A Family Day Out at Thorpe Park: William Takes on the Big Rides

There's something special about reaching a new milestone as a parent, and this summer we celebrated one that had been a long time coming. William has finally grown past the magic 1.4 metre mark, which meant that for the first time he was tall enough to experience every ride at Thorpe Park.

As William had an inset day from school, we decided it was the perfect opportunity for a family day out. We bought our tickets a few weeks in advance, as it's much more expensive to purchase them on the day.

We arrived at Thorpe Park at around 11am and were greeted by a queue of eager visitors. Despite it not being a school holiday, it still took around 30 minutes to get through the entrance. Once we were finally inside, there was only one place we were heading first.

Our first stop was Colossus. William had never been on a roller coaster with loops before, so this felt like a real milestone. Watching his mixture of excitement and nerves while waiting in line was almost as entertaining as the ride itself. Thankfully, he absolutely loved it and came off grinning from ear to ear.

With that first looping coaster conquered, there was no stopping him.

Over the course of the day we managed to fit in an impressive list of attractions, including Stealth, Saw – The Ride, Nemesis Inferno, The Walking Dead: The Ride, Storm Surge and, finally, Hyperia.

One thing we were particularly grateful for was the amount of shade provided in some of the queue lines. Temperatures were hovering around 30 degrees throughout the day, and standing in direct sunshine quickly became exhausting. Whenever we found ourselves in a shaded queue, it felt like a welcome chance to cool down before the next adrenaline rush.

The biggest challenge of the day was undoubtedly Hyperia. As Thorpe Park's newest coaster, it consistently attracts some of the longest queues in the park. Normally, I avoid spending over an hour waiting for any ride, but both boys were determined that we couldn't leave without giving it a go.

So we joined the queue.

More than an hour later, after what felt like an endless wait, we finally reached the front. Unfortunately, almost all of the queue was exposed to the blazing sunshine, with only the final ten minutes offering any real shade. By that point we were hot, tired and more than ready to head home.

Was it worth it? According to the boys, absolutely.

Hyperia delivered exactly the kind of thrills they had been hoping for, and despite the lengthy wait, it became one of the standout moments of the trip. Seeing William confidently take on every major coaster in the park made the whole day feel like a real milestone.

As we headed home, tired, sun-soaked and slightly worn out, we couldn't help but reflect on how much had changed since our previous visits. The little boy who once had to stand and watch some of the biggest rides from the sidelines was finally tall enough to experience them all.

And judging by the smiles on the journey home, it won't be long before we're planning our next family adventure.

One unexpected highlight of the day was the number of people who stopped us to say hello. After spotting us from one of our social media channels, several families came over throughout the day for a chat and to ask for a photo. It's always a little surreal when it happens, especially when you're simply trying to enjoy a family day out, but it's also incredibly humbling. We genuinely appreciate everyone who takes the time to come and speak to us, and it was lovely hearing about their own family adventures and experiences. To everyone who said hello at Thorpe Park – thank you for making our day even more memorable.