Your Child Hit 120cm — Here's Every Ride That Just Unlocked

The Short Answer

120cm is the last big height milestone before the headline thrill rides. Two things happen at once:

1. New rides open. Across the UK parks we track, a child goes from 972 rides at 119cm to 1059 at 120cm. These include proper roller coasters such as Wicker Man at Alton Towers and Dragon's Fury at Chessington.
2. Many rides can be ridden alone. In UK and French parks, 120cm is the most common "ride alone" height on rides that let shorter children go with an adult. Your child may now ride rides they've done before without you beside them.

What's still out of reach: the 130cm tier (Hyperia, ICON, Toutatis) and the 140cm tier (The Smiler, Stealth, Formula Rossa).

Why 120cm Matters More Than 110cm or 116cm

Ride heights cluster on round numbers, and very few rides set a limit between 111cm and 119cm. So a child who grows from 110cm to 119cm gains almost nothing, then gains a lot at 120cm. The ladder for UK parks shows it:

The jump at 120cm is bigger than any step after it. A child of 120cm can already go on most of what a 140cm child can.

The UK Parks That Gain the Most at 120cm

This table compares each park just below the line (119cm) with the line itself (120cm), assuming an adult rides along where allowed.

Adventure Island, Southend

Adventure Island gains more at 120cm than any other UK park we track. Its 120cm rides have no adult option, so before this height they're simply closed. At 120cm your child gets the Rage coaster, Time Machine, Devil's Dance, Vertigo, Skydrop, Archelon, Ramba Zamba, Pharaoh's Fury and both Tidal Wave flumes. That takes them to 35 of 37 rides. Only Axis and Screature remain, and both need 130cm and an age of 10.

Brean Theme Park, Somerset

Brean opens three of its four coasters at 120cm: Bulldog Coaster, Astro Storm Dark Coaster and Magic Mouse. Caterpillar Coaster is the one that starts lower. Its Pirate Ship, Jetspin, Waltzer, Bounce! and Ultimate join them.

Chessington World of Adventures

Chessington unlocks in two ways. Mandrill Mayhem and Dragon's Fury open to riders of 120cm with no adult needed. Tiger Rock, Croc Drop, Mamba Strike and Ostrich Stampede open at 120cm with an adult (130cm alone). After this, only Rattlesnake (140cm) is left, so a 120cm child can go on 31 of 32 rides.

Fantasy Island and Drayton Manor

At Fantasy Island, The Millennium coaster, Sea Storm, Starflyer, Time Machine and Snow Drift open at 120cm with an adult (140cm alone), and The Twister opens to solo riders. At Drayton Manor, The Wave coaster and Dodgems Ahoy open with an adult, and Air Race, Thor and The Bounty Pirate Ship open outright.

Brighton Palace Pier

At Brighton Palace Pier, 120cm opens Crazy Mouse, Air Race, Sky Surge, Twister, the Waltzers and the Dodgems. That covers 22 of the pier's 22 rides. But several of its kiddie rides take children only up to 120cm, so a child just over the line loses those.

Every UK Roller Coaster That Opens at 120cm

These coasters have 120cm as their lowest way in, with or without an adult. A dash in the "with an adult" column means there is no lower accompanied height.

The headline names are Alton Towers' Wicker Man, TH13TEEN and Spinball Whizzer. A 120cm child goes from 27 rides at Alton Towers to 30. Smaller parks matter too. Lightwater Valley's Spinning Racer and Wicksteed Park's Dinosaur Valley are both 120cm coasters at parks that are otherwise very open to younger children.

What 120cm Means at the Big Parks

Thorpe Park. 120cm adds Tidal Wave and Quantum, taking a child to 13 of 25 rides. Thorpe Park remains a 130cm and 140cm park: Hyperia, Detonator and Rush need 130cm, and Stealth, The Swarm, Colossus, SAW and Nemesis Inferno need 140cm. Our Alton Towers vs Thorpe Park under 120cm comparison covers this choice.

Paultons Park. At Paultons, Cyclonator and Edge open at 120cm with an adult. 120cm is also the solo height on Storm Chaser, Velociraptor, Flight of the Pterosaur and Sky Swinger. But Paultons also says children under 8 must ride with a responsible adult on those rides, whatever their height. A tall 7 year old still needs you. Drakon (125cm with an adult) is the next step.

