Wicksteed Park: Rides, Tickets & Family Day Out Guide

Wicksteed Park is one of the most loved family days out in the East Midlands, and it has been since 1921. It is one of the UK’s oldest amusement parks, yet the part most people remember is not the rides at all. It is the huge free playground, the little train chuffing round the lake and the sheer amount of green space you get without paying a penny at the gate. Pay for a ride wristband if you want the rollercoasters and the water chute, or keep it free and let the children loose on the swings, the boats and the grass.

This guide covers everything you need before you go: where the park is near Kettering, current ride wristband and ticket prices in GBP, how the free entry works, the lake and the train, the food, the parking and how long to allow. We have written it as locals who know the area, so you get the honest practical detail and a few trade-offs, plus a steer on where to stay nearby if you want to turn the day into a proper countryside break.

If you are planning a wider East Midlands trip, Wicksteed pairs neatly with the market towns and gentle countryside on the Leicestershire and Northamptonshire border. More on that at the end.

Where is Wicksteed Park and how do you get to Kettering?

Wicksteed Park sits on the southeastern edge of Kettering in Northamptonshire, in the East Midlands. The address is Barton Road, Kettering, NN15 6NJ, and that postcode takes you straight to the main entrance and car parks. It is a large, mostly flat 281-acre site beside the Ise valley, which is part of why it works so well for families with buggies and small children.

By car it is one of the easiest big attractions to reach in the region. Junction 9 or 10 of the A14 brings you within a few minutes of the park, and the A14 links directly to the M1 and the A1, so it is well under an hour from Leicester, Northampton, Peterborough and much of the surrounding area. If you are coming by train, Kettering railway station is on the Midland Main Line with fast services from London St Pancras, and the park is a short taxi or bus ride from the station.

Is Wicksteed Park free, and what do you actually pay for?

This is the question that catches most first-time visitors out, so it is worth being clear. Entry to Wicksteed Park is free. You can walk in, use the free playground, stroll round the lake, sit in the gardens and let the children run about without paying anything to get through the gate. You only pay for two things: parking, and the rides.

That makes it unusually flexible compared with a standard theme park. A family on a tight budget can have a genuinely full day here for the cost of parking and an ice cream, which is part of what makes it such a draw for anyone booking a family cottage in Northamptonshire. A family who wants the rollercoasters, the water chute and the go-karts can buy wristbands and treat it like a small amusement park. Plenty of people do a bit of both: a morning of free play and a picnic, then wristbands or a handful of single tickets in the afternoon.

• Always free: entry to the park, the large free playground, the lake and lakeside paths, the formal gardens and picnic areas.
• Pay as you go: single ride tickets at GBP 3.50 each, ideal if you only want a few goes.
• Best value for ride fans: an all-day wristband giving repeat access to over 25 rides and attractions.
• Separate small charges: car parking, and a couple of extras such as the indoor play factory.

How much are Wicksteed Park ride wristbands and ticket prices?

Wicksteed Park ride wristband prices start at around GBP 22 for a pre-booked, dated single wristband, which gives you repeat access to over 25 rides and attractions all day. The single biggest money-saver is to book online in advance for a specific date, which can knock up to 20% off the on-the-day price. Children under 0.9m tall ride free when they are with someone wearing a paid wristband, so toddlers often cost nothing.

If you are with a young child who will only want a couple of rides, single tickets at GBP 3.50 each are the smarter choice and let you set your own budget for the day. For families who visit often, annual wristbands work out cheaper over a year. Here is how the main options compare, based on recent pre-booked online prices:

Ticket option	Approx. price (GBP)	Best for
Single ride ticket	3.50 each	Young children wanting two or three rides
Dated wristband (1 person)	22	Anyone wanting unlimited rides all day
Family wristband (3 people)	56	A small family, saving on individual prices
Family wristband (4 people)	72	Two adults and two children
Family wristband (5 people)	88	Larger groups in one booking
Annual single wristband	90	Local families who visit several times a year
Parking	from 3.50	Per visit, paid on site or online

One honest note on value: because under-0.9m infants are free and so much of the park costs nothing, the wristband only really pays for itself once a child is big enough and keen enough to ride for most of the day. With pre-schoolers, free play plus a few single tickets often gives you a happier, cheaper day.

The rides at Wicksteed Park: from the historic water chute to the rollercoasters

Wicksteed Park has over 25 rides and attractions, and the mix is part of its charm. There are modern thrills alongside genuine pieces of amusement-park history. The headline ride is the water chute, designed by founder Charles Wicksteed and running since 1926, which makes it one of the oldest operating rides of its kind in the world. It is now a Grade II listed structure, so you are riding a piece of national heritage as well as getting splashed.

