Thomas Land steams open!

TO the great excitement of children across the country, Thomas Land opens for passengers this weekend (March 15) at the Drayton Manor theme park, Tamworth. This new attraction – the second one in the world (the first being in Japan) – features an entire recreation of the Island of Sodor set in three acres and complete with 12 themed rides, cafes and play areas.

The rides are superb and include a massive recreation of Knapford Station (complete with the Fat Controllers office that can be hired out for parties), which Thomas chugs out of with carriages Annie and Clarabel in tow. This carries up to 54 people 530m to the Tidmouth Hault Station in the zoo area of the park.

There’s also the Terence’s Driving School (which allows toddlers to pilot their own mechanical shovel), Harold’s Heli-Tours (a helicopter ride that elevates), Rockin’ Bulstode (a large barge that swings and rotates), Crazy Bertie Bus (which zooms up in the air) and Diesel’s Locomotion Mayhem (a clever ride that sees trains spin in a figure of eight, just missing hitting each other) to name but a few.

The rides are suitable for most ages of children and adults can accompany them on the majority of them.

Being a hard-hitting investigative journalist, I did sample all the rides helped by my three-and-a-half-year old son, Sam, and can report that the Troublesome Trucks roller coaster was a big hit (he would have been on it all day, but after four laps I’d had enough!) as well as Sodor’s Classic Cars (which travel on a set track through various displays – including a milking shed with a surprise). Cranky’s Drop Tower was the only ride he bottled out of going on (it’s a 49ft high vertical drop ride), much to my relief…

As well as 12 great rides, there’s also a fantastic indoor soft play area for smaller children that is also filled with Thomas-related characters. With cafes, restaurants and a large Thomas Land shop – crammed with more merchandise than you ever imagined existed – this is a first-rate theme park for children. As it’s set in the heart of Drayton Manor there’s also lots of bigger rides for adults to sample, too, so it’s a full day out.

All-in-all this is a must-visit attraction for anyone with small children and it’s clear that an awful lot of hard work has gone into making it a big success. If you want to be the most popular parent / grandparent of all, don’t miss it.

Thomas Land opens its doors on Saturday, March 15 - to find out more visit the website at www.thomaslanduk.co.uk

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