Theme parks in Southampton

When Peppa Pig World opened at Paultons Park in Southampton, it instantly put this low-key family-run theme park on the map. The pastel-coloured world of Peppa and friends, complete with gentle rides, tinkling music and grassy hummocks, was an instant hit with preschoolers. Now, the owners have set their sights on families with older children, having opened a new £9m dinosaur-themed world, Lost Kingdom, with six new rides and 27 animatronic dinosaurs.

People loved the sense of space, the beautifully kept grounds and laid-back feel. Peppa Pig World can get busy but when they visited on a sunny weekend the queues elsewhere in the park were short to non-existent. The Jurassic-themed landscaping in the Lost Kingdom is impressive and the new Flight of the Pterosaur suspended rollercoaster is just the right side of terrifying.