Day Trips Near Kingston Uni: Chessington World of Adventures!

As a big fan of theme parks (especially those videos on defunct theme park rides), one of the most exciting parts of coming to Kingston was realising how close I suddenly was to some of the major UK theme parks. Growing up in an area where there were none for hundreds of miles to now having a good handful in easy reach, I had to try out a few - and after several visits this year already, Chessington is arguably my favourite.

Only five miles from Kingston Station (or a short bus ride on the 71!) is Chessington World of Adventures, a theme park and zoo with over 40 rides and countless safari animals. With a new Jumanji land open only a few weeks ago and a massive new coaster (Mandrill Mayhem), Chessington is an entertaining summer day out either by yourself or with your friends, and is great for anyone who loves a bit of an adrenaline rush.

Using the StudentBeans app, you can get tickets to the park for only £20 off-peak (e.g. Thursdays or Mondays) - which is probably cheaper than your round of drinks at the local Spoons! Whilst you'll have a good time no matter what, I'd highly recommend going on an 'off-peak' day, as not only is it £5 cheaper, but the park is usually a lot quieter and the queueing times for rides are significantly less.

Not a big fan of gigantic roller coasters that turn suddenly and toss you upside down? Is your stomach churning at the very thought? Don't worry, nor was I - but the good thing about Chessington World of Adventures is that they have lots of coasters built for younger kids (7-13), which means even if you're not a big thrill seeker, you can still dive into the atmosphere and get a lot out of your day. You can even try going on a few easier ones to start with and build up to the faster rides if you want - Chessington's website gives you a guide to which rides belong to which difficulty category, so have a look at that before you go if you're worried about it.

It's also fascinating from an art perspective to see the intricate theming and detailing of each land - so hey, if you're a KSA student, you might even be able to consider it a bit of a research trip! :wink: