Showing posts with label Camping. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Camping. Show all posts

Monday 5 February 2018

Caravan, Camping and Motorhome Show 2018 - Competition

As a family we love to go camping and have also owned tourer caravans and hired motorhomes in the past. All of these are a great way of getting out and about and enjoying weekend breaks or holidays together. We have therefore teamed up with the Caravan, Camping and Motorhome Show 2018, to give away 5 pairs of tickets to the show, which is taking place at the Birmingham NEC from the 20th to the 25th February 2018.

All the new season tents, trailer tents and folding caravans are displayed, together with camping and outdoor leisure accessories and, of course, the UK's largest exhibition line-up of caravans, motorhomes, campervans, caravan holiday homes and lodges.

Visitors can try their hand at motorhome manoeuvring, campervan test driving, and caravan towing* as well as exploring UK and overseas camping destinations. Whether new to camping and leisure vehicle holidays or an avid adventurer, the Caravan, Camping and Motorhome Show 2018 offers staycation inspiration and advice for all.


With encouraging everyone to spend '24 hours outdoors ' in 2018, a theme of this year's show, the Discovery Theatre's celebrity line-up includes inspiring and informative talks from a number of renowned names. Adventurers Sir Ranulph Fiennes and Anna McNuff share tales of their epic expeditions, whilst Rowland Rivron, Monica Rivron, Matt Allwright, Katie Chapman and Monty Halls also appear.

An array of cookery experts take to the stage throughout the show's six days, sharing quick and easy on-the-go recipes. See demonstrations from celebrity chefs such as Rustie Lee, Dean Edwards, Paul Da Costa Greaves, Chris Bavin and more.

With new-for-2018 attractions including a skate rink and Holiday Park Experience as well as favourites such as an assault course and climbing wall, there's plenty of free activities to enjoy. Also pitching up are The Camping and Caravanning Club and the Caravan and Motorhome Club offering thousands of camping destinations at home and abroad, while partners such as The Woodland Trust offer inspiration on walks and getting outdoors.


Tickets can be purchased online at www.ccmshow.co.uk or by phone on 0844 873 7333. Children aged 15 and under enter for FREE!

*Driving licence required.

As mentioned previously, we have a fantastic competition for our readers, to give you the chance to win a pair of tickets to the show. If you would like to enter then please read the terms and conditions and then complete your entry using the gleam form below. Good Luck!

Win a Pair of Tickets to the Caravan, Camping & Motorhome Show 2018

Terms and Conditions from the Caravan, Camping and Motorhome Show 2018
  • Tickets are to be collected at the press office at the NEC, the press office is located outside Hall 4, suites 4.8 and 4.9. It is accessible from within the hall during the following hours. You can choose which day you want to visit:
Tuesday 20th: 09:45 - 17:00
Wednesday 21st: 09:45 - 17:00
Thursday 22nd:  09:45 - 17:00
Friday 23rd: 09:45 - 17:00
Saturday 24th: 09:45 - 17:00
Sunday 25th: 09:45 - 12:00

  • £7.00 Senior (Over 60s), £8.00 Adult when booking before 23:59hrs 19/02/18 after which time prices revert to the on-the-door price of £9.00 Senior and £10.00 Adult. A £1.25 transaction fee applies. Calls cost 7p per minute plus your phone company's access charge. Car parking is included in the ticket price. No dogs (except assistance dogs). Children 15 years and under go free when accompanied by a paying Adult/Senior. Tickets are non-refundable and cannot be exchanged for monetary value. For full terms and conditions please visit www.ccmshow.co.uk.
Competition Terms and Conditions
  • There are five (5) prizes each consisting of a pair of adult entry tickets to the Caravan, Camping and Motorhome show 2018. 
  • Tickets can be used on one (1) day of the show only between the show dates of 20th-25th February 2018 at the Birmingham NEC venue.
  • Competition closes on 10th February and winners shall be notified by email.
  • Winners will have 24 hours to respond to the winning email notification before an alternative winner is drawn from the remaining eligible entries, so please remember to check your emails on this day to see if you are a lucky winner.
  • Email address will be collected for the purpose of contacting winners only and will not be shared/sold to a third party.
  • Winners names only will be shared with the promoter for the purpose of prize fulfilment and ticket collection.
  • Tickets are non-transferable and there is no cash alternative.
  • Entry is open to UK residents aged 18 years or over.
  • The winner shall be required to collect their tickets from the press office at the show. Tickets will NOT be posted out.
  • No bulk or third party entries.
  • There will be no contribution made towards travel.

