Top roller coasters UK | The best 10 | blooloop

by Graham Speak, Speak Consulting

1994 was declared ‘The Year of the Roller Coaster’ in the UK with three iconic, industry-changing rides opening: Nemesis at Alton Towers, The Big One at Blackpool Pleasure Beach, and Shockwave at Drayton Manor. Together, these three rides put the country firmly back on the map as a destination for roller coaster lovers worldwide.

Thirty years later, we’ve experienced a (highly anticipated) transformation in the UK roller coaster scene again- with new and re-imagined coasters having opened at Thorpe Park, Alton Towers, Drayton Manor and Legoland Windsor. Alongside the country’s many classic and world-beating coasters – it’s an exciting time to be a roller coaster fan living or visiting the UK.

This can be a subjective topic; part of the fun is debating and comparing your favourites with other thrill seekers. So, before we start, a few disclaimers:

Firstly, I’m a big roller coaster fan; I’ve ridden over 450 coasters globally, but this pales compared to some. Secondly, I love tall, fast, intense coasters. However, with my professional background, I can’t help but also appreciate how parks build for their specific locations and audiences and work to bring to life brands, stories and experiences creatively. Thirdly, I have two little girls who love a roller coaster; one of my scientific measures when pulling together this piece has been how much each makes us smile!

So, here are ten roller coasters the UK should be proud of:

When it originally opened in 1994, Nemesis immediately won the hearts of roller coaster fans across the globe. Not only was it brand new technology (the world’s second inverted roller coaster) but it was also totally unique, being dug into a pit in the ground, with track diving through tunnels, over blood-red water, and flipping over the Nemesis creature. It was a true themed, one-of-a-kind, experience.

Fast forward 28 years and 50 million thrill-seekers later, Alton Towers announced that Nemesis would be closing. And that would be the end for many coasters.

Not Nemesis though. It’s back with brand new tentacle painted track, disorientating new effects, state of the art theming elements, an enhanced storyline (complete with actors throughout Forbidden Valley) and the same, world-class, track design, ready to be experienced by the next generation of thrill-seekers.

It may not be the biggest, it may no longer be the most intense – but it’s a full ‘only in the UK’ package. For the ultimate experience, a front row, night ride is a must.

For over 30 years, The Big One at Blackpool Pleasure Beach had a phenomenal run of holding the crown for the tallest roller coaster in the UK. But in May, standing at 236 feet tall and travelling at speeds of over 80 mph, the ‘golden goddess’, Hyperia, became the new owner of the bragging rights for being the UK’s tallest and fastest.

And there’s a lot to brag about. This Mack Rides hyper coaster at Thorpe Park is crazy from start to finish. The lap bar restraint and open train design leaves you feeling very free as you go beyond vertical diving down from the first drop, into the Immelmann element, the crazy outer-banked airtime hill, and the ever-so-slow, hanging upside down, stall turn.

Pretty much every smiling face that comes back to the station has an ‘I’m not sure what just happened, but let’s do it again’ look to it, which I think is a measure of a great coaster.

Hyperia will deservedly rocket to the top of many UK coaster fan’s lists. It’ll likely only get better too as finishing touches are added and the coaster beds in more. It may have been 12 years since Thorpe Park added its last coaster, but Hyperia is certainly worth the wait.

Opening in 2018, Wicker Man was a long-awaited new wooden roller coaster for the UK (the first for over 20 years). Wooden coasters with their dense structures often rely on the ride experience alone – and so this ride from Great Coasters International really ups the ante with its immersive theming and storyline, including the huge, flaming Wicker Man centre stage. Who’d have thought of combining fire effects and a wooden roller coaster?

Set in the stunning Staffordshire park, and immersing guests in the story of the Beornen and the Wicker Man, this is a fun, smooth, re-rideable coaster experience that generations of thrill seekers can enjoy together.

It’s amazing how the teams at Blackpool Pleasure Beach and Mack Rides managed to create a coaster like Icon and fit it in around all the existing classic rides. Being launched under the Big One’s structure, and diving around the Big Dipper and other great rides at the Pleasure Beach makes this smooth, dual-launch coaster truly unique.

Giving a nice long ride for a UK coaster, the drop down into the second launch and hanging over the top of the non-inverting loop is the highlight for me. Seeing the beach, a stone’s throw away, from that angle, is pretty spectacular!

This isn’t the most intense coaster in the UK. However, you can’t help laughing all the way round and jumping straight back in line. It’s no wonder this regularly polls as a UK favourite of many enthusiasts.

Just in advance of peak summer, Drayton Manor unveiled its newest creation, Gold Rushm part of its recently opened western-themed area, Frontier Falls. This unique ‘lift and launch’ was provided by Intamin. For a roller coaster of its size and scale, it has an incredibly low height restriction of 1 metre, allowing young thrill seekers to join the adventure with the rest of their group.

There’s so much that makes this ride stand out. Acting as a surprise for many riders, the coaster utilises switch tracks and has two modes – meaning that you never know which version you’ll get before leaving the station. Sometimes, you’ll crest the first lift hill, but on other occasions, you will stop, roll back and have a backward element first.

Alongside the lift hill are launch sections, well-themed show scenes, airtime moments and tunnels – making this a really re-rideable coaster for the whole family (Drayton Manor’s refocused target market).

Where most theme parks would be ecstatic to add one new roller coaster experience in a year, Drayton Manor also opened its reimagined 1994 classic, Shockwave, as The Wave earlier in the season. As part of this update, it replaced the original stand-up trains with a sit-down variant, lowered the height restriction to 1.2 meters, and added some theming elements to the attraction.

