Flying Fish

Thorpe Park's family coaster - gentle enough for young first-timers, still fun for adults riding with children.

Is Flying Fish open today?

Yes — Flying Fish is open right now, with a 5-minute queue (as of 20:02 UK time).

Typically 6 minutes at this hour over the last 28 days, ranging from about 6 minutes at its quietest to 20 at its busiest — about what this ride normally does at this time of day. Compare with every other ride →

About Flying Fish

Flying Fish is Thorpe Park's dedicated family roller coaster, designed for younger visitors and those new to coasters. The ride runs along a compact layout with gentle curves and small drops - no inversions, no significant speed, and no moments of real intensity. It is deliberately designed as an introductory coaster experience: enough of the roller coaster sensation to be exciting for a young child, mild enough that it is unlikely to frighten.

The ride is located in the family area of the park alongside the other younger-visitor attractions. Its low minimum height requirement - 0.9m, with a supervising adult required until 1.1m - means it is one of the most accessible rides in the park for small children.

What to Expect

Flying Fish is a short ride with a compact layout. The experience is gentle throughout - the drops are small, the turns are smooth, and nothing happens at a speed that would be alarming. For a young child riding their first coaster, it will feel exciting; for an adult, it is more of an accompaniment ride than a standalone experience. That is exactly what it is designed to be.

Queue times for Flying Fish tend to be longer relative to its capacity than many other rides, particularly on family-heavy days in school holidays. Check the live queue page before walking over on busy days.

Tips for Flying Fish

• Best first coaster experience. If you're bringing a child to Thorpe Park for the first time and want to introduce them to roller coasters, Flying Fish is the right starting point before building up to The Walking Dead (1.2m) and eventually the major coasters.
• Ride early. Family rides like Flying Fish see their longest queues mid-morning when families have settled in. Ride it shortly after opening or after 3pm.
• Adults can ride too. There is no upper height restriction. Adults riding with children fit comfortably.
• Near the family area. Flying Fish is grouped with Dobble Tea Party and the other family attractions - useful to know when planning your route through the park.

When to Ride Flying Fish

Flying Fish carries a genuine queue only at family peak times - school-holiday late mornings through mid-afternoon, when it can reach 20–25 minutes because so much of its audience arrives on the same schedule. Outside those windows it is a five-minute affair. Families with young children should make it an early stop: the queue at 10:15am is a fraction of the same queue at 1pm, and a good first ride sets the tone for the whole visit.

It also serves brilliantly as a "decision ride": watch how a child handles Flying Fish and you will know immediately whether The Swarm is a realistic ambition or whether the day belongs to the teacups.

Good to Know Before You Queue

This is Thorpe Park's training coaster: fast enough to feel real - a proper little coaster rhythm of dips and turns - and tame enough that fear rarely survives the first lap. The train usually runs the circuit more than once per dispatch, which children universally regard as excellent value. Riders as short as 0.9m can ride (with an adult until 1.1m), making it the most accessible coaster in the park.

The Fish has history: it is one of the longest-serving rides on site, having operated in various colours and locations for decades - grandparents in the queue occasionally point out they rode it themselves. Adults accompanying children fit comfortably if not elegantly. From here the classic progression runs Flying Fish → Walking Dead (for brave older kids) or straight to The Swarm's front row for the ambitious.

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