We had a brilliant day out at Drayton Manor this summer holidays. I can’t believe it has been nearly 5 years since we had last visited! My boys were HUGE Thomas & Friends fans when they were younger,so we had enjoyed some magical visits to Thomasland together but now that they have moved on from the Thomas stage, was there still anything to get them excited at Drayton Manor? Yes! There are lots of rides for older kids, so with children ranging from 1-10 years old we found plenty to suit everyone.
Drayton Manor is around 2 hours from London. You can also get packages with hotels but we found it very do-able as a day trip. At first we decided to split up, so the boys and their dad went to try out some of the thrill rides in the main Drayton Manor Park and I took our toddler N (18 months) to experience her first time in Thomas Land.
One of the first rides the boys went on was Stormforce 10, which is a water ride. You do get very wet! Which was okay as it was such a hot day. They all loved it. Another of their favourite rides was the Shockforce rollercoaster which they went on about 3 or 4 times altogether!
My boys range in height from around 1.1 metre to just under 1.4 metres so we found there was plenty that they could go in within Drayton Manor Park that was suitable for their height and the level of thrill they are able to handle, and plenty of the rides they were able to go on by themselves too.
As for N, it was her first proper visit to a theme park since last summer she was a little baby who couldn’t go on anything at all so it hardly counts! I knew she wouldn’t have the patience to wait in any queues, so I made a bee-line for any rides in Thomasland which had very short lines and managed to get her on quite a few things without waiting at all. Blue Mountain Engines and Lady’s Carousel are both great for younger toddlers.
She also enjoyed exploring Thomasland and seeing all the different engines.
Any Thomasland rides which did have a small queue, like Flynn’s Fire Rescue, we left til later in the day and then managed to go on without queuing at all at the end of the day. The boys also came in to Thomasland later in the day and found some rides that they enjoyed a lot, even though they had thought they were too old for Thomasland! They really enjoyed squirting each other with water on Captain’s Sea Adventure
Drayton Manor does not just have theme park rides, there is also a zoo, which is a really nice way to break up the day and to have a bit more chilled time
There’s also a dinosaur trail at the end of the zoo which is fun, and then it leads on to Spencer’s Adventure playground which is a train themed play area for young ones to explore and let off steam.
Overall, Drayton Manor has so many different aspects to enjoy and we found it brilliant for all the family. I would definitely go again and would recommend it to others. It’s not always easy to find places that cater perfectly for mixed ages, but Drayton Manor really did.
Anna Marikar, mum of four and seasoned blogger, has spent over a decade sharing her parenting journey and passion for kid-friendly crafts and free printables.
Her easy-to-follow craft ideas and practical parenting advice have transformed In The Playroom into a cherished resource for parents.