Affordable UK theme park my family loves more than Alton Towers – the tickets are cheaper and queues are shorter

IF you love a day out to a family theme park but not the price that goes with it, I've found an option where the cost is lower and the queues, shorter.

My family of five loves a trip to the four Gulliver's parks around England, including sites in Warrington, Yorkshire and Derbyshire.

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I've been visiting since childhood, so it's a trip down memory lane for me every time we go.

Our favourite is Gulliver's Land at Milton Keynes as it's flat to walk around, great for all ages and is easy to get to, just off the M1 in the middle of the country.

This location is also home to Gulliver's Dinosaur and Farm Park so that's a bit of a bonus if you want to make the most of your trip to Milton Keynes.

We celebrated my thrill-seeker son's 9th birthday at Gulliver's Land one summer as day tickets were only £15 each, even during school holidays. 

If you're not bothered about big name rides and just want all the theme park staples like a log flume and rollercoasters, this could be the perfect place for you.

Families with small children can easily keep their little ones entertained, without having to walk for miles.

The JCB Zone is like a theme park within a theme park, focusing on all things digger related, including demolition dodgems, the Crazy Crane drop ride and kiddy-sized machinery to operate.

It's a bit like Thomas Land at Drayton Manor or Cbeebies Land at Alton Towers, as it’s a self-contained space with covered picnic benches, right next to the entrance.

The only danger here is that you might not get the chance to see the rest of the park, if your little ones want to spend the day getting stuck in with the diggers....dragging them away could prove a challenge!

You can even stay overnight in a construction cabin if you're enjoying a short break on site.

One of the things that I love about Gulliver's is that you can often get amazing discounts which drop the price right down for a family day out.

One year, we enjoyed a Christmas trip to see Santa for £30 for all five of us, which included time meeting the big man in his grotto, picking out a present for each of the children in the gift shop and two hours of ride access.

I've never managed to beat that deal, but there always seems to be some great promotions that keep prices pocket-friendly.

Earlier this year, I spotted an early bird code that took 25 per cent off day tickets and short breaks for 2025, as long as booking was before February 7.

With that offer I can take my family of five to Gulliver's Kingdom in Matlock Bath during the school summer holidays for just £200, including two days of ride access, cooked meals, an overnight stay in a themed room and evening entertainment.

A similar trip to Alton Towers in the middle of August would cost more than £500 and that doesn't include an evening meal, so you can't really beat a brilliant bargain break at Gulliver's.

Like at other theme parks with accommodation, you can choose a room that appeals to your youngsters’ tastes, whether that's Wind in the Willows at Matlock Bath, sea creatures, princesses and pirates at Rother Valley or Nerf or Swizzels sweetie suites at Warrington.

And if your trip to a theme park isn't complete without meeting your favourite kids’ characters, they seem to have that covered at Gulliver's too.

We met Bing one year and they've also had appearances from the likes of Dennis the Menace and even the Very Hungry Caterpillar.

If you've not had the chance to check this chain out, maybe 2025 is the year to give it a go?

It may seem like Lilliput compared to some of its better-known competitors, but you could end up finding a new family favourite and saving yourself some cash along the way.

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