Your Child Hit 110cm — Here's Every Ride That Just Unlocked

The Honest Answer

If your child has just reached 110cm, here's the truthful version: in UK parks, 110cm opens fewer new rides than 100cm or 120cm. It's still worth celebrating, for a different reason. At 110cm a lot of rides your child already goes on with you become rides they can do on their own.

In numbers, a child of 109cm can go on 919 of the 1146 UK rides and attractions we track. At 110cm that becomes 968. Compare that with the step from 99cm to 100cm (806 to 905) and from 119cm to 120cm (972 to 1059).

As in our other milestone guides, a ride counts when your child can board it either alone or with an adult riding alongside.

How Big a Step Is 110cm?

Ride limits cluster on round numbers, so the count jumps at each 10cm line and barely moves in between. This ladder shows the UK steps either side of 100cm, 110cm and 120cm:

The 110cm step is real but modest in the UK and in France. The UAE is the exception: there, more rides start at 110cm than at 100cm, because many water slides use 110cm as their line. More on that below.

Where 110cm really matters: riding alone

Many family rides have two heights: a lower one with an adult and a higher one to ride alone. In UK parks, more rides switch to "on their own" at 110cm than at 100cm. Only 120cm frees up more.

That makes the biggest difference at parks built for younger children. At Chessington, Seastorm, Trawler Trouble, Treetop Hoppers, Tiny Truckers and the PAW Patrol rides Chase's Mountain Mission, Skye's Helicopter Heroes and Marshall's Firetruck Rescue take children on their own from 110cm, along with The Gruffalo River Ride Adventure and Room on the Broom - A Magical Journey. At Alton Towers, Octonauts Rollercoaster Adventure, Bluey the Ride: Here Come the Grannies!, Battle Galleons and The Curse at Alton Manor all become solo rides at 110cm. It won't change the count in the tables, but it changes the day, especially if one adult is juggling two children.

The UK Parks That Gain the Most at 110cm

This table compares each park just below the line (109cm) with the line itself (110cm), assuming an adult rides along where allowed.

The gains are small everywhere, a handful of rides at most. Some well-known parks don't appear at all: Adventure Island and Brighton Palace Pier have nothing that starts at exactly 110cm, so a child there waits for 120cm. Here's what does open.

Thorpe Park

At Thorpe Park, 110cm opens Storm Surge, Zodiac and Big Easy Bumpers with an adult, and Dobble Tea Party on its own. That takes a child from 7 to 11 of 25 rides. Most of Thorpe Park's rides still need 120cm or more.

Alton Towers

At Alton Towers, 110cm opens Runaway Mine Train, Congo River Rapids and Marauder's Mayhem, all with an adult until 130cm. A child goes from 24 to 27 rides.

Dreamland Margate

Dreamland Margate opens the Rock 'n' Roller coaster and the Pirate Ship to children riding alone at 110cm, plus the Dodgems and Margate Maze with an adult. That takes a child to 24 of 25 rides.

Wicksteed Park and Brean

At Wicksteed Park, the Lighthouse, Jolly Jockeys and Treetop Walk open to children on their own at 110cm, and Galaxy Invaders with an adult. At Brean Theme Park, Sky Diver, Crazy Boats and Waveswinger all open at 110cm with no adult needed.

Chessington

Chessington gains two rides, Vampire and Blue Barnacle, both with an adult (130cm alone). Vampire is a suspended coaster, a real step up from the PAW Patrol rides. A 110cm child can go on 25 of 32 rides there.

Every UK Roller Coaster That Opens at 110cm

These coasters have 110cm as their lowest way in. A dash in the "With an adult" column means there's no lower height with an adult.

Besides Runaway Mine Train and Vampire, look out for Raven at Paultons Park (with an adult until 130cm) and two coasters at Gulliver's World, The Antelope Wooden Coaster and Flight of the Pteranodon, which need an adult until 140cm.

Where to Go With a 110cm Child

For a day where almost nothing is off-limits, this ranking shows how much of each UK park is open at 110cm:

At the top parks a 110cm child can go on almost everything. That's a good fit for this age: the rides are familiar, and now many of them can be done solo.

One thing to check: a few toddler rides have a maximum height. L-Drivers at LEGOLAND Windsor is for children up to 110cm, so this is the last height for it.

France at 110cm

French parks follow the UK pattern. They go from 944 rides at 109cm to 993 at 110cm, a smaller step than at 100cm or 120cm.

