Thomas Land Extension at Drayton Manor

It has been a few years since we have been to Drayton Manor and our last visit was primarily to take the boys to Thomas Land that had only been open for a few months.  They were both Thomas the Tank Engine fans and they loved the Thomas themed rides.  This week we were back for a return visit and funnily enough it was to mark the opening of the Thomas Land extension.  Thomas Land is already a hugely popular part of Drayton Manor and is the perfect area for parents of younger children to enjoy a wide variety of fun rides all based on the popular characters from Thomas the Tank Engine books, shows and merchandise.

Thomas Land already had a number of rides but this new area not only extends Thomas Land to give families more space to move around but it also has three brand new rides.  With Sodor Airport as an impressive backdrop to the area, you can climb up onto the balcony to get great views of Thomas Land and pop downstairs to the cafe below for a wide range of refreshments.

What else could you have beneath the balconies of Sodor Airport other than Jeremy Jet’s Flying Academy which has been relocated and it was funny that like her brothers before her, my daughter loved this ride and declared it to be the ‘best ride ever’.

Captain’s Sea Adventure is a really fun ride and we both loved this.  You climb on board Captain and swirl around in circles on the water.  As you go, you can fire small amounts of water from little cannons and A and I were very successful at squirting the occupants of the other boats.

Sticking with the watery theme, Flynn’s Fire and Rescue is a chance to be a fire fighter and climb the ladder and squirt water to put out the fire.  Smaller heroes can stick to driving the trucks if they prefer.  A and I go soaked but really enjoyed this ride.

Toby’s Tram Express was the only ride that we didn’t try due to ‘mummy’s nervous disposition’ but it looked like great fun.

The Thomas Land extension is really impressive; there is lots of space and alongside the new rides and buildings, there are Victorian fairground games and a rather fetching bandstand and a fountain of the Fat Controller.

After we had thoroughly explored the extension, it was time to reminisce around the rest of Thomas Land and we had great fun on lots of the other rides such as the Troublesome Trucks Runaway Coaster which proved to be a favourite, Winston’s Whistlestop Tours which Daddy liked as you learnt about the history of Thomas and Diesel’s Locomotive Mayhem.

Of course, not trip to Thomas Land is complete without a trip on Thomas himself or one of his friends.

Drayton Manor has rides for all ages and courage levels; from the rides for younger children in Thomas Land, family rides and big rides for thrill seekers in the rest of the park.  Everything is within easy walking distance which is a bonus and there is also a zoo, a fantastic outdoor play area, an indoor play area, live shows, the Discover Thomas Exhibition and even a Dino Trail.  You could easily spend a few days at Drayton Manor and find plenty to do.

The afternoon was all about the bigger rides and my eleven year old thrill seeker quite literally dragged me onto some of the faster rides and then laughed at the ride photos of me with my eyes tight shut with a look of complete terror on my face.

 It was quite a relief to then swap with Daddy and take the children on a few gentler rides such as the Big Wheel which gives you a fantastic view of the park and Drayton Queen which is a nice gentle boat ride around the lake.

We had a fantastic day at Drayton Manor and all three children declared that they had had the best day and would love to go back again soon.  There were lots of smiles, so that is the sign of a good day.

We were given complimentary entry for the day at Drayton Manor.  All options and images are our own.