If you’re looking for an exciting, action-packed way to spend family time together, nothing can beat an afternoon at a water park.
Whether your children want to enjoy a swim, splash down a water slide or tackle something more challenging — like a giant floating obstacle course — you’ll find something to suit everybody.
With so many amazing water parks within easy reach of London, you’re truly spoilt for choice. So, for a fun-filled adventure that gives everyone that holiday feeling, check out the following top-rated family-friendly destinations!
1. Thorpe Lakes Aqua Park, Surrey
Distance from London: 1 hour by car, 1 hour 10 min by train
Reviews: 4.5/5 stars from 536 reviews on Google
Thorpe Lakes Aqua Park in Surrey is a large outdoor water park featuring a floating obstacle course on the lake. Set over 150 acres, this is an exciting day out for the whole family, with waterskiing and wakeboarding lessons also on offer for all ability levels.
The park is suitable for those aged eight years and above, although kids younger than six years need to be accompanied by an adult. Thorpe Lakes also requires that all visitors can swim 50 metres with a life jacket on.
A range of meals, snacks and drinks can be enjoyed at the burger shack. Visitors are not permitted to bring their own refreshments into the park.
Where to book tickets to Thorpe Lakes Aqua Park:
You can book tickets on the Thorpe Lakes Aqua Park website.
Tickets for a 55-minute session are £20 per person, with optional wetsuit hire available for £5.
The booking system offers sessions for specific age groups throughout the day to help keep everyone safe, and it’s important to choose the correct age slot when you book online. Adults are allowed into sessions for all age groups when accompanying children.
Limited Aqua Tots sessions for those under six years take place in the summer for £9 per child, with a free ticket for the accompanying adult.
Exclusive hire is available for schools, corporate events and parties.
2. Shepperton Splash, Shepperton
Distance from London: 54 min by car, 1 hour 26 min by train
Reviews: 4.4/5 stars from 204 reviews on Google
Shepperton Splash in Shepperton is an eco-friendly waterpark with a great selection of activities to enjoy. Tackle the giant outdoor Aqua Park obstacle course or give kayaking, paddleboarding or disc golf a try. You can also simply enjoy an open water swim in the vast lake.
Shepperton Splash changes and improves the Aqua Park every year to keep it interesting, so there will always be something new for you to enjoy.
This park is suitable for six-year-olds and above, although those aged between six and nine years must be accompanied by an adult on the water. Also, all children must be over 1.1 metres tall and able to swim 50 metres with a buoyancy aid.
Refreshments, including hot food, can be purchased from a food van on-site, but you can’t bring any of your own food and drink unless it’s a birthday cake!
Where to book tickets to Shepperton Splash:
You can book tickets on the Shepperton Splash website.
Tickets for a 50-minute Aqua Park session are £18 per person or £60 for four people. Optional wetsuit hire costs £5 online in advance or £7.50 on the day.
You can also organise birthday parties, corporate events and group bookings at Shepperton Splash.
3. Aqua Parcs, Milton Keynes
Distance from London: 1 hour 50 min by car, 1 hour 15 min by train
Reviews: 4.6/5 stars from 424 reviews on Google
Aqua Parcs in Milton Keynes features a 400-metre-long outdoor obstacle course on the lake with 30 different components to conquer, plus the brand new Extreme Section for a more daring challenge.
This water park welcomes visitors over six years old who can independently swim at least 25 metres. Those aged six to seven years must be supervised by an adult at all times.
There is a restaurant on-site where you can enjoy a range of refreshments, as well as a playground to entertain younger children while their siblings are out on the water.
Where to book tickets to Aqua Parcs:
You can book tickets on the Aqua Parcs website.
Tickets for a 50-minute session are £22 per person or £79.20 for a family ticket, with wetsuit hire included. If you wish to book a double session to enjoy more time on the water, then discounts are available.
You can also hire the entire park for birthday parties, hen & stag dos and corporate events.
