The best 13 waterparks in the UK

Ask your kids what they like most during their camping holiday and they’ll probably choose to spend one or more days at a waterpark. JetCamp has selected 13 of the best waterparks in the UK with loads of water-based fun for the whole family. Some magnificent parks are due to open in 2023 or 2024, including our number 13, the Elysium Waterpark in Bournemouth. Some waterparks have adjacent campsites, so we’ll start with these first. 

Sunshine, heat, rain or wind, at these great indoor and outdoor waterparks in the UK you’ll keep sliding and splashing.

The Alton Towers Resort theme park in Alton, Staffordshire is one of the best known waterparks in the UK. Around a real castle you'll find an array of rides, attractions and activities. The waterpark is open year-round and the beach and tropical lagoon have an almost Caribbean feel. Top attractions include the Master Blaster rollercoaster ride, the Wacky Waterworks Tree House, the Flash Floods outdoor flume adventure and several waterfalls, myriad slides and a relaxing spa for parents. Make it a camping holiday and stay if one of the Alton Towers Waterpark: Enchanted Village Luxury Treehouses, Enchanted Village , Woodland Lodges or Stargazing Pods

For information and tickets: https://www.altontowers.com/

Pods, domes, iglu huts, safari tents and houseboats, the Let's Go Hydro Resort in Carryduff (Belfast) has many glamping options for an overnight stay. Book ahead for the summer holidays and make sure to bring your swimming gear. The aqua park offers a large inflatable obstacle course with climbing walls, 2.4m high slides and floating trampolines. Beyond the waterpark, LG Hydro offers paddleboarding, wakeboarding, kneeboarding, open water swimming and kayaking. And let’s not forget the pedalo boats and the floating cinema. Open from April to October. 

For information and tickets visit: https://letsgohydro.com/

Water warriors head to North Yorkshire Waterpark in Wykeham near Scarborough (North Yorkshire). The aquapark organizes a range of inflatable floating obstacle courses for individuals, groups and even for babies from 3 years old! Courses include Wipeout, an inflatable course with rockers, slides, stepping stones, swings, jumps and balance beams, Warrior which includes rockers, climbing walls, enormous slides, trampolines, jumps, balance bars and rollers. Splash Kingdom is their inflatable waterpark for juniors aged from 3 – 7. The waterpark has an adjacent Camping North Yorkshire Water Park with facilities for caravans, motorhomes and tents spead across three fields. 

For information and tickets visit: https://www.northyorkshirewaterpark.co.uk/

Just north of the city centre of Scarborough (North Yorkshire) and right next to North Bay Beach is Alpamare, a classic park with a twist. It has all the smashing and splashing thrills including the flume rides and (wave)pools, but also a 35-degree heated outdoor infinity pool filled with iodine water. Heal your body while gazing over the bay. Alpamare has its own alpine spa including a sauna, a hammam and a range of relaxing treatments. 

Camping in Scarborough? Rent a mobile home at the Cayton Bay Holiday Park - Parkdean which has an indoor pool, mini golf and adventure park.

For information and tickets visit: http://www.alpamare.co.uk/

We anticipated writing about the Blue Lagoon subtropical indoor water park which is located just north of the Oakwook Theme Park within the Bluestone National Park Resort, but since Wild Lakes offers o so romantic tipi dining, we simply had to choose them. Wild Lakes is located south of Oakwook in Narberth (Pembrokeshire) and offers wake boarding, indoor climbing, ringo, wild swimming, an aqua park and yoga, all in a pleasant laidback atmosphere. Free adults classes on Sunday, dogs welcome, just walk-in for a coffee. When staying at the Trecco Bay Holiday Park - Parkdean in Newton, Wild Lakes is about 1h15 by car.

For information and tickets visit: https://www.wildlakeswales.com/

Thrill-seeker alert: this is not only the UK’s largest indoor waterpark it is also home to the Aztec Falls ride which flies you right out of the building and back in again and of the 250m Masterblaster rollercoaster slide, the longest in the world. Located on Blackpool’s famous promenade Sandcastle offers an amazing 18 slides including the Montazooma (with 360-degree loops) and the near-vertical Sidewinder. Rent a VIP Tiki Cabin for the day and enjoy the tropical 28C temperatures.

Marton Mere Holiday Village - Haven is only a short 12min ride by car from the waterpark. Marton Mere has both an indoor and outdoor pool and rents modern mobile homes and motorhome pitches.

For information and tickets visit: https://www.sandcastle-waterpark.co.uk/

The LC is the biggest indoor waterpark in Wales and features several waterslides, flume rides, a lazy rivers, a wave pool a surf-simulator. Heads up beginner surfers, you can learn to ride the waves on The Boardrider, a wave that never ends. 

