THE only problem with telling young children that they’re going to the brand new CBeebies Land at Alton Towers for the day is all of the questions.

“Will Mr Tumble be there?”

“Will we see Andy?”

“Are the dinosaurs going to be there?”

Which are quickly followed by all the “Whys” and the “Are we nearly there yets” So, with a very excited four-year-old and slightly oblivious 16-month-old, we arrived in Staffordshire on what was probably one of the wettest days of the year. Too late to back out now!

Kitted out in all of our waterproofs, first stop was Nina’s science lab (mainly to shelter from the rain) but the boys were unimpressed with this – they’re probably too young – so we headed for the magical ‘In the Night Garden’ boatride instead.

There was just over a five-minute wait before stepping into our own boat which toured through a mocked up night garden and gave the children the chance to see all the well-loved characters such as Upsy Daisy, Iggle Piggle, Makka Pakka, the Tombliboos and the rest of the crew brought to life.

The Postman Pat ride was also a big hit, set in a recreated Greendale, and Mr Tumble's Sensory Garden is also worth a look - a place designed to help children with language development where they can follow the trail of Mr Tumble’s spotty bag.

If you take a picnic, the Big Fun Showtime area has picnic tables and a full schedule of events provided throughout the day, with appearances from Mike the Knight, Tree Fu Tom and The ZingZillas to name a few.

We met Upsy Daisy, although Oliver, my four-year-old, suddenly went all shy and refused to shake her hand!

Sam, the youngest, seemed fascinated by her though.

Warrington Guardian: VIDEO AND REVIEW: CBeebies Land

Other attractions include Justin’s House Pie-O-Matic Factory, Mr Bloom’s Allotment and the Get Set Go Tree Top Adventure where you ride in a car through the top of the trees with great views across CBeebies Land and Alton Towers.

Although a lot of fun, the rides were fairly tame and my little boy seemed more excited by the rest of Alton Towers, and enjoyed going on the Log Flume and Runaway Train with his dad.

CBeebies Land is aimed at children under six, but I think the optimum ages are probably around two and three years. A good day was had by all though - despite the weather.