Rutland Water aqua park in Whitwell opens with new sea dragon obstacle

An inflatable obstacle course at Rutland Water is back with a splash this year.

Aqua Park Rutland, which has been welcoming visitors to the reservoir’s shores since 2016, reopened on Saturday (May 20).

It was a busy weekend at the attraction, boosted by sunny weather and a good test-run for the late May bank holiday weekend.

There were plenty of epic fails and total wipeouts, as well as people showing off their obstacle course skills.

This year the park features an inflatable version of the Rutland sea dragon – a tribute to the 2021 discovery of a perfectly preserved ichthyosaur by Joe Davis, who works at Rutland Water Nature Reserve.

The inflatable dragon features a climb and a slide into the reservoir.

Connor James, founder of Aqua Park Group, said they were “really excited” to be unveiling the sea dragon this season, adding: “This fantastic new inflatable will offer guests a chance to play with history and learn more about life in the prehistoric age.

“Our new inflatable measures 10 metres in length, just like the sea dragon, and will be available alongside more than 40 other inflatables that make up the water park attraction.”

On the course there are slides of varying sizes, the highest reaching 3.5 metres.

There are also monkey bars, climbing walls, ‘blast bags’, platforms to jump off, a trampoline and a range of obstacles.

The park is open for the half-term holidays and during the summer. Tickets can be booked online at www.aquaparkgroup.co.uk/locations/rutland