Inside the UK’s ‘strangest’ theme park – that’s home to the biggest suspended looping roller coaster in the world

By ESTHER MARSHALL

Published: 10:00 BST, 27 May 2025 | Updated: 10:00 BST, 27 May 2025

A lesser-known UK theme park is home to the world’s tallest suspended looping coaster. 

Fantasy Island, located in Ingoldmells on Lincolnshire’s coast, is one of the country’s more unique theme parks. 

The quirky theme park has more than 30 rides but there’s one that theme park junkies definitely won’t want to miss. 

Fantasy Island’s The Odyssey coaster is the world’s tallest suspended looping coaster, standing at 167 feet/51 m high. 

The spine-tingling ride travels at 62mph and opened in 2002, the year of Queen Elizabeth II’s Golden Jubilee. Prince Edward was one of the first people to ride The Odyssey. 

It has five inversions (where riders are turned upside down) including a corkscrew roll and a 124 feet/ 37 m high vertical loop.  

The Odyssey has a 4.6 rating out of five on Google Reviews with one rider describing it as ‘unexpectedly good’. 

Another rider says: ‘I loved it. When I first tried it, it was an amazing ride, probably better than The Smiler in Alton Towers.’ 

Fantasy Island’s The Odyssey coaster is the world’s tallest suspended looping coaster, standing at 167 feet/51 m high

The spine-tingling ride travels at 62mph and opened in 2002, the year of Queen Elizabeth II’s Golden Jubilee

The ride sits within Fantasy Island’s ‘Discovery’ category which means it can only be ridden by those 1.1 m tall or above. 

Fantasy Island adds: ‘Hold on tight as you soar through the sky at amazing heights, through a whirlwind of inversions at great speeds. 

‘The Jubilee Odyssey is a truly terrifying experience and is not a Skegness rollercoaster for the faint hearted.’ 

But The Odyssey isn’t Fantasy Island’s only standout attraction. 

The theme park is home to Europe’s largest seven day market with more than 320 stalls. 

Visitors can stop at Fantasy Foods for candy floss, then browse for wooden garden furniture or get a body piercing. 

The market also has a huge toy shop, face painting, handbag stalls and a baby boutique. 

On TikTok, @coastertog called it ‘the strangest theme park in the UK’, noting it’s the only place you can go to ‘ride the biggest SLC coaster in the world, and walk home with a wooden eagle, dog speaker and a three-piece outdoor furniture set’. 

Fantasy Island , located in Ingoldmells on Lincolnshire’s coast, is one of the country’s more unique theme parks

The theme park is home to Europe’s largest seven day market with more than 320 stalls

A tourist said in a review on Google Reviews: ‘The market and all the shops around Fantasy Island are brilliant. You’ll find some bargains.’ 

Another said: ‘Great rides and a wonderful market makes this a good day out. We enjoyed the various food stalls and even had a cheeky tattoo to round off our visit.’ 

A one day Discovery wristband which allows visitors to access all the park’s rides costs £28.80 if purchased online. 

Visitors can also pay per ride if they get one of the park’s iCards which can be topped up by Fantasy Island’s cashiers. 

MailOnline Travel recently revealed where Europe’s best theme parks are located – and exactly how much it will cost to visit them.  

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Inside the UK’s ‘strangest’ theme park – that’s home to the biggest suspended looping roller coaster in the world

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