Monday 10 April 2017

An Eggs-ellent Easter at Drayton Manor - Review

The last time I visited Drayton Manor was around ten years ago, and so when we had the opportunity to return recently, I was very excited to see all the changes that had taken place in that time. I could remember certain aspects of our last visit, and how much I loved their 'Shockwave' stand up rollercoaster, but having visited as a couple with my husband previously, I knew that this trip would be so much more fun and exciting as a family.

Saturday 8th April, marked the start of the Eggs-ellent Easter event which is running until the 23rd April. During this time there is plenty to see and do including, Easter Trails, Live Shows, Animal Feeds, Thrill Rides and of course Thomas Land.  You can print off the Easter Trail prior to your visit, or obtain a copy of guest services on arrival if you don't have access to a printer, and find the answers to the questions whilst making your way around the park. On completion you can hand your sheet into guest services who will reward you with a delicious Easter treat (subject to availability). Very Egg-citing!

We found Drayton Manor easy enough to find, although our sat nav tried to send us down several small lanes. Luckily it was well signposted as we got nearer, so we ignored the sat nav once we had left the motorway and decided that good old common sense would get us there easily enough and it certainly did.  The main entrance was clearly visible from the main road, and we began to make our way down the long drive way to the parking area.

There was a large queue of vehicles to get in, and so we were concerned that the park was going to be really busy. We needn't have been worried though, as after the initial car parking queue and ticket queue on arrival, the longest we waited all day was 25 minutes and that was for a ride in Thomas Land. The rest of the time we waited less than 10 minutes and on some occasions walked straight on. The park never felt too crowded at any point either, despite being busy which was fantastic.



We had made a plan beforehand as to which rides we were going to visit first, however this plan went straight out the window once we entered the park and the kids were quickly pointing in all directions as to where they wanted to go. Riley absolutely loves carousels, and so as there was no queue we jumped straight on the carousel in the centre of the park. We enjoyed this ride as a family, with Emma and Ben choosing horses, and Riley opting for a carriage.



Once we had left the carousel, Emma began to jump up and down and point at the large tower located towards the rear of the park. She was feeling extremely brave, and quickly insisted that she must go on the ride called 'Apocalypse', and that I must join her!

We made our way to Apocalypse, and Riley, Ben and Mr F went on the Flying Dutchman ride together whilst waiting for us. As we entered the main ride area, we had the choice of opting for the standing up ride queue, or the seated queue. We both decided that standing up would be far too scary, and so opted for the seated position instead, and were very happy to find a very short line of approximately ten people. This meant that it wasn't long at all before it was our turn. Whilst the tower looks high from the ground, it seems even higher as you are slowly making your way to the top. As we paused for a moment, I wondered to myself why I had agreed to come on with Emma, but I didn't get too long to think, as we were promptly released and the seats plummeted back down at speed towards the ground. I will admit that I screamed the entire way down!


As Emma and Ben had now each been on a ride of their choice, we excitedly took Riley over to Thomas Land. His little face beamed with delight as he began to spot familiar faces from the show and ran round excitedly trying to take everything in. Once he had calmed down and taken a good look around, he decided he wanted to ride on 'Winston's Whistle-Stop Tours' which was an aerial ride that took you along a track all above Thomas Land and gave you a birds eye view of all the rides. We all really enjoyed this, and when the ride came to a stop, Riley had already chosen his next adventure - Bertie Bus!


Bertie Bus had no queue at all, and so we walked straight on. The bus had bench style seating inside, and there is a maximum of one adult allowed per row. The bus then lifts up and moves in a circular motion whilst all the children excitedly cheer as it makes each rotation and it gently gets your tummy (a bit like going over a small hill in a car). This quickly became Riley's favourite ride, and each time we rode on it he got a little bit braver, and by the fourth go, he had his arms raised in the air like a true daredevil! I have to mention the member of staff on this ride who I thought was brilliant. Unfortunately I didn't catch his name, but he was very welcoming and friendly and it was obvious that children's safety was really important to him.


We were very impressed with Thomas Land, the rides were all like miniature versions of bigger rides but accompanied by a Thomas theme and the area was very clean and tidy. There was a wide range of choice for children, and I think if travelling with young kids, you could quite easily spend all day in this area alone. The rides all looked well maintained, and I liked that fact that there were replica engine models located around the rides, to provide you with some photo opportunities.

After Bertie Bus, we climbed onto Lady's Carousel. Again there was no queue, so Riley picked a carriage and I climbed in with him. Ben also decided to join us on this ride, as he enjoys spending time with his little brother. It never bothers him about going on smaller rides, as he just likes to see Riley having fun and spending time with him, which is really lovely.


After visiting the Sodor Classic Cars ride, and Flynn's Fire Rescue, we headed back into the main park area, to find a family ride to enjoy together and so left it down to Emma and Ben to choose.