LEGOLAND Windsor. At LEGOLAND most rides are already open below 120cm with an adult. Here 120cm is mainly about independence, and the main new ride is Autumn's Riding Adventure.

What Still Waits: 130cm and 140cm

Coasters between 121cm and 139cm (UK)

Coasters at 140cm and above (UK)

130cm is the next real milestone, and 140cm is the last. Most children reach 130cm at around 8 or 9 and 140cm at around 10 or 11. Our heights by age guide has the details.

France at 120cm

French parks follow the same pattern: 988 rides at 119cm become 1076 at 120cm.

Walygator Sud-Ouest gains the most because of its water park, where many of the slides start at 120cm. At Disneyland Paris, 120cm opens Star Wars Hyperspace Mountain, Avengers Assemble: Flight Force and RC Racer, leaving only Indiana Jones and the Temple of Peril (140cm). At Parc Astérix, Tonnerre 2 Zeus opens at 120cm, but Toutatis and OzIris need 130cm and Goudurix 140cm. Walibi Rhône-Alpes opens MAHUKA and Woodstock Express.

Spain at 120cm

Spanish parks go from 379 rides at 119cm to 511 at 120cm.

At Aqualand El Arenal, Aqualand Torremolinos and Western Water Park, the main slides list a 120cm minimum with no adult option, so before this height they're closed. At PortAventura Park, the wooden coaster Stampida opens at 120cm, and Tutuki Splash opens with an adult (alone from 140cm). Parque de Atracciones de Madrid opens the Tornado and Tarántula coasters at 120cm, with no adult option. At Tibidabo, Muntanya Russa opens at 120cm with an adult of at least 140cm (alone from 140cm), and Piratta, Embruixabruixes and Diavolo can now be ridden alone.

The UAE at 120cm

In the UAE, 120cm matters most at the water parks, where it's the standard height for the big body slides.

At Aquaventure Dubai, a 120cm child goes from 15 attractions to 29, including Leap of Faith and Poseidon's Revenge. Yas Waterworld opens Liwa Loop, Jebel Drop and the Matamir slides.

At the indoor theme parks the gains are smaller but notable:

The UAE's biggest thrill rides still need more height. At Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, Flying Aces, Turbo Track and Mission Ferrari need 130cm and Formula Rossa 140cm. Velociraptor at IMG Worlds of Adventure and Manta at SeaWorld Yas Island both need 130cm. Our Dubai and Abu Dhabi height guide covers every UAE park.

Tips for a New 120cm Rider

• Measure honestly, in shoes. If your child is 119cm at home, assume they'll be turned away on the day. Our guide to being just under a height limit explains what genuinely helps.
• Riding alone is allowed, not required. On rides with an adult option you can usually still ride together. Check the park's rules for that ride.
• Look for age rules. Paultons Park's under-8 rule and Adventure Island's 10+ rule on Axis and Screature are examples where height alone isn't enough.
• Watch for upper limits. A few toddler rides stop at 120cm, so younger siblings may get those rides to themselves.
• Plan the day around the new rides. Enter your child's height in the planner, or look up any park in the height guide.

FAQ

What age is a child usually 120cm?

The median height at age 7 is about 122cm, so most children reach 120cm somewhere between 6 and 8. Measure rather than go by age.

What roller coasters can a 120cm child ride in the UK?

Wicker Man, TH13TEEN and Spinball Whizzer at Alton Towers, Dragon's Fury and Mandrill Mayhem at Chessington, and Rage at Adventure Island, among others. The coaster table above has the full current list.

Can a 120cm child ride everything at Thorpe Park?

No. Thorpe Park's biggest coasters need 130cm or 140cm, so a 120cm child can go on only about half of its rides.

Can a 120cm child ride everything at Disneyland Paris?

Almost. Only Indiana Jones and the Temple of Peril needs more (140cm).

Does 120cm mean my child can ride without an adult?

On many rides, yes. In UK and French parks, 120cm is the most common solo height. Some parks add an age rule, such as Paultons Park's requirement that under-8s ride with an adult.

Which park is best for a child who just reached 120cm?

For the most new rides, Adventure Island and Chessington. For near-complete access, Chessington, Drayton Manor and Paultons Park leave very little off-limits at 120cm.