Paultons Park review: Valgard Vikings themed area

A visit to experience its new £12 million Viking-themed world, Valgard: Realm of the Vikings, which opened in May, proved a fun-filled day from start to finish.

Arriving at the park’s 10am opening, entry was smooth and efficient, with clear directions to the free car park.

Once inside, the park immediately stands out for its attractive setting. Unlike many concrete-heavy attractions, Paultons Park is beautifully landscaped, with colourful planting, water features and plenty of shaded areas beneath mature trees.

Heading straight for Valgard, my son and I joined the queue for Drakon, the park’s first inverting rollercoaster. The themed queuing experience helped pass the 25-minute wait quickly, with a storyline unfolding along the route. On a particularly hot day, the indoor sections of the queue were especially welcome.

The ride had just the right balance of fear-factor to deliver an adrenaline-fuelled rush without being overwhelming, including a rather scary drop that flipped my stomach, followed by two upside-down twists.

While many visitors still associate Paultons Park with Peppa Pig World, the park now offers an impressive range of rides suited to older children, including my nine-year-old son, making it an ideal destination for families with mixed age groups.

Valgard also introduces Vild Swing, a UK-first attraction that lifts riders 12 metres into the air, and Raven, a fast-paced bobsled-style coaster navigating tight turns. We managed all three new rides within the first hour of our visit before exploring the rest of the park.

One of the standout aspects of Paultons Park is its queue management system. Even during the half-term holidays, wait times remained impressively short, with many rides — including major rollercoasters — showing queues of less than 10 minutes. These are clearly displayed at ride entrances and on screens across the park, making it easier to plan your day.

Efficiency plays a key role. Friendly staff keep queues moving swiftly, providing clear instructions and ensuring all seats are filled. On several occasions, single riders or smaller groups were invited forward to maximise capacity — something we benefited from more than once. On one ride, my son was even able to go straight back on with no queue at all.

We lost count of how many rides we experienced throughout the day. Before leaving, we returned to Valgard, where queues for Drakon and Raven were even shorter than in the morning.

Away from the rides, the park offers plenty of spots to relax. We enjoyed a picnic lunch by the lake in the shade before stopping for an ice cream, where friendly staff added to the positive atmosphere with generous portions and polite conversation.

It is these smaller touches, alongside more than 80 rides and attractions across six themed worlds, that help set Paultons Park apart.

A theme park visit during school holidays might usually be something to avoid, but here the combination of efficient operations and a wide range of attractions means visitors can spend more time enjoying rides rather than standing around waiting in hot queues.

We left the park still buzzing, with my son eagerly recounting his favourite moments.

Valgard: Realm of the Vikings is now open at Paultons Park. For more information or to book tickets, visit paultonspark.co.uk.