Every UK Theme Park Ranked by Rides for Under 100cm

The Complete Ranking

We checked every ride at all 41 UK theme parks in our directory and counted how many a child under 100cm can go on. For this ranking, "under 100cm" means a child of 99cm, and a ride counts if they can board it either on their own or with an adult riding alongside.

Two things to know before you read the table:

• Counts include play areas, shows and walk-through attractions, not just rides. A park with lots of soft play will score well, which is fair for a toddler day out, but worth knowing.
• Rides whose height rule the park doesn't publish are not counted. We only count a ride when the park's own information confirms your child can board it.

Here's the full list, ranked by the number of rides and attractions open to a 99cm child. The table is calculated from our current ride data, so it updates whenever a park's rules change.

The Parks at the Top

Twinlakes Park (Leicestershire) has one of the longest lists in the country: 38 of its 47 rides and attractions are open to a child under 100cm. A big share of that is indoor and outdoor play, but there are real rides too. Mercury Mini Coaster takes riders from 90cm with an adult, Rum Runner Coaster from 95cm with an adult, and the indoor Davey Jones Barrel Run from 90cm with an adult.

Crealy Adventure Park (Devon) lets under-100cm visitors onto 34 of its 38. Crealy's trick is a 92cm "with an adult" rule on rides that would be off-limits elsewhere: the Maximus coaster, the Tidal Wave log flume and the Vortex water slides all take riders from 92cm with an adult.

Paultons Park (Hampshire), home of Peppa Pig World, has 33 rides and attractions for a 99cm child, 18 of them with no height rule at all. Beyond Peppa Pig World, Dino Chase is a family coaster from 85cm with an adult. Read our Peppa Pig World vs Thomas Land comparison →

Lightwater Valley (North Yorkshire) has 32 of its 40 open at this height, including the Ladybird coaster from 90cm with an adult, plus plenty of play areas and boats with no height rule.

Drayton Manor (Staffordshire) offers 28, mostly thanks to Thomas Land, where many rides take children of any height as long as an adult rides with them.

Smaller Parks Where Almost Everything Is Open

Raw counts favour big parks. If you'd rather your child could do nearly everything they see, look at the share column instead:

• Watermouth Castle (Devon): 97% open under 100cm, though many of its attractions are castle exhibits and gardens rather than rides.
• Camel Creek Adventure Park (Cornwall): 96% open, including the Clown Coaster from 90cm.
• Sundown Adventureland (Nottinghamshire): 95% open, built around rides that take any height with an adult.
• GreenWood Family Park (North Wales): 86% open, and 19 of its attractions have no height rule at all.

Surprises in the Data

The big-name resorts are better for toddlers than their reputations suggest. Alton Towers has 23 rides and attractions for a child under 100cm, most of them in CBeebies Land. Chessington has 22, helped by its World of PAW Patrol rides (90cm with an adult) and several rides that take any height with an adult. Read our Alton Towers vs Thorpe Park comparison →

LEGOLAND Windsor has no ride without a height rule, yet most of it is open. None of LEGOLAND's 32 rides is rule-free, but 23 accept a child under 100cm when an adult rides too. The adult is the key, so plan your group around it.

Thorpe Park sits near the bottom. Only 7 of Thorpe Park's 25 rides and attractions are open to a 99cm child, and the ones with no rule at all are a cinema, a beach and a playground. It's a park for older children and teenagers.

The Gulliver's parks are all solid picks. All four sites are aimed at younger children: Gulliver's Valley has 30, Gulliver's World 23, Gulliver's Land 21 and Gulliver's Kingdom 18.

Under 90cm: A Shorter List

If your child is still under 90cm, the picture changes. 90cm is the most common first height limit in UK parks, so a lot of family rides that count in the main ranking drop out a few centimetres lower. This table ranks the same parks for a child of 89cm:

The parks that hold up best are the ones built around attractions with no height rule at all, or rides that take any height with an adult. Sundown Adventureland has 20 of its 22 attractions open to any height (some with an adult), and at Watermouth Castle 25 have no rule at all. Parks where a big batch of family rides starts at exactly 90cm lose much more: Alton Towers drops from 23 at 99cm to 12 at 89cm, and LEGOLAND Windsor from 23 to 11.

When your child does reach 90cm, the jump is big. Our guide to every ride that unlocks at 90cm shows which parks gain the most, and our first theme park visit guide covers planning a day with a toddler.

Rainy Days Under 100cm

A British summer doesn't always cooperate, and a toddler day out can fall apart quickly in the rain. These are the UK parks with the most indoor rides and attractions, with the number open to a 99cm child alongside:

These counts include indoor play areas and shows, and on piers they can include arcades and cafés, so open the park page to see what each one actually is. Crealy Adventure Park and Twinlakes Park both have several indoor play areas alongside indoor rides, and at Sundown Adventureland, Robin Hood's Merry Adventure and Santa's Sleigh Ride are indoor rides that take any height with an adult. Our guide to rainy-day indoor theme park rides goes into more detail.

What Changes at 100cm?

Crossing 100cm opens a second wave of rides at many parks. These are the parks where a child gains the most by reaching it:

Read the full 100cm milestone guide →

Check Your Child's Exact Options

This ranking uses a single cutoff, but your child's exact height matters. A child at 95cm has different options from one at 85cm, and some rides that need an adult at 95cm can be ridden alone a little later.

Enter your child's height on any UK park page to see their ride-by-ride breakdown, or use the height planner to compare parks side by side. If the "with an adult" rules are new to you, our guide to riding with an adult vs alone explains how they work. Bringing an older brother or sister too? Our guide to visiting with siblings of different heights ranks parks by the rides children of different heights can share.

Frequently asked questions

Which UK theme park has the most rides for children under 100cm?

The table at the top of this page has the current order. At our latest check, Twinlakes Park (38), Crealy Adventure Park (34) and Paultons Park (33) were at the top. If you'd rather your child could do nearly everything, look at the share column instead.

Is Thorpe Park suitable for a child under 100cm?

Not really. Only 7 of Thorpe Park's 25 rides and attractions are open to a 99cm child. If you're choosing between the two big Merlin parks, our Alton Towers vs Thorpe Park comparison shows why Alton Towers is the better pick at this height.

Are there rides for toddlers under 90cm?

Yes. Most parks have some rides with no height rule, or rides that take any height when an adult rides along, plus play areas and shows. The under-90cm table above shows which parks have the most.

Do I have to ride with my child?

Often, yes. At many parks a large share of the rides open to an under-100cm child need an adult on board; at LEGOLAND Windsor and Drayton Manor, most of them do. Plan your group so there's an adult free for each small rider.

Do play areas and shows count in these rankings?

Yes. The counts include play areas, shows and walk-through attractions as well as rides, so a park with lots of soft play scores well. Each park page breaks its list down so you can see exactly what's included.

Are toddlers measured with shoes on?

Usually, yes. Parks normally measure children in their shoes, so measure at home in the shoes your child will wear on the day. If they're very close to a limit, our article on the last 2cm before a height limit explains what to expect at the ride entrance.