Blackpool Pleasure Beach was recently revealed as one of the UK’s top three “best value” theme parks – with only two destinations ranking above it on the list.
The incredible seaside theme park, which attracts more than five million visitors every year, appeared on the list behind two lesser known locations.
Paultons Park in Hampshire came top of the list, while Adventure Island in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, was named the “best value” theme park in Britain.
But having visited Blackpool Pleasure Beach as a child, I knew it offered something special – and as one of the most famous theme parks in Europe, I was excited to revisit it in my late 20s to relive the magic.
Visiting on a quiet Monday afternoon in mid-June, well before the English or Scottish school summer holidays, I was expecting the park to feel a bit more like a ghost town – but I was pleasantly surprised when I saw large groups of tourists enjoying themselves on a beautifully hot day as temperatures soared to 25C.
After arriving in Blackpool earlier that morning and checking in at the Holiday Inn opposite the town’s main train station, Blackpool North, I enjoyed a fish and chips before wandering for 30 minutes along the seafront before arriving at the park entrance shortly after 1pm.
There were large groups of schoolchildren, as well as families on holiday, and with 10 fantastic roller-coasters and dozens more attractions to take in, I wasted no time in heading for my favourite roller-coaster from memory, Infusion.
It’s my favourite because you feel like you’re flying as you turn upside down – but it perhaps wasn’t the best idea to go on straight after shovelling a large portion of fish and chips in my mouth.
I then headed to the Big One (which most people know as the “Pepsi Max”), the world-famous roller-coaster which was the tallest and steepest in the world when it first opened in 1996. The name changed when Pepsi stopped sponsoring it in 2011.
Although I was on my own, I still enjoyed myself a huge amount, and it was great fun being a solo thrill-seeker for the day. After the Big One, I headed next to Icon and Revolution, and some of the smaller rides like the Grand National which had hardly any queue at all.
But I decided to give the Val Halla a miss after I spotted a group of schoolchildren coming off the ride absolutely drenched in water from the ride. I was wearing jeans, not my best move, so thought best to head to the doughnut and coffee stand instead.
To my shock, I was able to get on all of the major rides in less than three hours, thanks to my VIP Speedy Pass, which allowed me to skip the queue for all of the major rides. However, due to the time of year, even if I didn’t have the pass, I would still have been able to comfortably get on all the rides in the space of a day trip to the Pleasure Beach.
There’s plenty of things to do for young families, or if heights aren’t your thing, including more than 20 rides with no height restrictions which are perfect for children, including Rugrats Lost River, Dora’s World Voyage and Sir Hiram Maxim’s Flying Machines.
There’s also a beautiful water fountain show, as well as plenty of places to eat, drink and put your feet up.
It comes after last year, Touch Casino conducted research into theme parks in Europe, evaluating factors such as online adult ticket price and TripAdvisor ratings.
Analysing a number of factors, they determined the theme parks that will give you the best bang for your buck – concluding that Blackpool Pleasure Beach deserved the number three spot on the list.
When planning your visit, it’s worth noting that it’s cheaper to buy your tickets in advance online, which cost from £33 for an adult.
To skip the queues at the UK’s “most ride intensive theme park”, you can buy the Standard Speedy Pass costing £27 per person, while the VIP Speedy Pass, costing £50 per person, allows you to reduce your queue time by 90%.
I visited Blackpool for 48 hours last month as part of a trip to discover why the seaside town had been named the UK’s “friendliest”. – and I was not left disappointed.
In fact, I had so much fun that I didn’t want to come home on the train back to London.
My highlights included a trip to Madame Tussauds, enjoying the spoils of Blackpool’s “best fish and chip shop”, and I also paid a visit to Blackpool’s newest tourist attraction, the Showtown Museum – which is proving extremely popular with locals and tourists alike.
The seaside town is currently benefitting from £2bn worth of investment, including an incredible new tram extension which makes it easier for tourists to reach Blackpool Pleasure Beach from the town’s main train station, Blackpool North.
A spokesperson for VisitBlackpool told Express.co.uk: “There are so many reasons why millions of people come to Blackpool every year. Award-winning attractions; an incredible range of free events; a year-round programme of top-class shows; great nightlife; a myriad of dining and accommodation offers to suit all tastes and pockets; beautiful beaches; and a wealth of culture and history, including iconic landmarks such as The Blackpool Tower, Pleasure Beach Resort, three piers, the magnificent Winter Gardens and the opulent Grand Theatre.”