I think we must be turning into Legoland nuts. There we were on the last day of the 2006 season at the park in Windsor, queuing for rides in the October gloom with what seemed like the whole of Berkshire. Now here we are in the spring sunshine on the opening day of 2007 at the Motherpark in Denmark. Can it possibly be worth the trek?

At 7am in the purgatory that is Gatwick’s South Terminal it looks doubtful. But as soon as we walk through Billund’s lovely calm airport and board the Legoland shuttle bus, the fun begins.

“I can see my knights’ castle, the one I’ve got at home!” screams Rory, 4, as we whiz by Legoland’s gates five minutes later. He manages to maintain this state of high excitement for the whole trip, helped by the fact that we are staying in the Legoland hotel where there are characters made out of those plastic bricks at every turn, from Darth Vader and C-3PO in the lobby to assorted firemen, pirates and knights in the corridors. There are bricks in the light fittings, bricks embossed on the wallpaper, boxes of Lego to play with in our room and even Lego-shaped chips and chocolates in the restaurant. As this is Denmark, the land of simple, clean design, it’s all beautifully done, understated and not remotely tacky.

Best of all, our room overlooks the Miniland section of the park where incredibly detailed scale models of cities and famous monuments have been constructed from 20 million bricks. Rory sits transfixed for ages, face pressed against the glass, watching tiny trains pootle around Mount Fuji.

In the morning, we nip through the hotel exit straight into the middle of the park, beating all the day-trippers by miles. We also get the chance to be first in line for the Quick Pass kiosks, where you can get tickets to jump the queues at seven of the most popular rides. The big new attraction this year is Atlantis, which promises a trip to the deep to see real live sharks (tiddlers though) and tropical fish as well as Lego divers and a submarine. This turns out to be slightly disappointing. A short film followed by a walk around a small aquarium, it has none of the Disney wizardry that would make children feel they really had been transported many leagues under the sea. But at the end they do get to handle starfish, hermit crabs and sea urchins.

It’s the interactive stuff that Legoland does best. Seven-year-old Holly’s favourite activities are panning for gold (sifting gravel in a wooden trough) and then having it “melted” into a medal in the Wild West village Legoredo; cooking a bread roll on the end of a very long stick over an open fire — something that would have health and safety bods in the UK reaching for their smelling salts — and learning to drive an electric car. Rory loves the Falck Fire Brigade — a race to get your fire engine to the end of the track, aim enough water into a hole to put out the flames and race back — something that requires both his parents to break sweat to avoid the shame of being last.

There are rollercoaster rides, too, but Holly and Rory are not keen on being flung about in the dark on the end of a robot’s arm or lurching around the King’s Castle on the Dragon. Holly queues again and again for the Vikings River Splash ride (the new attraction at Windsor this summer), which ends in a spectacular soaking, while Rory and I are taken with the Pirate Boats, a gentle meander through a sweeter version of Pirates of the Caribbean, complete with a winking Lego hooker showing a bit of thigh. “I like that lady — she’s my favourite,” says Rory.

We all decide that we prefer the Danish Legoland, even if the attractions and rides are similar at both. I like it because it hasn’t turned out to be an endurance test. The queues have been more manageable, the food’s better — our pizzas at Pizza & Pasta near the park entrance are excellent and the service from smiling, Danish milkmaid types exemplary. Generally, the standard of behaviour seems to be higher — the kids don’t scream, and nor do the parents.

Legoland has opened another park in Berlin, the first indoor one in the world. That’s half-term sorted then.

Need to know

Julia Brookes travelled with Sterling Airways (0870 7878038, www.sterling.dk). Return fares from Gatwick to Billund from £46. Legoland tickets: adults, £21; children aged 3-13, £18. One night at Hotel Legoland (00 45 7533 1244, www.hotellego land.dk) plus two days’ tickets for four costs £239.

Details: 00 45 7533 1333, www.legoland.dk.

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