire – Hiring a Car

It’s easy to arrange a hire car in London to get to Thorpe Park. Hiring a car online allows you to find low cost car hire specialists that offer some great cheap car hire deals. You can book your online and pick it up at the car hire UK airports or from other London car rental locations.

Getting to Thorpe Park

Thorpe Park is located in Surrey, just 20 minutes’ drive from London, so it’s easy to get to if you rent a car. Simply head out of London on the M25, take either junction 11 or junction 13 and follow the signs for Thorpe Park. It’s free to park your car in Thorpe Park’s car park, so car hire is a cheap and convenient option. If you hire a car, you’ll also be able to arrive at and leave the theme park when you like, as you won’t be dependent upon public transport timetables.

Thorpe Park – Extreme Thrill Rides

Thorpe Park has more than 30 rides, eleven of which are classed as extreme thrill rides. One of the most talked about rides at Thorpe Park at the moment is Saw – The Ride, a new rollercoaster themed around the horror film, Saw, which is due to open in Spring 2009. Saw – The Ride features a 100 ft drop at 100 degrees and its three inversions will give thrill-seekers the adrenaline rush that they are looking for.

Other extreme thrill rides at Thorpe Park include:

• Stealth, which the theme park claims is Europe’s fastest rollercoaster, and which reaches a speed of 80mph.
• Nemesis Inferno, an inverted rollercoaster with loops, dives and corkscrews, which reaches 50mph and is 115 ft tall.
• Colossus, the first rollercoaster in the world to feature ten loops and the first rollercoaster in the UK to include a quadruple corkscrew.
• Tidal Wave, a fast and furious log flume ride with an 85ft drop.
• Detonator, a 115 ft high drop ride which will take you to the top and then plummet to the bottom at 45mph within 3 seconds.

Thorpe Park – Other Rides

If you fancy something less extreme, Thorpe Park has plenty of other rides that you can enjoy. You can get drenched on the Rumba Rapids water ride on Depth Charge, a 40 ft long water slide, or on the Loggers Leap water flume. You can also ride a magic carpet on Quantum, take a trip on the Flying Fish family rollercoaster, or travel through time on the 4-D Time Voyagers movie adventure ride.
Thorpe Park also has many rides which are suitable for younger children, including the Canada Creek Railway and the Chief Ranger’s Carousel.

Thorpe Park – Dining and Shopping

There are ten food outlets at Thorpe Park, so you’ll find plenty of options when you fancy a bite to eat or a refreshing drink. There are also a number of shops where you can buy gifts, souvenirs, sweets and drinks.