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.
From our home in Leicestershire, we can visit five water parks on day trips, including , 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 , 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 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 itsto neighbouring , 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 , like Twinlakes near Melton Mowbray and Wheelgate up near Nottingham.
The new , due to open in 2027, andare 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 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 .
With free parking and a huge aqua inflatable course in the included in the price for some sessions, it really is incredible value for money.
There’s a on site and other 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 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 you can visit the waterpark from £15, depending on the date.
At the Wave in if your children are on benefits-related , you could use your Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) code to get family entry free for certain sessions in the
And while you can’t visit Center Parcs just for the day unless you know someone who is on 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 awe have a spare sixth space that we could assign to a friend or relative, even if they’re only coming for the day.
And there was recently a midweek term-time deal that included two 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 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 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 ethos of bigger is better will be in full force when Great Wolf unveils its plans.
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