With Gold Rush and The Wave – alongside favourites Accelerator, Jormungandr and the Thomas the Tank Engine-themed Troublesome Trucks – Drayton Manor possibly has the UK’s best collection of roller coasters for thrill seekers ‘in training’!

An apocalyptic battle may not be the most cheery theming for a roller coaster – but luckily this B&M coaster is so much fun, there are plenty of smiles to be seen wandering around the park beneath it. The near-misses with impressive set pieces and interactions with guest areas make this one fun to ride and watch (especially the slow inline twist directly over the station).

See also: Why focusing on thrill-seekers makes commercial sense for Thorpe Park

Turning 28 years old in 2024, and having last year undergone a $2m re-track and re-profiling program, Megafobia is now back and as smooth and thrilling as ever.

From the impressive first drop, cutting through the structure of the ride, to the endless ‘out of the seat’ moments all the way to the brakes – this coaster doesn’t let up. Set in the beautiful Pembrokeshire countryside, amongst the trees and lake, there couldn’t be a much better setting for this well-loved coaster.

One of the more intense roller coaster on the list, Sik opened at Flamingo Land in 2022 and features ten inversions over its course. Being very similar in layout to Colossus at Thorpe Park; and trumped by the world-record-holding The Smiler at Alton Towers for number of loops, this Intamin coaster has lap-bar style restraints that, for me, make the ride experience more comfortable and enjoyable.

At the crest of the lift hill, you are treated to stunning views over the North Yorkshire countryside before being flung into the relentless, high-speed layout.

Sik joins a nice collection of coasters at the often-forgotten park – including Kumali (possibly the world’s smoothest Vekoma SLC), Mumbo Jumbo (once the world’s steepest roller coaster) and a Vekoma Motorbike launch coaster.

An absolute classic – and the oldest roller coaster in the UK, originally opening in 1920. There are so many things to love about this ride, but perhaps the most noticeable (and unique) is the on-ride brakeman, who controls the speed of the train. Globally, there are very few of these rides left operating, so we are very lucky to have two examples in the UK (Roller Coaster at Great Yarmouth being the other).

Don’t be fooled by its age and ‘old school’ technology. A backseat ride delivers plenty of airtime and packs a nice punch, leaving most grinning as they exit the coaster to go back around for another ride.

The setting for the Scenic Railway is special too. It can be found at the heart of a fantastic classic, seaside amusement park. Over the years Dreamland has evolved whilst also staying true to its core, becoming a venue regularly used for TV and movie filming, hosting huge music concerts and showcasing art installations. It’s a place everyone should make the journey to experience.

This B&M coaster has to be given credit for taking elements from big intense rides, and making them accessible for a younger, junior thrill-seeking audience: Be that the ‘wing-coaster’ style, the launches (initially backwards out of the station), or the forwards/backwards inversion. Layer on some ‘weird’ manoeuvres, like the spiral around the 55ft jaguar shrine – and you’re left with a fun, family thrill coaster.

With the train layout and track design – it’s worth trying Mandrill Mayhem in different seats to experience a totally different ride.

Partnering with Sony Pictures, the Jumanji IP inspires some nice themed elements – like the atmospheric station, the Mandrill-shaped trains, and the jaguar shrine. Showing a good attention to detail, the retail, games and F&B have been impressively themed into this area of the park too.

It’s also great to see that one year on from opening, the attraction has developed more – as vegetation around the area is turning the space much more jungle-like. I expect in a few years’ time, a ride on Mandrill will be even more thrilling.

Big One at Blackpool Pleasure Beach may have lost its crown as the tallest roller coaster in the UK – but over 30 years later, it is still an icon on the seafront at Blackpool. Over the past few years, the park has invested in retracking parts of the ride – and (when sat in a non-wheel seat!) it still makes for a fun and thrilling coaster experience. The views climbing the lift hill are spectacular, and the first drop out towards the North Sea remains one of the most visually stunning.

Munich (or Olympia) Looping may not be permanently in the UK. However, it has called London’s Winter Wonderland home each year since 2016. This Anton Schwarzkopf classic is the largest transportable roller coaster in the world, with over 50 trucks needed to move it. It has five inversions and stunning views of Hyde Park and the London skyline. Helping roller coaster enthusiasts through the closed season, it is one of the UK’s must-ride coasters.

The Green Dragon at Greenwood Park is the world’s only ‘human-powered’ coaster. Using a unique funicular system, its passengers help transport the roller coaster train to the summit of the lift hill, making it the most environmentally friendly coaster in the world.

Blue Flyer at Blackpool Pleasure Beach opened in 1934 and, with no height restriction, is the perfect, classic first roller coaster for kids. It’s a special one for me, as it was the first coaster for both of my girls. At 15 feet tall, credit has to be given to the teams at Blackpool for keeping this traditional wooden coaster operating, allowing many children the opportunity to have their first taste of a classic coaster.

Whilst we are lucky to have a great collection of roller coasters in the UK, I’d love to see an impressive indoor, immersive coaster. If the rumour sites hold true, we’re looking at you Alton Towers…and Universal Studios a few years down the line).

From my travels, and also having reviewed Vince Kadlubek’s list of top coasters in the USA, we’re also missing a great big RMC hybrid coaster. Now, where could one of those fit nicely?

I realise many people’s favourites are missing from this list, including The Smiler, Nemesis Inferno, Stealth, Odyssey and more. There are also many that are unique or changed the face of coasters in the UK. For example, Steeplechase or The Revolution. This goes to show just how many special coasters we have on these shores.

And, hopefully, it’s about to get even better! We have rumours from some other parks about upcoming investments and, of course, the Universal GB project that will hopefully come to fruition.

It’s an exciting time to be a roller coaster fan!

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