The Big Wheel, Great Yarmouth

The Big Wheel is a giant observation wheel that appears on Great Yarmouth's Golden Mile during the main tourist season, sitting on the seafront close to the Britannia Pier and the town's Pleasure Beach. Standing well over 40 metres tall, it dominates the promenade skyline and is visible from much of the seafront and from as far out as Gorleston across the estuary.

Enclosed gondolas carry you slowly around several rotations, giving unhurried views along the length of the Golden Mile, out across the sandy beach and North Sea, and inland over the rooftops of Great Yarmouth towards the Norfolk Broads. On clear evenings the wheel is lit up, and rides after dark give a different perspective on the illuminated piers, arcades and amusement rides below.

It suits families with younger children as well as adults after a quiet look at the coastline, since the gondolas are fully enclosed and the ride is gentle rather than a thrill attraction. The wheel is one of several seasonal rides that pop up along the seafront each summer, alongside the traditional amusements, adventure golf and pier attractions that define this stretch of the Norfolk coast.