Is Paultons Park your top UK theme park?

[Matt N]

Following the opening of Valgard at Paultons Park last week, there has been a lot of coverage from enthusiasts of the new area. As is now usual with Paultons Park, this reception is almost wholly positive, and it has led many vloggers and similar types to proudly declare Paultons Park “the best theme park in the UK”. TripAdvisor awards, theme park awards and the like have reached a similar conclusion, so with this in mind, I would be interested to know; in your view, is Paultons Park your top UK theme park?

These questions are always a little subjective, so with the qualifier that this is for my own personal taste, I’m going to say no. Even with Valgard, it’s a park that I’m quite happy only visiting when they put in a new draw (which has had me there quite a lot recently, to be fair; I’ve been both last year and this year, and I will almost certainly go again next year for Serpent’s Curse!), whereas Alton Towers and Thorpe Park are parks that I will quite happily return to at least once a season, frequently multiple times a season (I’ve already attended both twice so far in 2026), regardless of investment levels, and Blackpool Pleasure Beach would possibly be in the same category if I lived closer (I sadly live nearly 200 miles south of the park by car and 4+ hours away by train, so getting there is more of a trip than I’d like, but I will certainly be revisiting this year for Aviktas!).

To put it simply; for my personal taste, the park is still quite small and lacks compelling things for my demographic compared to others in the country. The rides, while fun, are mostly family rides aimed at a younger demographic, and Drakon, while fun and a welcome step up coaster-wise, isn’t really a thrill ride that is personally compelling me to want to return regularly any more so than I did before. As shallow as it probably sounds, I like a park to have a good selection of rides that compel me to visit, and Alton and Thorpe personally still scratch that itch better than any other park in the country for me.

As I said in the unpopular opinions thread a little while back, I do think Paultons is generally slightly overhyped by enthusiasts at present. While the rides are fun and in many cases great additions that fit a park of Paultons’ calibre well, I don’t think any of them are hugely ambitious or exciting choices even for the target market of Paultons Park, and while I concede that Paultons does very well on small details and overall finish and produce absolutely gorgeous, well-polished themed areas, I think their theming still lacks the degree of theatre, narrative and raw impact that some of Merlin’s best work has in it. And fundamentally, I think it still is a small regional park, as much as lots of people want it to be a national player.

With that being said, I can see why a young family might rate the park as their favourite in the country. For a family with younger children up to the age of about 10 or so, I would say Paultons has a very strong lineup that is right up there within the country. And the park’s commitment to guest experience and a pleasant environment is undeniable; the park is well-kept and nice to be in, the experience is low-stress, and even on an extremely busy day, queues remain very bearable. And I should also stress that the park undeniably has an incredibly positive trajectory compared to other UK parks, and the rate of investment and improvement has been impressive for a park of Paultons’ calibre.

But what are your thoughts? Do you think Paultons Park is your top UK theme park?

 

[Rob Coasters]

I think it is the most well-managed park in the UK and by far the one with the most promising future, but it lacks "return value". Despite all of the expansions, the only time I return to the park is when they build something new, and the same cannot be said for a place like Thorpe where I'm always happy to go back.
The way I view Paultons is that it feels like Flamingo Land with a lot more care put into it. Both parks are filled with stock models that you can find in most other parks, Paultons just does things quite notably better with theming & genuine passion put into how the rides are presented and kept fresh. However, the biggest similarity is that I don't feel a need to go back to either park until they add a major new addition that interests me and warrants the journey.
But that's okay. Paultons knows their audience well, I just don't really fit into that as much as others.

Best managed park in the UK? Yes.
Best theme park to visit? That goes to Thorpe Park.
Best park in terms of "I want to go back" value? That too goes to Thorpe Park.

It should be noted that this is the first year since 2017 that I have not renewed my Merlin Annual Pass (which was downgraded to a Thorpe Park annual pass in 2025). I do not intend on visiting Thorpe Park this year as much as I have previously, but it's still a more-or-less guaranteed good day out whenever I decide to go.
It should also be noted that I always have a good day at Paultons Park, but after riding a few of the attractions once or twice, I feel ready to leave, whereas at Thorpe I can reliably stay from open to close.
It should also be noted that Blackpool Pleasure Beach would otherwise be my favourite park in the UK if it wasn't for all of the ride closures. I cancelled my Aviktas opening day ticket when it was discovered that, for the third or fourth year in a row, Grand National would not be opening until June, and that is extremely frustrating.

 

[Niles]

For me yes, im at the point now where i go to UK parks when they add something new that interests me or a friend or family member wants to go.

While the hardware at all four Merlin parks is better and some of the attractions are themed fantastically, in all my recent visits there is allways something wrong, closed rides, annoying GP, long queues, unkept and bad investments.

Ive yet to have a bad day at Paultons and i allways have a nice time, even though its pricey to get in i feel i get my moneys worth. They are the underdog going up against a giant and they are my local lifelong park so i love seeing how they have thrived. Part of it definitely is that if the parks were in a race to be the best it feels like Paultons came out of nowhere while Merlins parks just sort of span around, walked forward then backwards or just shot their own foot. My disappointment in Merlin definitely plays a part so im happy to see some improvements in recent years but they still have some work.

 

[kristalic]

I think it's got the brightest future compared to its past out of all the UK parks, but towers thorpe and blackpool all still beat it for me despite their many issues.

 

[DJ Tripper]

It's just down the road from me and since my daughter turned 11 I haven't been there. I plan to change this when they open the water coaster next year though.

Paultons has a lot going for it and is an exceptionally well run park. However many issues Thorpe has the ride line up smashes Paultons for me so on that basis Thorpe is my favourite UK park.