The Trecco Bay Holiday Park - Parkdean in Newton is your best bet if you’re looking for a camping near the LC Swansea. Trecco Bay is pet-friendly campsite with an indoor pool, an outdoor aquatic area, on-site ropes course and several different restaurants, a bar and a cafe.

For information and tickets visit: https://www.thelcswansea.com/waterpark-2

It’s time to splash down in Poole, Dorset. This both indoor and outdoor waterpark has a grand total of 13 rides to choose from. Their high-speed thrills include the Screamer, the Velocity and the Baron’s Revenge with its near vertical-drop. The park also has several devoted splash areas for little ones aged under five. Rockley Park Holiday Park - Haven is 9km (20mins) from the park and easy to reach by car. Rockley Park has great leisure facilities including an indoor and outdoor pool and a tennis court and rents comfortable mobile homes. 

For information and tickets visit: https://www.splashdownwaterparks.co.uk/poole/

Set on the seafront at Goodrington Sands in Paignton (Torbay), this park holds the title of largest outdoor water park in the UK. It has eight outdoor water slides, including Devil’s Drop (the highest and fastest slide in the country), the Wild Kamikaze, the twisty Corkscrew, and a great pool for younger kids. Apart from being on the seaside, they have a beach bar, an ice cream hut and an arcade. Waterside Holiday Park - Park Holidays in Paignton has a lovely outdoor swimming pool and is located right on the beach.

For information and tickets visit: https://www.splashdownwaterparks.co.uk/quaywest/

Indoor water park Waterworld in Stoke-on-Trent (Staffordshire) has a number of slides and rides as well as rapids, and a water assault course. It is known for its impossibly twirly Stormchaser, the 17mph Hurricane slide, the Cyclone slides, the family friendly Black Hole and Python, the Space Bowl and the sheer drop of the Thunderbolt. The park is kept at 30°C, so expect it to be tropical. For more fun play a round on the 18 holes adventure mini golf course. Glamping at Holly Grove Farm rents lovely glamping huts and is located 20mins by car from the waterpark.

For information and tickets visit: https://www.waterworld.co.uk/

Liquid Leisure is set on a large lake in Windsor, close to Slough and about 1,5 hours west of London. Challenge your friends, colleagues or family members at the Total WipeOut assault courses. Liquid Leisure has the largest inflatable obstacle course in Europe. Don’t hit the water while conquering the Aqua Jungle or get behind on the Ninja Warrior. Tired or just in the mood for some swimming and relaxing? Try the enormous Aqua Park or book a wakeboarding or water-skiing lesson. Finish the day with a bit of sunbathing on the waterfront beach, or sit back and relax in the lakeside bar with a coke or a beer. Looking for a campsite near Liquid Leisure? Try California Chalet & Touring Park in Wokingham.

For information and tickets visit: https://windsor.liquidleisure.com/

Time Capsule (Coatbridge, Scotland) has an array of amazing and exciting features to keep you and your family or friends splashing for hours. The Tornado Tantrum is the only indoor water ride in Scotland where four people can ride together! Or what about Splashdown Island? Its water bucket holds 2,000 litres of water, takes approx. 9mins to fill and tips approx. 72 times on a peak day. Be sure not to miss the 100m high speed Storm Chasers, Thunder and Lightning with their amazing twisting twin flumes. End the day by testing your strength in the Tsunami wave pool or while floating down the Riptide River. Camping Lomond Woods Holiday Park in Balloch is about 1hr by car from the waterpark and rents mobile homes, glamping pods and pitches.

For information and tickets visit: https://www.activenl.co.uk/time-capsule/water/waterpark

The Elysium Waterpark in Bournemouth is planned to open in 2023. A 300,000 square metres waterpark in an Indiana Jones atmosphere, that’s the Elysium. Elysium will be the largest indoor water park in the UK with a surf lagoon in which five different types of waves can be created using special technology. On top there will be thrilling rides and slides, splash pools, wave machines and lazy rivers, with some rides even using Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) technologies. The aqua park will use statues, temples and exotic trees and plants to create an Indiana Jones atmosphere. It will also include a lake, large tube attractions where visitors can float down spacious rivers, walking paths, a spa with saunas, a hammam, lounging areas and a range of restaurants. Camping in Bournemouth? Try the Camping Oakdene Forest Park - Shorefield in St Leonards. It has both an indoor and outdoor swimming pool and rents comfortable mobile homes.

For information and tickets visit: https://www.facebook.com/Elysium-Waterpark-432755190857969/