How to beat the crowds at Thorpe Park, the UK’s most thrilling theme park

Tackling one of the UK’s biggest attractions on a busy day can feel daunting, especially if you don’t want to waste precious time waiting in long lines, writes Sam Lawrie.

Thorpe Park is the country’s most thrilling theme park, but big rides draw in big crowds, and anyone wanting to visit the attraction, that’s just off the M25 in Surrey, will need to prepare themselves for a full-on day.

However, after a little research, I came up with a foolproof plan to help me beat the crowds.

We arrived 15 minutes before the gates opened, meaning we were among the first guests inside the park. We had our bags ready for security and zipped straight through the doors while the masses were still parking their cars.

I did my homework, so while many were still trying to work out the park map, I’d already loaded the mobile app and was heading towards my first ride.

We made a beeline for the back of the park. While other adrenaline junkies surged forward to record-breaking coaster Hyperia, we marched towards SAW The Ride.

We were on and off in 15 minutes, followed by a ride on nearby coasters Nemesis Inferno and The Walking Dead: The Ride, knocking out three heavy hitters within the first hour or so.

I knew the wait times would creep up as people found their footing. To avoid lingering under the sun, we sought out some of the smaller rides, like Rumba Rapids and Detonator, which were still great but much less crowded.

We also took advantage of some fast-track passes during this time. These upgrades allow you to jump the queues on the park’s most popular rides, and this is when I braved Hyperia.

It’s the UK’s tallest and fastest roller coaster, and although its enormous lift hill looks intimidating, it was actually incredibly fun to ride and is an absolute must for thrill-seekers.

Another tip is to dodge the restaurants during peak lunchtime. We took our own lunch and snacked between rides instead.

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Lunchtime was also a great chance to hunt down some shorter queues, as this is when lots of people took a break from rides to have a sit-down.

We held out until just after 3pm to visit Inferno's Pizza and Pasta Buffet for something to eat, and there was hardly anyone in there, so we didn’t have to wrestle other hungry diners for a slice.

People started to call it a day around 4pm but, if you stick it out, even the best-loved rides will have far shorter wait times as visitors disperse.

We managed to get on Stealth, Colossus and The Swarm, all with less than 15-minute queues, before leaving the park at 7pm, hoping we’d stayed long enough to avoid the rush hour traffic.

We got on all the rides at least once, skipped the long queues and had the pizza buffet all to ourselves, so I’d say we definitely beat the crowds. All it took was a little planning!