The day after our visit in Paultons Park during the Easter Break, the weather was not support to great. Our hotel had a good few leaflets about attractions and things to see around the area. I also google a few things and we made a list what we could see in the next few days.
I stumbled across a steam engine ride only half an hour away from Eastleigh. They have special events on during Easter, Summer and Christmas. One of them was “A Day out with Thomas”. I remember Donna who blogs at What the Redhead Said visited there not too long ago with her two kids and quite enjoyed it. We thought we might give this a go on a rainy day. Matthew still loves trains and Thomas is still a subject in the house every now and again.
After our breakfast, on a Wednesday morning, we drove down to Alresford which was not even a thirty minutes drive. It was so handy to have everything so close by. For a rainy day, it was actually very busy. We had to park in the park and display school car park rather than the railway station car park. It was packed.
Once we arrived, a quick picture with Trevor the green traction engine and a look inside an old wagon which had a train track on display. This was purely for charity. If you threw a coin into it, you could see Thomas or James chuffing along. We then walked inside the station to purchase our tickets. The total cost of for two adults and two children was £60. (adult £18, kids over 2 years £12) It may sound a bit pricey at first, but you do actually get to do a lot and the steam trains rides are unlimited. There are many activities on side in Ropley Station. Unfortunately we didn’t get to do it all, due to the bad weather.
When we paid for our tickets, we received the plan for the day which tells you where all the other activities are based. Each child also received their own passport with plenty of activities inside. Once completed, they get a sticker. Hubby picked up a Thomas flag each for the kids in the gift shop. The steam engine runs on a ten mile track. Most activities are based in Ropley Station. This is also where you can meet Thomas and the Fat Controller.
The kids were loving the train ride from Arlesford to Ropley Station. Even though Matthew is five years of age, he has never really been on a proper train before other than the choo choo trains you find in theme parks. The train had a little snack shop where hubby bought some sweets and for the adults it was hot chocolate. Once arrived at Ropley Station, Matthew met the Fat Controller. Then we went on a ride with Thomas. We wrapped it all up by going upstairs into the Imagination Station. The kids could colour in some pictures here and hang them up on a board. We took some home to colour in the hotel. It was time to take the train back to Arlesford station as the weather was getting worse.
We had lunch in Arlesford town and drove back to the hotel. In the afternoon we drove into Portsmouth to visit the Blue Reef. It’s an aquarium. To be honest, we would have expected more for the price that it was. Chloe wanted to see the fishies and she got to see them but it wasn’t quite big. She was happy anyway.
