For my cousin's 10th birthday last weekend, she decided she wanted all the family to take a trip to Adventure Island which is on the seafront in Southend, in South-East England. I'd been there last year but only went on a couple of rides and, even a year later, I didn't remember it being so big and having so many rides.

The park isn't very big but there are so many rides crammed into it. It is a mixture of both theme park and fun fair containing rides and amusements from both. Although the place was just as busy as any other theme park usually is on a hot summer's day, somehow we never queued for longer than 10 minutes for a ride and most we managed to get on straight away, which is probably due to the fact that they have so many rides to choose from.

~ Big Adventure rides ~

Archelon - named after a giant turtle, the Archelon is made up of lots of individual swings which take you up and spin you round high in the air. These have always been one of my favourite rides and this one's even better as it goes higher and faster.

Dragon's Claw - a circular ride where all the riders face each other inwards which throws you upside down, sideways and all over the place. I didn't see what this actually did beforehand and so I came off with a banging headache feeling very sick as I hate rides that hang you upside down. Quite a few of my family didn't like it either as when you're upside down, it hurts your legs and shoulders where they're digging into the safety harness.

Green Scream - a small but very fast rollercoaster which whizzes you around the back of a giant crocodile - to be honest we all called this ride the green caterpillar as it looked more like a caterpillar than a croc but, either way, it was good, fast fun apart from flinging you around quite a bit.

Ramba Zamba - one of the best rides for me where riders are sat in a huge circle facing outwards and the ride swings back and forth whilst spinning around.

Rage - the newest, biggest and most exciting rollercoaster in the park. A vertical drop faces you, similar to that of Stealth in Thorpe Park, which provides the main fun and screams of the ride which then hurtles you through lots of loops and twists.

Scorpion - a spinning ride where the individual carriages spin, attached to the main section of the ride which also spins, whilst the 2 person carriage rocks from side to side. I can't say that I enjoyed this one as I went on it straight after Dragon's Claw so it just had the effect of making me feel even worse. I think I would have normally liked it but it definitely isn't one for those who don't like spinning rides.

Sky Drop - be lifted 21 metres into the air and then suddenly dropped back down to the ground. Similar to Detonator in Thorpe Park only a bit tamer - the ride makes your stomach flip but it didn't make me scream at all.

Tidal Wave - Tidal Wave Blue whooshes 1 or 2 people in a rubber dingy down a 20 metre water slide and Tidal Wave Green takes 2 people through twists and turns in the dark before shooting out at the bottom. These were both really fun rides and neither of them got anyone too wet.

Vortex - an orbiting ride similar to those you find in fun fairs which spin separate carriages around and the person sat out on the outside tends to get really squashed.

~ Junior Rides ~

Barnstomer - a mini rollercoaster which takes the riders on spins and twists. This one was good fun for both junior children and adult riders.

Cow Jump - a smaller version of Wild Thing at fun fairs where the ride faces forwards and does a 360º loop up in the air sending your stomach on a flip.

Dragon - a huge roundabout which whizzes riders round and round in a circle.

Drop 'n' Smile - a mini Detonator which takes you up high and then plunges back down to the ground to give younger kids a feeling of a big thrill ride.

Fireball - similar to a Big Wheel but can only fit 2 people in and is open so you can see everything clearly.

Mighty Mini Mega - another mini rollercoaster full of bends and twists. For smaller rollercoasters though I'd recommend Barnstomer above this one as it lasted much longer and we all got off this one feeling a bit deflated.

Over the Hill - a brand new ghost ride with animatronic models, CGI animations and special effects to provide a terrifying and dark ride. There was only one part which made a lot of people jump but the rest of it was pretty laughable to be honest. Maybe for younger children it would be better.

Pharaoh's Fury - one of my favourite rides in the park this is another spinning ride where the carriages spin as well as the actual ride spinning.

Sk8Borda - similar to pirate ships which go back and forth in the air but this skater boy also spins round at the same time.

~ Mini rides ~
American Whip - a mini Waltzer which spins round and round.
Big Wheel - a mini Ferris Wheel.
Blackbeard's - a special effects theatre show with Captain Blackbeard at sea.
Choo Choo Train - a mini train ride round in a circle.
Crooked House - the park's oldest attraction where you can walk around inside a completely crooked and crazy house - fun for adults too!
Devil's Creek Gold Mine - spin round a twisty track through a gold mine (exciting for children but a little boring for adults!)
Flying Jumbos - ride in flying pink elephants up and around in the air.
Jumping Jolly Rogers - sail a pirate ship over the bumpy waves.
Jungle Express - a train ride through the jungle.
Lighthouse Slip - slide your way around the lighthouse on a mat to the bottom.
Magic Monsters - a roundabout full of monsters.
Sea Serpent - slide in a sack through a giant twisting snake and shoot out through its mouth at the bottom (very fast and dark so great fun for adults too).
Viking Boats - a roundabout boat ride on calmer water.

~ Food & drink ~
If you don't want to carry around a packed lunch for the whole family all day then there are plenty of cheap enough places to eat in the park. The food places are generally small take away shops which have some seats outside. There's a range of fish and chips, pizza, hot dogs, burgers, pancakes, popcorn, doughnuts and candy floss - all the usual take away and fun fair foods - plus lots of vendors selling hot and cold drinks and sweets. Prices weren't too bad - a large hot dog cost about £2.75 and a portion of fish and chips cost about £4.00 so you won't be breaking the bank. There are also a couple of restaurants where you can sit down and have a proper meal but I didn't even look at these as I just wanted something quick and simple to eat between going on the rides.

~ Prices ~
The great thing about this theme park is that admission is free and you only have to pay anything if you actually want to go on any rides, apart from if you have to accompany a child on certain rides and then the adult goes free. This is a brilliant thing for any parents who don't like rides and only go there to take their children, like my aunt and uncle. In any other theme park they would have had to pay the same amount as those going on the rides, but here you can just enter the park and walk around for free.

If you do want to go on the rides you have the choice of either pay as you go or buying a wristband. If you only plan on going on a few rides then you can pay for these there and then and they roughly cost around £2.50 per ride. However, a wristband is well worth the money if you're planning on going on as many rides as possible as you simply show this as you're getting on the ride. A Big Adventure band (over 1.2 metres) costs £22; a Junior band (between 1 and 1.2 metres) costs £15; and a Mini band (under 1 metre) costs £10. I do think this is actually pretty expensive though so a couple of ways to get cheaper tickets is to buy them online beforehand which saves you a few pounds per ticket or to use some of those invaluable Tesco Clubcard points to get vouchers which works out that you're actually paying half the price of a ticket - bargain!

~ Other activities ~
The park also has some other pay as you go options which are not included in the price of the wristbands. These include Adventure Golf, the Dodgems, Go Karting, and a few other smaller fun fair type rides and games. There are also a few gift shops (where I'll admit to spending a little while) selling all sorts of bits and bobs as well as amusements. Most rides also take photos so you get the opportunity to see and buy these as soon as you get off the ride.

~ Opening times ~
During the Summer, the park opens at 11am and closes between 8 and 10pm and wristbands are half price after 6pm.

As you can see, there are literally so many rides and lots of entertainment to keep the whole family entertained all day. With no queues to wait in, you'll be practically on and off the rides the whole time so be careful you don't overdo it and make yourself feel sick as some of us did!

The area is also lovely to spend a sunny day in as the seafront and pier is directly next to the park and the street is filled with restaurants, cafes, souvenir shops and amusements. Whether you live nearby or simply visit for a day trip, Adventure Island is a great priced theme park and brilliant fun for the whole family.