Family days out: Drayton Manor and Thomas Land

If you had asked me last year I may have declined a visit to a theme park, but that was before my trip to Port Aventura.  From then on I have seen them in a completely different light  having realised that not only do they have so much more than fast rides and thrills, but they really do offer a large range of entertainment for all ages.  I was therefore quite excited by the prospect of visiting Drayton Manor in Staffordshire, West Midlands.  The kids had already heard of Thomas Land, although I am not sure they were prepared and I am pretty sure that it totally exceeded their expectations.

Our trip was planned along with another family and something I would highly recommend, it meant that we could split up when required swap kids around and the adrenalin junkie adults could do their thing too.  Despite being the middle of the summer, heavy rain was forecast so we headed off early equipped for the elements.  The park itself opens at 9.30am and the rides at 10.30am through to 5-6pm.   We arrived just after 10am which was perfect timing, it was quick easy to park and quick to get in.  Set in 280 acres of parkland, 15 acres of which house the zoo, the award winning Drayton Manor is also home to Thomas Land so it really does appeal to all ages. 

As soon as we walked through the entrance gates, Thomas was spotted by our 3 year olds, who literally started running towards the attractions.  The pure excitement could be seen in their eyes as we wandered around deciding which rides to go on.  Harold the Helicopter was definitely one of the favourites of the younger children and Cranky the Crane Drop Tower for the 5 year olds (above). One thing to bear in mind is that there are height restrictions on quite a few of the ride and for many you need to be 0.95m, alternatively for more detailed information check out the height restriction page. The braver adults (of which I was not one) tried out Maelstrom, a huge pendulum that swings to a height of 22.5m and spins at the same time, there was then Apocalypse, a larger and harsher version of Cranky the Crane Drop Tower and much to my surprise they appeared to enjoy them both!

Due to the uncertainty of the weather we returned to the car for the picnic and very successfully managed to move cars slightly to uncover a grassy spot for our spread, although there were both covered and uncovered picnic areas in the park.  Just as we were lighting candles for a birthday cake the heavens opened and after a few moments of escape in the cars we decided to adorn the wet weather gear and head back in.

The queues seemed to move pretty quickly and I was surprised at how patient most of the kids were, although chatting and playing with their friends helped pass the time.  The longest queue was for the Troublesome Trucks Runnaway Coaster, a small roller coaster, which was thoroughly enjoyed by the younger adrenalin junkies.

All in all a thoroughly good time was had by everyone and my only regret was that there was so much we didn’t see, like the zoo, the Thomas exhibition and the 4d cinema, but maybe that just gives us a perfect excuse for a return trip.

A day pass for a family of four with one under 4 cost £60.00.  There is a camping and caravan site within the grounds, but no bookings are taken and it is on a first come first served basis, alternatively there is a large selection of local hotels listed on the Drayton Manor website.

Also take a look at posts about Drayton Manor on our forum.