Theme park fans taken for a ride
FAMILIES are being forced to rethink day trips as exorbitant parking charges push costs beyond reach.
Britain’s biggest visitor attractions charge up to £30 for a spot – and that is on top of hefty ticket costs.
At Legoland Windsor, a family of four faces a combined cost of £272 for walk-in tickets, plus up to an extra £16 for parking.
Chessington World of Adventures charges £264 for entry for two adults and two children on the gate, and there is an extra £15 for an “express” car space. Blackpool Pleasure Beach charges from £18 to stay at its North Car Park, on top of a £180 family entrance fee.
Whipsnade Zoo imposes a £30 parking charge for those who opt not to use a more distant free car park outside its grounds.
Money and business coach Maddy Alexander-grout, 40, said: “It’s ridiculous families have to pay so much.
“Yes, attractions are still recovering from the pandemic but often these extra charges are just greed.”
Standard parking at Alton Towers is £10, rising to £20 for a premium space. Walk-up tickets would cost a family £272.
Fellow Merlin attractions Thorpe Park and Warwick Castle charge £10 a space.
For attractions without dedicated parking, private operators charge eye-watering fees.
The nearest car park to Buckingham Palace costs almost £65 for an eight-hour stay, eclipsing the £37.95 cost near the British Museum and £27 near the Tower of London.
Seaside visits are also becoming more expensive.
Brighton’s priciest council car park charges £33.50 for nine hours, making it more expensive than Barcelona or Monaco.
But Whitby and Scarborough, in North Yorkshire, charge just £9.60 to park for eight hours at the most expensive council car parks.
Andy Syrett, of Yourparkingspace, a digital parking platform which allows motorists to pre-book parking spaces, said: “The cost of heading off on a family day out can soon spiral out of control when you add everything up, and parking can often be overlooked or forgotten about when budgeting a day out.”
There are still venues that offer free parking for savvy sightseers – including Chester Zoo, Flamingoland in North Yorkshire and Longleat Safari Park,wilts.
Most attractions offer cheaper tickets when bought online in advance.
Legoland, Chessington, Alton
Towers and Warwick Castle are among those to offer free entry for younger children.
Merlin Entertainments, which operates Alton Towers, Legoland, Thorpe Park, Chessington and Warwick Castle, said the “vast majority” of customers booked deals online to avoid paying the more expensive walk-up price.
A spokesman said: “We have a range of parking offers which offer good value to our guests, and in addition many of our theme parks have public transport links and shuttle buses from train stations.
“We have discounted prices on Merlin multi-attraction tickets and a range of promotional offers.”
Whipsnade Zoo said its free car park was a “short walk” from the entrance, adding: “Our community access scheme provides heavily discounted entry to low-income families – universal credit tickets cost from £3. Under-threes go free.”
And a spokesman for Pleasure Beach Resort said: “We encourage people to book online, as guests can secure much better rates by booking in advance.
“We also offer guests the option to change the date of their visit for free.”