Do we, a nation home to Legoland, Alton Towers and Thorpe Park, need yet another theme park? Of course we do, particularly because we are trying to cram more experiences into our hectic lives.

Thomas is a huge lure. When Drusillas Park in East Sussex introduced the train, along with the carriages Annie and Clarabel this year, parents and children flocked to see the “choo choos”. Not, perhaps, every adult’s idea of a good day out but then, in my view, a happy child is a happy parent. Just watching my two-year-old son’s face when he reads Thomas the Tank Engine (which I personally can’t stand) is enough to make me open the book again and again, so of course I’ll take him to the park.

Thomasland will be aimed right at his age group, while a lot of other attractions are largely for older kids. It’ll be years before my son and I can properly enjoy Disneyland Paris together, though we have had fun at smaller parks such as Kent’s Diggerland, Bewilderwood in Norfolk and Robin Hill Countryside Adventure Park on the Isle of Wight.

The nightmare for parents, of course, is the cost; getting into Legoland next year will cost about £25 for a three-year-old. At Thomasland in Japan, entry doesn’t include unlimited rides, and forking out for them individually can mount up. But theme parks should be treats rather than daily occurrences. For cheaper outings, there’s nothing wrong with a good old-fashioned steam train, or even the Tube, which toddlers love as much as we adults hate it.

Explore UK News

• Crime News

• Education News

• Health News

• Scotland News

Times Recommends

• Milk: do we need a dairy godmother?
• DIY: the women doing it for themselves
• First double portrait of Princes unveiled