Thorpe Park

The park is famous for its white-knuckle rides: the Stealth launches riders 205ft in the air, going from 0 to 80mph in 2.3 seconds; Detonator winches riders 100ft into the air and then fires them back to earth at 75km an hour; Tidal Wave is an 85ft drop through water; Colossus is a rollercoaster which climbs to 100 feet then hurtles riders through ten loops; Nemesis Inferno is a suspended rollercoaster featuring a journey through the heart of an erupting volcano; and Quantum is a stomach lurching vertical repeating ride.

Many of the rides here are designed for teens and older children, and have height restrictions. That said, parents with young (or short) children will find plenty to do at Neptune's Beach (a big paddling and sunbathing spot), Octopus Garden (little, friendly rides) and the delightful Mr Monkey's Banana Ride, with its slightly sinister commentary.

Teenagers, meanwhile, will love the horrifyingly fast Stealth (standstill to 80mph in two seconds, plus a hideous vertical drop), the gore of horror-themed white-knuckler Saw (and the 'Saw Alive' horror maze,with six 'live action' rooms, opened next door) and the spiralling water drop raft ride Storm Surge, which opened in 2011. New for 2012 (opening March 15) is Swarm, Europe's tallest wing coaster offering 'a head- first, inverted drop from 127 ft'.

The staff at Thorpe Park are mostly young and extremely friendly, which makes for a pleasant atmosphere.