At Parc Saint Paul, 110cm opens the Wood Express coaster and Le Dino Splash with an adult, and several of its younger children's rides can be ridden alone from 110cm. The Jardin d'Acclimatation opens Rafting Adventure and L'Astrolabe. At Disneyland Paris nothing starts at exactly 110cm.

Several French toddler rides stop at 110cm, including Philéas & Cie and Les Bully's at Kingoland and Le Cocoon at Le Fleury, so a child just over the line loses those. Our France young children's guide covers the main parks.

Spain at 110cm

Spanish parks go from 327 rides at 109cm to 378 at 110cm.

At PortAventura Park, 110cm opens two coasters with an adult, Uncharted: The Enigma of Penitence (alone from 130cm) and El Diablo - Tren de la Mina (alone from 140cm), plus Grand Canyon Rapids (alone from 130cm). Parque de Atracciones de Madrid opens the Vértigo coaster, Rotor, Los Fiordos, Los Rápidos and Aserradero with an adult, all alone from 140cm, and its user guide adds age rules to some of them, such as a minimum age of 6 on Vértigo. Some water parks set their family slides at 110cm with no adult option: Naga Racer, Mekong Rapids and Patong Rapids at Siam Park, and Batman: La Sombra del Murciélago, Superman: El Vuelo and the other DC slides at Parque Warner Beach. At Ferrari Land, Kids' Tower, open from 100cm with an adult, can be ridden alone from 110cm.

The UAE at 110cm

In the UAE, 110cm is a bigger deal than 100cm. UAE parks go from 227 rides at 109cm to 258 at 110cm.

Wild Wadi Waterpark Dubai is the standout. Most of its attractions start at 110cm, so a child goes from 3 attractions to 19, including Burj Surj, Tunnel of Doom and Jebel Lookout. If your child is close to 110cm, this is the UAE park where those last centimetres matter most. Yas Waterworld adds Slither Slides, Sebag, Rush Rider and others. Our Dubai and Abu Dhabi height guide covers every UAE park.

What's Still Out of Reach: 120cm and Beyond

The next milestone is 120cm, the last big jump before the headline thrill rides. Very few rides set a limit between 111cm and 119cm, so expect little change until then. Blackpool Pleasure Beach is the main exception, with Avalanche at 112cm and Big Dipper and Nickelodeon Streak at 117cm. These are the UK coasters a 110cm child is still waiting for at 120cm:

Our 120cm milestone guide lists everything that opens there. If your child has a younger sibling, our 100cm milestone guide shows what they can share.

Tips for a New 110cm Rider

• Measure in the shoes they'll wear. Parks usually measure children with shoes on. If they're 109cm at home, assume they'll be turned away. Our guide to being just under a height limit explains what genuinely helps.
• Ask about riding alone. On rides with two heights, a 110cm child may now ride without you. You can usually still ride together if you both want to.
• Check age rules too. Some parks add age rules on top of height. Paultons Park, for example, says children under 8 must ride several rides with a responsible adult, whatever their height.
• Plan around the solo rides. Enter your child's height in the planner to see what they can ride, and which rides need you alongside.

Frequently asked questions

What age is a child usually 110cm?

Our heights by age guide puts the median 5 year old at about 110cm. Plenty of children are several centimetres either side, so measure rather than go by age.

Is 110cm a big height milestone?

For new rides, it's smaller than 100cm or 120cm in UK and French parks. For riding alone, it's a big one: many family rides switch from "with an adult" to "on their own" at 110cm. In the UAE, 110cm opens more rides than 100cm, mostly water slides. In Spain, it opens family coasters such as Uncharted at PortAventura Park and Vértigo at Parque de Atracciones de Madrid, both with an adult.

What roller coasters can a 110cm child ride?

Everything that opens at 100cm or below, plus Runaway Mine Train at Alton Towers, Vampire at Chessington, Raven at Paultons Park and Rock 'n' Roller at Dreamland Margate, among others. The coaster table above has the full current list.

Can a 110cm child ride on their own?

On many family rides, yes. At Chessington and Alton Towers, for example, several rides that needed an adult below 110cm can be ridden alone from 110cm. Check each ride's sign, as some still need an adult until 120cm or 130cm.

Which UK park is best for a 110cm child?

For near-complete access, look at the top of the ranking above, where parks like Twinlakes Park, Gulliver's Valley and Paultons Park have almost everything open. For new rides at exactly 110cm, Thorpe Park, Dreamland Margate and Wicksteed Park gain the most.

Why didn't my child's ride count go up much between 100cm and 110cm?

Because few rides set a limit between those heights. Most of what a 110cm child can ride was already open at 100cm. The next big change comes at 120cm.