Beyond the water chute you will find rollercoasters, a log flume, go-karts, a carousel, teacups, dodgems and a good spread of gentler rides for younger children. The balance is deliberately family-first: there are far more rides suited to under-tens than white-knuckle coasters, which is exactly why it works so well for small families rather than thrill-seeking teenagers.

• The historic water chute (running since 1926), a splashy ride and a listed landmark in one.
• Rollercoasters and the log flume for older children wanting a bit more speed.
• Go-karts, dodgems and the carousel for classic fairground fun.
• Gentle rides and roundabouts aimed squarely at toddlers and pre-schoolers.

Ride opening can vary by season and day, with more running through the summer and school holidays and fewer in the depths of winter, so it is worth checking the ride calendar before you travel if rides are the main draw.

The lake, the train and one of the largest free playgrounds in Europe

For a lot of families, the free attractions are the real reason to come. The centrepiece is the lake, dug largely by hand and steam plough between 1916 and 1921 and fed by the Ise Brook. You can walk the paths around it, feed the ducks at the lakeside duck station and watch the boats. It gives the whole park a calm, green feel that a standard tarmac theme park simply does not have.

Then there is the train. The narrow-gauge Wicksteed Park Railway has been running since 1931 and has carried more than 15 million passengers in its time. A gentle trip round the lake is a firm favourite with younger children and a lovely way to rest tired legs, and it pairs well with an indoor day out such as the National Space Centre if the weather turns. It is one of the park’s most loved features and a genuine piece of living history.

The free playground is the other showstopper. It is one of the largest free children’s playgrounds in Europe, open year-round, and it traces directly back to the founder, who pioneered public playground equipment over a century ago. Swings, slides, climbing frames and acres of grass mean children can burn off energy for hours without you spending a thing. Add the formal gardens and the pavilion overlooking them, and you have a day’s worth of free things to do before you even reach the rides.

Parking, food and practical tips for your Wicksteed Park visit

There is plenty of on-site parking at Wicksteed Park, charged from around GBP 3.50 per visit, with payment points near Reception and the Adventure Zone. You pay before you leave, and there are QR codes for paying by phone, so keep your registration handy. The site is large and mostly flat, which makes it manageable with buggies and wheelchairs, though it is a fair walk from one end to the other.

For food, there are cafes, kiosks and snack stops around the park selling the usual family favourites, hot drinks and ice creams. The budget-friendly option, and a popular one on a sunny day, is to bring a picnic and use the grass and picnic areas around the lake. Do note that visitors cannot bring their own barbecues into the day park, so plan a cold picnic rather than a cook-up.

A few honest tips to round things off. Dogs are welcome on leads, which is unusual for an attraction of this size and handy if you are touring the area. Wristband rides can build queues on the busiest summer weekends, so arrive near opening and do the popular rides first. And if your day at Wicksteed is part of a longer break, it sits well alongside the gentler walking and cycling routes near The Loft, making it an easy centrepiece for a family trip.

Is Wicksteed Park worth it for a family day out?

For families, especially those with children under ten, Wicksteed Park is one of the best-value days out in the East Midlands. The free entry, the enormous free playground, the lake and the historic train mean you can have a brilliant day for very little, and the ride wristbands turn it into a small amusement park whenever you want them. The heritage on top, with rides that have been running for nearly a century, gives it a character the big modern parks lack.

The honest trade-offs are the familiar outdoor-attraction ones. It rewards decent weather, the busiest summer weekends can mean ride queues, and older teenagers chasing big thrills may find the coaster line-up tame. Visit on a dry weekday or in school holiday off-peak hours, bring a picnic, and let the free attractions carry the day, and it is hard to beat for the money.

Where to stay near Wicksteed Park: The Loft

If you would rather not rush home after a long day at the park, The Loft makes an ideal countryside base. It is a Victorian red-brick stable conversion on the private 14 Acres estate at Clipston, just 10 minutes from Market Harborough and around 25 to 30 minutes’ drive from Wicksteed Park. The signature feature is a large dining balcony that looks straight out over a private lake, with vaulted ceilings and panoramic windows that make the most of the views. After a day on your feet, there are few better places to unwind than a family cottage holiday base with a drink on the balcony as the light fades over the water.

The Loft sleeps six plus two infants across two bedrooms and two bathrooms, and it is genuinely set up for families, with cots, high chairs, a stair gate, toys and even wellies on hand. There is a well-equipped kitchen, a gas BBQ, air conditioning, fast fibre and free parking, all from GBP 129 a night. It is a relaxed, value-luxury choice for a peaceful lake-view retreat, and it puts plenty more within easy reach across the wider area. Ready to plan it? You can check dates and book direct in a couple of minutes.

Frequently Asked Questions