They both decided on Splash Canyon which is a river rapids ride, and each boat can hold up to 6 people so this made it ideal for us. Foolishly I made a comment in the queue, that people didn't look too wet as they came off the ride, but I mustn't have looked carefully enough as when it came to our turn we got soaked, much to the children's delight!

Splash Canyon was really good, as it started quite gently, and gradually picked up in pace. We did get stuck on one part near the main dip to the faster rapids and ended up bobbing around between the barrels for a short while, but soon enough another boat came along and bumped us back onto course. The kids found this hilarious, and we were soon back on our way getting splashed from all angles. We left the ride soaking wet, but with it being really nice and sunny, we soon dried off in the sunshine, and within minutes Emma and Ben had already began queueing for their next ride which was Air Race.



Air Race is a selection of aeroplanes arranged in a circular formation. On first glance it appears similar to a children's ride, that you would sit in and it goes round in a circle. I then looked on the map and noticed that this was labelled as a thrill ride which confused me. This confusion was soon cleared up however when the ride started and the planes quickly began to move upside down! Whilst moving around in a circle the planes would also spin upside down, slowly at first, suspending riders upside down in the air, before gradually gaining speed and making the rotations much quicker. I was shocked that Ben wanted to ride on this as he doesn't like scary rides unlike Emma, and had certainly never been upside down on one before. I was half expecting him to leave the queue half way through, but much to my surprise he soon boarded his plane and both Emma and Ben screamed with delight as their plane began to rotate. At one point I noticed that Ben had his eyes firmly shut, and I was really worried that he would come off the ride upset. Instead he came off smiling and feeling very proud of himself for tackling his fears and trying a thrill ride. I was very proud of him too, but was also secretly glad when he said he didn't want to go on it again.

After the excitement of the rides so far, we decided to slow things down for a bit, and visit the Zoo where we could grab a drink and have a nice walk around whilst seeing the animals. The first animals we saw were the meerkats, and then opposite this was the reptile house, which was Ben's favourite area. We saw some absolutely massive snakes, as well as some lizards, iguanas and frogs.





After our relaxing walk around the zoo, we headed back to Thomas Land where Riley enjoyed more of the rides, and an obligatory trip to the gift shop, which was stocked to the roof with all things Thomas related.


Riley and I went on Bertie Bus (yes again!) whilst Emma and Ben went over to the Troublesome Trucks Runaway Rollercoaster with their dad. I liked that some of the rides were also suitable for older children, so that there was something for everyone to enjoy.



In terms of dining, there was an ample selection of places to eat, whether it be for small snacks, sweet treats, or a tasty hot meal. There were small snack kiosks in all areas of the park we visited selling drinks, donuts and ice creams, as well as take away options and sit down restaurants including Burger Kitchen, Pizza and Pasta, and Chicken Diner.


We found the facilities to be clean, and there were plenty of toilets and baby changing facilities available throughout the park, so you were never too far away, no matter where you were within the attraction.

Scattered amongst the rides, were numerous 'fairground style' games, where you could win prizes. I was pleased to see many people walking around the park throughout the day carrying jumbo sized teddies, which gave me reassurance that these games can actually be won.


One thing I really liked about Drayton Manor, was how family orientated it was. There really is something for everyone there, and certainly plenty to keep my family and I entertained. Unfortunately we found that we were unable to visit everything in just one day, and so when we return in the future, we will definitely look to purchase a two day ticket and either stay over at their on-site hotel or pitch our tent on their Camping and Caravanning Club Campsite to make a weekend of it.

Overall, we had an absolutely brilliant time, and will definitely be returning again in the summer.

Drayton Manor offers a discounted rate for tickets booked online, and these can be purchased up until midnight the day before you plan to visit. Ticket prices are as follows:

                            Online (Prebooked)      On the day rate

Aged 12-59                     £25                              £39

Aged 4-11                       £20                              £29

Aged 60+                        £20                              £29

Aged 2-3                         £7                                £7

Under 2's                         Free                            Free

Disabled/Carer                £20                              £20

Expectant Mother           £20                              £20

4 for £80                         £80                              N/A

Adult & Toddler             £20                              £20

After School                   £10                              £10

For more information on the rides, attractions, and full details on entry prices and opening times, then you can visit the Drayton Manor website here: Drayton Manor

You can also find out more by following Drayton Manor on social media and their pages can be found as follows:

Twitter: Drayton Manor Twitter
Facebook: Drayton Manor Facebook Page
Instagram: Drayton Manor Instagram
YouTube: Drayton Manor YouTube Channel


Disclaimer: We received complimentary family admission for the purpose of reviewing Drayton Manor. All opinions and photographs are my own. Prices, opening times, and ride availability was correct at time of writing. I would always suggest visiting the Drayton Manor website prior to visiting in order to obtain the most up to date information.