4. Bewl Water Aqua Park, Wadhurst
Distance from London: 1 hour 30 min by car, 2 hours by train
Reviews: 4.3/5 stars from 36 reviews on Google
Bewl Water Aqua Park in Wadhurst is an outdoor inflatable adventure full of challenges for the whole family. Set on the largest reservoir in the South East, visitors to Bewl Water Aqua Park also have the option to camp nearby, so it’s easy to turn a day out into a weekend getaway.
Children must be at least six years old and 1.2 metres tall to visit this waterpark. They also need to be confident swimmers. Children up to the age of 13 must be accompanied by an adult.
The Waterfront Café is the perfect place to refuel and enjoy a stunning view of the lake after your session.
Where to book tickets to Bewl Water Aqua Park:
You can book tickets on the Bewl Water Aqua Park website.
Tickets for a 50-minute session are £23 per person and include wetsuit hire.
Special rates are offered for exclusive hire of the Aqua Park.
5. Aqua Action, Ilford
Distance from London: 1 hour by car, 1 hour by train
Reviews: 4.5/5 stars from 232 reviews on Google
Aqua Action is an inflatable water park on Fairlop Waters — a large lake on the border of Essex and London. Here, you can tackle the huge climbable inflatables, run along the floating walkways and splash down the slides into the water. In the surrounding areas of the lake, you can enjoy a soft play area or rent a boat to explore.
Aqua Action welcomes visitors from six years of age, but those aged up to eight must be with an adult at all times. Children need to be able to swim 20 metres unaided to be eligible for entry.
This park requires everyone to wear grip socks, which can be purchased online in advance of your visit or at reception on the day for £2.
Once you’ve finished your adventure, head on over to the Fiskardos Restaurant on the edge of the lake for authentic Greek cuisine or the Boat House Cafe for snacks and drinks.
Where to book tickets to Aqua Action:
You can book tickets on the Aqua Action website.
Tickets for a 55-minute session are £20 per person, with wetsuit hire included. For true waterpark fanatics, a pass can be purchased for £120, allowing for as many visits as you like in the season.
Exclusive hire for parties and groups is available with a discount for ten people or more.
6. Southlake Waterpark, Little Paxton
Distance from London: 1 hour 58 min by car, 2 hours 4 min by train
Reviews: 4.7/5 stars from 160 reviews on Google
Found close to the Paxton Pits Nature Reserve, Southlake Waterpark features a giant floating obstacle course on the lake, with different obstacles to suit a range of ability levels.
On your visit to Southlake Waterpark, you can also book sessions for paddleboarding, wakeboarding, water skiing and other water-based fun. There’s also the option to go for a swim or join a yoga session on the edge of the lake.
Children must be at least six years old, over 1.2 metres tall and able to swim 50 metres unaided. Those under ten years old must be accompanied by an adult.
For hot and cold food and drinks, including vegan and gluten-free options, head to The Swervery Cafe in the Waterski Clubhouse.
Where to book tickets to Southlake Waterpark:
You can book tickets on the Southlake Waterpark website.
Tickets for a 50-minute session are £18 per person in advance or £23 when purchased on-site. Discounts are offered for bookings of ten or more people. Wetsuit hire is optional and costs an extra £5 per person.
Exclusive hire for all kinds of events is available, including parties, corporate events and festivals.
7. Box End Park, Bedfordshire
Distance from London: 1 hour 45 min by car, 1 hour 45 min by train
Reviews: 4.7/5 stars from 781 reviews on Google
Box End Park offers two huge outdoor aqua parks featuring one of the biggest water slides in the UK and an exciting range of other obstacles and challenges.
Visitors to Box End Park can also learn to wakeboard, go paddleboarding or get in the lake for a swim. Holiday camps for kids are on offer during the school holidays.
To enter the Aqua Park, children must be older than six years and at least 1.1 metres tall. They should also be able to swim 50 metres independently. Those under the age of nine years should be accompanied by an adult at all times.
