Bewilderwood, Hoveton, Norfolk

Meet “crocklebogs” on a trip to the fantasy land of Bewilderwood, full of tree houses, jungle bridges, crazy slides and boat trips through marshland. The 50-acre park, which opens on the Norfolk Broads on May 25, offers educational country trails. Details: 01603 783900, www.bewilderwood.co.uk. Adults £9.75, children £8.75.

Dickens World, Chatham, Kent

Jump aboard the Great Expectations dark boat ride, with thrilling twists and turns plus a few splashes as you pass through a smelly sewer pipe and then across the rooftops of London. You can also meet Scrooge and the Spirit of Christmas, take the kids to a Fagin’s den play area, and visit a Dickensian shopping mall. Details: 0870 2411415, www.dickensworld.co.uk, adults £12.50, children £7.50. Opens April 20.

Go Ape! Aberfoyle, Stirlingshire

Coming to Scotland this year is this Tarzan-style park where you make your way through the treetops on a combination of swings, rope bridges and zip wires. The park, which opens early in May, will have one of the longest zip wires in the UK, at 1,312ft (400m). More parks are opening at Alice Holt Woodland Park, Surrey; Bedgebury Forest, Kent; Dalby Forest, North Yorkshire; and Poole’s Cavern, Derbyshire, taking the group’s tally to 12. Details: 0870 4445562, www.goape.co.uk, minimum age 10. Adults £25, children 10-17, £20. Height and weight restrictions.

Ropes & Ladders, Llanberis, Snowdonia

Swoop down in a huge swing and enjoy a glimpse of Snowdon above the treetops, then jump, climb and zip your way through obstacles and challenges in the treetops in Padern Country Park. The course is designed to take about two hours and includes a climbing and abseil tower. It opens on May 14. Details: www.ropesandladders.co.uk, adults and children £16. Age restrictions.

The Pleasure Beach, Blackpool, Lancashire

Coming later this spring for white-knuckle riders at Blackpool Pleasure Beach is Infusion, a confusing corkscrew of a rollercoaster, its 2,200ft of steel track comprising five loops, a double line twist and water effects. The Beach has 146 rides and attractions, including a double-lane rollercoaster. Details: 0870 4445566, www.blackpoolpleasurebeach.com. Prices likely to be £5-£7.

Chessington World of Adventures and Zoo, Chessington, Surrey

No new rides this season, instead Chessington is inviting guests to “face their fears” by taking part in various daily challenges including cleaning out the lions’ den, gorging on doughnuts, riding rollercoasters blindfold or nominating their own devilish task to carry out in front of other park visitors. Details: 0870 9990045, www.chessington.com, adults £22, children £15 for advance bookings.

Alton Towers, Alton, Staffordshire

Alton Towers’s latest attraction — “There’s something in the Dung Heap” — is aimed at younger children, with various play areas centred on the perennial theme of animals and what comes out of them. There’s also a new “Haunted Hollow” — a ghostly walk through ancient woodland — and opening this month, a mini 18-hole golf course. Details: 0870 4444455, www.altontowers.com, adults £24, children £16 for online bookings.

Drayton Manor, Tamworth, Staffordshire

This other Staffordshire theme park has a new, swinging pirate ship ride and the introduction of rare white-lipped tamarind monkeys to its zoo. Otherwise there’s a mix of white-knuckle rollercoasters and family rides. Details: 0870 8725252, www.draytonmanor.co.uk, adults £18, children £15.

Thorpe Park, Chertsey, Surrey

Rather than a new rollercoaster, Thorpe Park boasts that it has tweaked its existing “Stealth” monster: its nitrogen-booster system now accelerates adrenalin junkies from zero to 80mph in less than two seconds, and up to 250ft at its highest point. Details: 0870 4444466, www.thorpepark.com, adults £24, children £16 for advance online booking.

Be aware that some theme parks consider an adult to be 12 or over. Information: www.enjoyengland.com/family

Beat the queues

Buying tickets for theme parks in advance can save money and queuing time. Some agencies offer discounts for buying online and sell passes — such as the Disney World 14-and 21-day passes — that are not available overseas.

Keith Prowse, 0870 1232425, www.keithprowse tickets.com, Seligo, 0871 2300030, www.seligo.com, Attraction Tickets Direct, 0845 1303876, www.attraction-tickets-direct.co.uk, Theme Park Tickets Direct, 0870 0400210, www.themeparkticketsdirect.com, 365 Tickets, 0870 0130663, www.365tickets.com.

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