There’s so many things to do and places to visit in Devon, find out how one family got on when they visited Crealy Theme Park and Resort.
We haven’t really done many theme parks.
In our family of four, there are really only two members who enjoy rip-roaring rollercoasters and superfast spinning.
The other usually two prefer to hold the coats and watch the action from the safety of the ground.
But things change, people change and this half-term, all four of us had a great time at Crealy.
Billed as the biggest family theme park in Devon, this well-established attraction near Exeter has been doing what it does for nearly 30 years.
We knew we were going to be in safe hands.
Before we arrived, Jake, 11, (traditionally one of the coat holders) made a well-researched list of the lower level rides he was going to go on, preparing to tick them off as he went.
Alice, 9, (very much a non-coat holder) said she was going on everything. Twice.
To start with, both kids stuck to their goals, with Jake trying out the panning for gold activity and Alice heading straight for the pirate ship, called The Flying Dutchman.
Then, we split into teams, with the thrill seekers (Alice and her dad) joining the queue for the Maxim rollercoaster, while Jake and I went for the pedal cars and the Dino jeeps.
We met for lunch and then planned out our next moves, with everyone feeling a little more confident by this stage.
The kids both liked the look of the Flying Machine – a very whirly-round roundabout thing. They took to the skies while we watched from way down below.
And then a very strange thing happened. We ALL decided to go on the log flume. Jake seemed to have unearthed a newly found love of rides and I must have got caught up in the whole Crealy atmosphere. I haven’t been on a log flume since I was 16 – and I was terrified then.
This time, I knew I had to put on a brave face for the children, which I thought I did really well until I saw our photograph at the end of the ride. I looked about as terrified as I did 20 or so years ago. Oh well. They seemed to find it very funny indeed.
After we’d dried off, we regrouped and went to find the Twister – another fast ride. What was happening?
Jake and I didn’t think twice about it. We didn’t even care about holding the coats anymore, we just dumped them at the side of the ride and leapt into the carriages, before being flung around and up and down at breakneck speed.
Another embarrassing mum photograph later, the kids were looking for the next thrill and went to the Atlantis section, which has an indoor rollercoaster and a scary drop ride.
The grown-ups, meanwhile, took the opportunity to have a brief rest after all that excitement and sat down at one of the hundreds of benches conveniently placed all around the park.
This really is the place for top family fun. We had a right laugh together and the kids were talking about Crealy to anyone who would listen for the next few days.
Friendly place, friendly staff and loads to do – we’re theme park converts.
See Crealy website click here
