So much Fun at Dreamland, Margate (Review)

Central Event Area/Food Court

Earlier this week we had a few days away as a family in Kent. We had a wonderful time and the weather was amazing. On Wednesday we headed to the seaside resort of Margate to visit Dreamland, an amusement park that I hadn't visited for around thirty years.

I have to admit, that with exception of the entrance, I didn't recognise any of it. My memory of Bembon Brothers (as it was called then) was of the massive Looping Star roller coaster, that I was too scared to go on (I looked after the bags) and the Mary Rose ride that my Mum went on and vowed 'never again'! I was astounded to hear that Dreamland will turn 100 on 3rd July 2020 and at the moment they are running a public FB group to find the best 100 memories and photos to share. Check it out and join if you have memories of years gone by to share. 

I think the reason I didn't recognise the park is that it looks so much better now than my memories of it. It was very stark, with lots of metal and concrete back then, but now it is bright, fresh, clean and full of greenery.  I'll say from the offset that we had a great visit to Dreamland and Miss E said that if she lived locally she'd definitely get annual membership so she could go every week. She really is our daredevil child!

Miss E on the Dreamland Drop

Thorpe Park Annual Pass Sale & WIN an Annual Family Pass

I've written before how Thorpe Park holds fond memories for me. I grew up just 20 minutes away and it was somewhere we visited often, especially as in those days you could gain entry to the park pretty cheap if you just went for the last hour or so. It was a very different place back then though with low-tech rides and minimal thrills.

Nowadays Thorpe Park has earned itself the reputation as the thrill seekers paradise in the UK. it boasts over 30 thrilling rides and attractions including some of the scariest about like Stealth, Nemesis Inferno and SAW - the ride.

Family Fun at Alton Towers

Alton Towers is one of those iconic places that practically everyone in the UK has heard of. Being a born and bread Southerner it is not somewhere that I have visited much, in fact I've only been there just once about twenty years ago when I was the bravest I have ever been and I rode Nemesis and for someone who hates thrill rides, it was a big deal!

The memory of my husbands and my day out at Alton Towers in the 1990's was a positive one so when we realised we would be holidaying in the Midlands Alton Towers was one of the first places I contacted to see if our family could review the theme park. I often work with Legoland and have also worked with Thorpe Park, Shrek's Adventure and other Merlin attractions so I know they are a company that provides amazing days out and I can I trust them to provide a great experience.

I was shocked to see how much Alton Towers has grown in the last twenty years, of course there is still the world-renowned theme park but there are now also two hotels, a water splashlands, spa, extraordinary golf, treetop adventure and and enchanted village with lodges and luxurious treehouses to stay in. Our visit was to be just to the theme park which includes CBeebies Land.

Drayton Manor Theme Park - Fabulous even in the Belting Rain!

As this publishes it been just over a week since we were at Drayton Manor and what a great time we had despite the fact it pelted with rain for a couple of hours in the afternoon. As the rain came down, our smiles went on as we realised this would be enough to scare a load of people off home and the park would be our oyster to explore!

We had a lot of fun at Drayton Manor and it is somewhere my family would happily visit again. Whilst it has loads of rides and attractions, it still feels like a manageable theme park and had more of a family feel to it than the very big glossy ones. Both in the customers on site and also with the staff working there. it is easy to see why Drayton Manor has become the UK's favourite family them park over the last 65 years.

International Thrill Seekers head to Thorpe Park

Earlier this week I lost my husband for the day.... I lost him to taxiing duty for twelve 18 to 24 year olds on a day out to Thorpe Park and you know what? I think it was the best thing, he came back in the cheeriest of moods despite the M25 traffic.

Regular readers will know that I live in the grounds of a very large Christian conference centre and at any one time we have around fifty young adults from all different countries living and working here. It can be quite isolated for them without a car and the bus does not even stop for us so the chance of a trip to somewhere like Thorpe Park was eagerly grabbed. Twelve went this week and another sixteen thrill seekers are going next week.

I know that in recent years Thorpe Park has been remodelled into the ultimate theme park for those who like the big scary rides - it is a thrill seekers paradise. The kids and I like a more serene day at somewhere like Chessington or Legoland but I know that my dh sometimes misses the chance to 'feel the fear and do it anyway!' so it was perfect for him to have some more adventurous companions.