If you are staying in Sheffield, you will not be short of things to do. The place is a teeming modern city replete with everything you can imagine but if you are one of those thrill seekers looking to test your metal on some of the biggest rides in the UK where are the best places to go?
We have scouted out the best attractions and theme parks within a couple of hours drive from the Steel City to see which have the coolest rides, offers and overall experience so that you can make the best choice of where to visit.
Flamingo Land Resort
Distance from Sheffield: 84 miles
Estimated driving time: 1hr 35mins
The name leads you to believe you will be heading to some sort of modern safari park containing flocks of pink-feathered filter feeders but, in fact, that doesn’t tell the whole story.
This park is a thrill seekers dream with a number of impressive coasters that will have your stomach trying to remember where the torso should be. Flamingo Land was opened in 1961 and named the Yorkshire Zoological Gardens. It has since had a couple of financial issues but survived to become a popular destination in the area.
For the thrill seekers: The Vekoma-built roller coaster named Kumali is a 4.7 G force coaster with four inversions, opened in 2006. It cost £6 million to build and is one of the most popular rides in the park.
Blackpool Pleasure Beach
Distance from Sheffield: 91 miles
Estimated driving time: 1hr 57mins
Blackpool in itself has plenty to keep everyone entertained with the sands, promenade and, of course, the Pleasure Beach. There are so many attractions at the Pleasure Beach and even grown-ups love it there!
There are a number of arcades offering chances to win real cash prizes. For some time now, you’ve been heading online for this kind of entertainment – there, you can bag offers such as 5 euros free, no deposit required, or even deposit bonuses. But that huge variety of games in the online casinos, those slots filled with brilliant colours, fun sounds and hilarious theming? Well, they’re all inspired by the ones you’ll find at Blackpool which offer a similarly immersive experience.
And once you’ve had enough of the indoor entertainment, you can head out for some breakneck-speed fresh air: in Blackpool, you have a huge range of rides, many of which have been at this traditional entertainment venue for several years.
For the thrill seekers: The Big One was the tallest coaster in the world upon completion in 1994 and is still a ride that thrill seekers love. The first drop is 62m long with top speeds of around 74mph. Nearly 5,500 feet of track give riders around three minutes of coaster excellence.
Wicksteed Park
Distance from Sheffield: 107 miles
Estimated driving time: 1hr 58mins
Built in 1921, Wicksteed Park is from another time and still has some rides that are relics of a different era. The park, situated near Kettering, has a huge array of activities alongside the rides with archery, abseiling, crazy golf and a boating lake just some of the options available.
It is a Grade II English Heritage Listed Park and Garden run by the Wicksteed Charitable Trust and is a great asset to the community.
For the thrill seekers: This one is slightly different from those mentioned above but should still offer just enough to thrill those on the hunt for an adrenaline rush. The Bag Jump involves launching yourself off a high platform onto an inflated bag below – fun, if you like that sort of thing.