Tables can be booked online for the Corner5 Restaurant to avoid disappointment on busy days, or you can purchase refreshments from the bar and relax on the decked terrace.
Where to book tickets to Box End Park:
You can book tickets on the Box End Park website.
Tickets for a 60-minute session are £17.50 per person. Optional wetsuit hire is an additional £5 per person or free for groups of 15 people or more.
Exclusive hire for corporate events and team building days is available.
8. Ride Leisure, Wyboston
Distance from London: 1 hour 36 min by car, 2 hours by train
Reviews: 4.6/5 stars from 217 reviews on Google
The Aqua Park at Ride Leisure in Wyboston is an outdoor adventure on the lake featuring trampolines, slides, balance beams, climbing walls, a ball game arena and other inflatable obstacles.
In addition to the Aqua Park, there’s an amazing range of activities on offer at Ride Leisure, such as kayaking, jet skiing, paddleboarding, 4×4 off-road driving, the chance to swim with a Newfoundland dog and more.
Children must be at least five years old and 1.22 metres tall to visit. They should also be able to swim 20 metres. Those under nine years must be supervised by an adult at all times.
The five-star Lakeside Kitchen and Bar in the park has an extensive menu and caters to different dietary requirements.
Where to book tickets to Ride Leisure:
You can book tickets on the Ride Leisure website.
Tickets for a 60-minute session are £18 per person, and spectators go free. Optional wetsuit hire is £5 per person.
Ride Leisure offers exclusive hire of the Aqua Park for corporate events and parties of up to 100 people.
9. Festival Wakeboard & Aqua Park, Essex
Distance from London: 1 hour 10 min by car, 1 hour 3 min by train
Reviews: 4.5/5 stars from 231 reviews on Google
Festival Wakeboard and Aqua Park in Essex boasts a huge floating outdoor obstacle course on the water.
Visitors can try their luck and test their balance across the Aqua Park, with the giant trampoline to bounce on, inflatable towers to climb and a hamster wheel to run on, plus more than 100 feet of walkway on the water.
Children must be six years old to enter, and those aged up to eight should be with an adult when on the water. Grip socks are mandatory in the Aqua Park and can be purchased for £2 if you don’t already have your own.
The on-site cafe provides a selection of hot and cold drinks, and there’s a range of other places close to the park where you can dine.
Where to book tickets to Festival Wakeboarding & Aqua Park:
You can book tickets on the Festival Wakeboarding & Aqua Park website.
Tickets for a 60-minute session are £20 per person. Optional wetsuit hire is £5 per person.
10. Curve Water Sports, Essex
Distance from London: 2 hours 5 min by car, 1 hour 55 min by train
Reviews: 4.7/5 stars from 413 reviews on Google
Curve Water Sports is home to the biggest outdoor inflatable water park in Essex, making this an exciting family day out that is full of adventure.
The huge obstacle course sits on a picturesque lake and features balance beams, trampolines, slides and much more. After you’ve enjoyed an hour of fun in the aqua park, you can also have a go at paddleboarding, wakeboarding, tubing or kayaking.
To enter, children must be six years or older, at least 1.1 metres tall and able to swim 25 metres. Kids under the age of eight must be supervised by an adult.
Decking on the water’s edge is the perfect place to dry off and enjoy refreshments from the cafe.
Where to book tickets to Curve Water Sports:
You can book tickets on the Curve Water Sports website.
Tickets for a 60-minute session are £22 per person, and a wetsuit is included.
The Aqua Park is available for exclusive hire for all kinds of groups and special celebrations.
Family-friendly water park safety
Taking your family to a water park is great fun, but you will need to be aware of all the safety requirements before you get started. That’s not to say that they shouldn’t let loose and have fun, but that keeping themselves and others safe should always be the priority.
All of the parks on our list ensure that lifeguards keep a watchful eye over the water and that they all have their own policies and procedures in place. A safety demonstration will be provided before all sessions begin, and various safety equipment, such as life jackets, soft caps and grip socks, will also be available.
