NOT so much to the manor born, but borne with great delight to this extra special manor of countless delights for all ages – especially the adventurous and daring young-at-heart.

Heading up the M5 and M42 from the mid-Worcestershire area it is approximately a one-hour journey of close on 50 miles. It’s just long enough to feel you’re away from home, creating the impression you might be on holiday, and soon it will be offering just that opportunity. Quite appropriate considering the current recession has led to more ‘stay-cation’ holidays.

What is planned to be a superbly appointed hotel is currently under construction and will provide the opportunity to stay on site for several days or longer. The hotel is scheduled to open its doors to the public next year and will provide a top quality facility.

It's another factor which shows Drayton Manor has come a considerably long way since its first inception 60 years ago and it now stands on the brink of being one of Europe’s outstanding theme parks.

On my last visit, quite a few years ago, I felt it appeared a shade tired and outdated. But to the credit of everyone connected with the park it has steadily grown and improved in the past decade or so with a multitude of top class things to do. There’s so many, you definitely need more than a day to explore and partake of all the pleasures – especially as it recently became the home of Thomas Land, where you can enjoy all the wonders of the magical island of Sodor and meet Thomas the Tank Engine and his friends.

Parking is plentiful and well organised and the route into the park whets the appetite for the fun to come as the entrance road winds it way past the big lake and gives a glimpse of some of the rides… such as Storm Force - a hair-raising adventure down water chutes, and Splash Canyon, as well as G-Force and Shock Wave – two of the more spectacular rides where you know you ought to have first checked in at a well known spectacles provider!

Having been tested recently I politely declined this form of ‘transport’ and definitely hadn’t packed any cheese sandwiches.

New attractions for this year, for a season running through from late March to the end of October, is the 4-D cinematic experience of Happy Feet and the Dino Trail, where you can step back in time and meet huge creatures from our prehistoric past.

The many other attractions include a small zoo, a Wild West shoot-out and the Excalibur Mining Company – where you can pan for fossils and gems, while the family’s daredevils can head for a spin in the air on the Maelstrom or the big ‘lift and drop’ on the Acopalypse.

The park’s claim to have some of the ‘biggest, wettest and scariest rides around’ is no idle boast. On the thrill factor it surely hits the 10 out of 10 button - especially as your admission price includes all the rides!

The whole park – there is 280 acres of parkland and lakes - is well laid out with plenty of room to move around and queue, plenty for all ages to enjoy, and it has good facilities for the disabled with wheelchairs available for hire.

You can also either pack your own picnic or take advantage of the good number of reasonably priced food and drink locations if you want to avoid carrying hampers and cold-bags around.

But one item you do need to be carrying around is a camera with so many opportunities for happy memories. And even if you forget to take yours the park has a photographic service offered on a number of the rides.

Drayton Manor does have its own touring caravan site for families, which is already of great assistance to long-distance travelers to the park. Now the completion of the spectacular looking new hotel next summer will elevate it a notch or two and make it an even greater attraction as an enjoyable holiday destination for all fun-loving families and the young at heart.

*** Drayton Manor Theme Park is situated near Tamworth just off the A4091 and admission prices are – adults (12+) £28, children (4-11) £24, seniors (over-60) £14, disabled and helper £19 each, while children under four go in free. There are family-saver offers and other special offers on-line at www.draytonmanor.co.uk.