See Beebies
Alton Towers’ new attractions for its younger thrill seekers will liven up any weekend
There’s a way to stop your kids’ weekend boredom whinge, followed by demands to watch TV. Just jump in the car and take them to Cbeebies Land.
If you are a parent of someone aged between two and five, the BBC’S flagship TV channel for toddlers will probably already have taken over your home.
And now it’s got a foothold in the UK’S most popular theme park too.
Cbeebies Land opened last year with 12 rides, including Mr Bloom’s Allotment, Justin’s House Pie-o-matic Factory and the In the Night Garden Magical Boat Ride.
Two new ones opened last month: the Furchester Hotel Live Show and the Go Jetters Vroomster Zoom ride. Nope, me neither.
Not my seven-yearold Rose, however, who declared herself a massive Go Jetters fan and became one of the first children to have a go at driving her very own Vroomster.
SWAGGER
It went up, it went down, it went round and round and round. And it was “really good”, apparently.
And so was the Furchester Hotel “live and interactive” show – though tightly scripted and with no opportunity for any adlibbing, much to the disappointment of one heckling child.
The “interactive” bit was an opportunity to dance to the Tail Feather Shake with rock ’n’ roll rooster Chick Swagger, who brought a touch of the old Muppet Show magic to proceedings.
Elmo and the Cookie Monster, veterans from sister show Sesame Street, joined us by video link.
Later this year, Alton Towers will up the ante further with the opening of a new 76-bedroom Cbeebies Land Hotel.
I have made sure Rose and her little sister Polly, 5, have no idea this is happening.
The rooms will come in a variety of themes including In the Night Garden, Octonauts, Postman Pat, Swashbuckle and Something Special.
According to Alton Towers: “Featuring interactive games and play items, each themed room is uniquely designed to give little ones a sleepover like no other.”
I’m not sure mine could cope. They still get overexcited about having a small kettle in their bedroom, along with some shortbread and a shower cap.
In the Cbeebies Land Hotel, they would be greeted by Postman Pat himself and take part in their own Swashbuckle game show. Reservations are already being taken for the big opening day on July 8. After exploring Cbeebies Land we ventured out into the other 900 acres of Alton Towers. The park was busy but not crowded. We were limited to rides suitable for smaller children but even for the big roller coasters I didn’t see the kind of queues that you don’t want to join when you’ve paid €235-plus on a family day out. It was decided the best rides of the day were the Runaway Mine Train and the Congo River Rapids, two of the most thrilling things you can do when you’re 103cm tall. My vote went to Sharkbait Reef, a fantastic small aquarium by Sea Life with sharks and sea horses. It even has shrimps that will nibble your nails till they’re clean. And that will stop any child getting bored!
THRILLING
Rose became one of the first kids to drive her very own Vroomster