Underground UK waterpark ‘so good it rivals one at Alton Towers’ – and only costs my family £20 to visit

WE’VE discovered a little-known waterpark just half an hour away from us that only costs £20 for my family to visit.

From the outside, Moorways Sports Village in Derby looks like a typical local leisure centre with a swimming pool, gym, fitness studios, soft play and a stadium overlooking an athletics track and football pitches.

But hidden at basement level is a brilliant indoor splash park with something to keep all ages entertained.

Even better, the hidden waterpark is at leisure centre prices, so it doesn’t cost big bucks to get in – and under fives go free – unlike at lots of commercial waterparks, where you have to pay from an earlier age.

I had no idea that we had this hidden gem right on our doorstep until we were invited to a birthday party there recently.

Costing £42million to build, the leisure complex only opened in 2022, so all the facilities are in good nick.

We love a waterpark and I honestly think this is up there with some of our favourites at holiday resorts and top tourist destinations like Alton Towers.

It’s compact but perfectly formed, with flumes and rides to keep older children happy, an aqua tower and splash pad for little ones and a wave pool for all ages to enjoy together.

A big hit with my older sons, aged 11 and 9, was the wave rider, a half-pipe waterslide that zooms one or two people backwards and forwards in an inflatable tube.

The boys also enjoyed the flumes, one of which is in darkness, as well as the racer slide, where they could compete against each other to get to the bottom first.

I would say Moorways is best for children who are taller than 120cm, especially at weekends and school holidays, when all the slides are running and there’s often a big inflatable obstacle course in the main pool included in the water park ticket for swimmers aged five or above.

During term-time weekdays, prices are lower, but the rides and inflatable aren’t on.

My little boy aged four was quite happy pottering around the aqua tower, which has various water jets and spouts as well as two small slides, and splashing in the wave pool with me.

It’s got a sloping beach area perfect for non-swimmers, before funnelling swimmers into a circular pool, where an orange WOW ball creates small and continuous waves instead of a noisy machine kicking in at set intervals during the swim session.

Draughty changing rooms are a bit of a bugbear of mine, having endured enough of them while wrestling tiny, shivering, tots into clothes as quickly as possible despite still being cold and wet myself.

But here, the pools and cubicles are below the centre entrance, which dramatically reduces the chilly air whistling around the changing rooms and makes for a more enjoyable visit all round.

You’ll need to know two things to help your visit go smoothly: the lockers take £1 coins – I keep a couple of shopping trolley tokens in my swimming bag for just such an occasion.

Unfortunately, they didn’t work in these lockers and I didn’t fancy trekking back upstairs to reception in my swimming costume so make sure you have pound coins to use before you head down to the changing rooms.

Parking is free for three hours but you do need to put your car reg into a screen near reception so remember to do that on your way in.

Peak prices are £9.45 for age five and over, which covers 90 minutes on weekday evenings, weekends and school holidays. Off-peak sessions are £6.80 each.

There’s also an inclusive session once a month with adaptations made for people who struggle with loud noises and sensory issues.

And it’s not just me who left feeling impressed as other punters have sung the waterpark’s praises on TripAdvisor.

One person wrote: “The slides were great and the wave pool was so much fun.”

A second person added: “Fantastic waterpark, which had disco music and lights playing during our visit.”

Moorways Sports Village is a 15-minute drive from Derby city centre, and it’s a 30-minute drive from Nottingham.

There are plenty of other indoor waterparks in the UK for Brit holidaymakers to visit.

One of those places is The Wave in Coventry, an indoor waterpark, which currently holds the record for having the largest wave pool in the UK.

There are also plenty of water parks in Europe, including Livu Akvapark in Latvia and Energylandia in Poland.