Thorpe Shark Cabins
ENTRY
from £32
SETTING
Outdoors
WHERE
Chertsey
What it’s like
A big-coaster theme park day out with UK record-breakers like Hyperia and Stealth, plus water rides to cool off on.
This is the one for the coaster obsessives. Hyperia is the UK's tallest and fastest, 236ft and over 80mph, and Stealth launches you from 0 to 80mph in under two seconds, which is not a sentence you read calmly if you're the one being strapped in. If the big stuff isn't your thing, Tidal Wave and Depth Charge are the water rides, so bring a change of clothes or accept you're sitting in the car damp on the way home.
There's a height rule to know before you go: anyone 1.2m or taller needs a ticket, and under that they're measured on the day and go free. That's worth doing the maths on for a family with a smaller child, since it changes your ticket count without changing your queue.
Prices swing a lot depending on when you buy. Online in advance a day ticket is £32, and buying on the day can cost noticeably more, so this is one where booking ahead genuinely pays. Fright Nights runs as a separate event with its own ticket, and the newest scare maze isn't even included in that package, which feels like a lot of upselling for one night out. If you fancy going more than once, the annual pass at £64 works out cheaper than two standard visits.
The park runs a typical day of 10am to 5 or 6pm depending on the date, and there's an Island Return Guarantee if rain shuts rides for over an hour, so a washout day isn't a totally wasted ticket. Tuesday to Thursday in term time is the quiet window if queues are what will make or break the day for you.
Need to know
- Worth knowing
- Island Return Guarantee: free return visit if rain causes rides to close for over an hour
- Buying online in advance is a lot cheaper than paying at the gate.
- Fright Nights and its scare mazes need a separate ticket from the standard day entry, and the newest maze isn't even included in that.
- Under 1.2m visitors go free but still need to be measured and verified on the day.
- An annual pass at £64 is worth it if you think you'll visit more than twice.
Plan your visit
How much are tickets?
A 1-day ticket online in advance is £32, and it costs a fair bit more if you leave it until the gate on the day. An annual pass is £64, which pays for itself after a couple of visits.
Do we need to book ahead?
Booking isn't compulsory, but buying online in advance is a lot cheaper than paying at the gate, so it's the sensible move either way.
Is there a height limit?
Anyone 1.2m or taller needs a ticket. Under 1.2m, they get measured on the day and go in free.
What are the opening hours?
A typical day runs 10am to 5pm or 10am to 6pm depending on the date.
What happens if it rains?
There's an Island Return Guarantee, so if rides are closed for more than an hour because of rain you get a free return visit.
Which day has the shortest queues?
Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday during school term time are usually the quietest. Weekends, school holidays and bank holidays are the busiest.
See all Theme Parks & Fairgrounds in Reading · Things to do in Reading
MAKE A DAY OF IT
