Drayton Manor is a perfect amusement park for families with children of mixed ages. Taking a 10-year-old and a 14-year-old, we needed some options. Mum doesn’t like rollercoasters, and not all the rides allow all children on.
Because the Zoo is so close to the main entrance, we went in there first – enjoying the various apes and meerkats as well as birds and other animals.
Drayton Manor is laid out over a wide area, with an expanse of water that also offers a paddle steamer ride. You can enjoy a leisurely aerial view of the park from the cable car ride – although queues for this can get quite long.
The kids wanted to go on as many of the big rides as possible. We queued twice for the Ben 10 rollercoaster, which is very quick, but fun all the same.
Although our kids were a bit young for Thomas the Tank Engine, they were attracted by a show that was taking place there as we left, so we hung around for a bit to watch that.
For Thomas fans, you could easily spend half a day just in Thomas Land. In fact, one day isn’t enough to enjoy Drayton Manor completely. There is a hotel on site, so if you plan an overnight stay, you can get to try everything on a two-day visit.
For more information: www.draytonmanor.co.uk
