Usually when I write reviews of a place I tend to do it on the day that we visit but with Thomas Land I wanted to wait.

I wanted to wait to see what stayed with me and the children more.

The fact that the park was incredibly busy and we spent a lot of time queuing or the magic of seeing Thomas and the Island of Sodor brought to life.

The magic won!

After reading different reviews of Thomas Land we decided to arrive at Drayton Manor early and I am so glad we did as the cars were already queuing into the car park. I hopped out of the car to collect our tickets while David parked and loaded up the buggy.

There is no getting away from the fact that the park was busy. It was a sunny Sunday on a Bank Holiday weekend, I think I would have been more worried if it had not been busy.

As we walked into Drayton Manor Esther and William were keeping their eyes peeled to search for Thomas Land. We soon found the entrance and straight away saw Thomas.

We saw a young boy sitting inside Thomas and William was absolutely desperate to be next.

We had to pay £10 for Esther and William to be able to climb aboard Thomas and pretend to drive him. They loved it and they were looking at all the controls. They also lovingly stroked his funnel and his yellow number one. William was shaking with excitement at meeting the number one engine!

I have no photos of this magical meeting as part of the £10 we thought was a complimentary photo of the children aboard Thomas but then when we were handed the tickets for the photos it said we could view with no obligation to buy so we were a little confused. Later in the day I did try to go and view the photographs but the queue in the sweet shop was just too long. This was my one disappointment of the day because I would have taken photos myself if I had known we would not be given or sent a copy of the professional ones taken.

NB: Please see comment below stating that this was a miscommunication and we should have collected two free photos!! Make sure you collect yours if you go and decide to make the most of this special VIP experience x

After meeting Thomas William spotted Harold the Helicopter so off we went to have a ride.

The queue was quite long even though it was early in the day. Esther and William waited really patiently, watching their beloved Harold in awe.

When our turn came we were all able to go in one helicopter, Esther and William driving in the front with Daddy and I as their passengers.

It was wonderful to see them on their first theme park ride. They were grinning from ear to ear. However, it was the stomach lurching thrill of Bertie the Bus that made them giggle. Esther in particular loved the Bertie the Bus ride. I think we may have a future adrenalin junkie on our hands!

From the bus we went to Lady’s Merry Go Round. This was a ride where we felt that the queue could have been much shorter. It was also the one ride where we had tears as we were not allowed to sit together as a family but we did not know until we all tried to sit together and then Esther and I were moved. William does not cope well not being with his mummy so he got quite upset. But once he realised he was right next to Lady and the roundabout began he was okay.

The Lady Merry Go Round is definitely a ride for little people. Tilda would have loved it!

Esther and William as well as loving Thomas also LOVE driving!! Anything with a steering wheel and they are there. So a classic car with three steering wheels was bound to be a hit. We went on this ride twice, once early in the day and once again later on. The first time poor William was sad that he was not with Esther as we were only allowed one adult in each car so Esther went with Daddy.

The next time Daddy was on a rollercoaster (!!!) so I took both children with me on the cars and they were able to drive together, which being the best of friends as they are, they loved!

After this we decided to take a break from Thomas Land and explore some of Drayton Manor itself and I am so glad that we did.

First of all we went for a ride on the Polperro Express. For this there were no queues and it was a lovely train ride round the park, past the lake and the perfect time to have a snack. Esther and William loved this express ride and their faces say more than any words of mine ever could.

We had a lovely walk through the zoo and then we did the Dino Trail which we all enjoyed. Esther and William are just starting to learn about dinosaurs and they were keen to get up close to the ones on this trail.

Next to the dinosaurs was the wonderful wooden play area dedicated to the super fast engine that is Spencer! Esther, William and my nephew Toby all had a wonderful time letting off steam at this adventure play area. It was a really safe set up for toddlers with tunnels, slides and wobbly bridges. William loved all the little windows with shutters that could be opened and shut, over and over again!

Esther and William also spent a quiet moment or two stroking Spencer’s face!! I told you they were Thomas mad twins. They sure do love their engines!

From Spencer we went to queue for the train to take us back to Thomas Land. We were lucky enough to see Rosie couple up to her carriages before boarding Annie or Clarabel (?) for our ride on Thomas! The train ride was lovely and a chance to sit and catch our breath shaded from the sun.

Once back in the magical madness of Thomas Land Esther and Daddy wanted a rest so William and I headed off to queue for Jeremy the Jet Plane. William waited beautifully watching other children fly the planes and when it was finally his turn he was raring to go. In the jet planes there is a green button to press if you want to go higher, William had it permanently pressed and we were the highest jet in the sky. I loved this ride too. I loved that William loved it. It was also on this ride I realised that William is perhaps a little more Thomas obsessed than Esther and sometimes it might be nice for them to do separate things and also how nice it would be for me to have special one to one times with each twin. But that is a whole other blog post! In the meantime here is my delicious, not scared of heights(!), co-pilot.

From Jeremy the Jet Plane we had a clear view of Skarloey on his narrow gauge track and William really wanted to drive him. We made it to the front of the queue and were able to have our pick of engines. So William’s dream came true as he drove Skarloey and Esther had a wonderful time driving Rheneas.

Between flying Jeremy and riding with the narrow gauge engines something really rather wonderful happened. A very emotional mummy moment as Esther and William got to meet The Fat Controller. William rushed over, right up to his feet and just started talking.

I’ve got my legs out today. I’m wearing shorts. You’ve got white shoes. I’m wearing elephant shoes today. There’s some track over there!

William was just so excited the words came spilling out as he realised he was talking to the real life Fat Controller, and what is more the Fat Controller spoke back! Saying how he wished he were wearing shorts and had his legs out. William was beside himself. We posed for photos and then tried to leave but William could not back away. He stood and stared in wonder and awe at this larger than life man from the telly. The owner of all the engines and track in Sodor was right here and talking to him. He was just so pleased and proud. And so was his mummy!

After meeting Sir Topham Hatt we went to explore more of Drayton Manor. We went for ice cream and thought about going on the paddle steamer but the queue was just too long so instead we ventured on to the Big Wheel which was really really high!! Esther and William loved it and had to give mummy cuddles as she remembered her fear of heights. It really was very high!

We had a wonderful day with Thomas and I know there is so much more I could say. But, if you look really closely at the faces of my children then you will see all that you need to know.

This is a place of magic and wonder for any young fan of Thomas.

I know that we will be going back again to make more memories with Thomas and his friends.

A wonderful day out with some really useful engines!

We were given a family pass to Drayton Manor for the purpose of this review.