Peppa Pig World vs Thomas Land — Which Is Better for Your Toddler?

The Two Big Names for Toddlers

If you have a child under 5 in the UK, you've probably considered both Peppa Pig World (at Paultons Park) and Thomas Land (at Drayton Manor). They're the two best-known UK theme park areas built around a children's TV show.

We compared them on what actually matters: how many rides there are, what heights are needed, and which one your child will get more out of.

The Quick Comparison

The first rows count the themed areas themselves, from our current ride data for each park. The whole-park figure updates automatically from the same data.

Peppa Pig World: Fewer Rides, No Height Worries

Peppa Pig World has 9 rides, and 8 of them have no height restriction at all. The one exception is George's Dinosaur Adventure, which takes riders from 85cm with an adult and from 110cm alone.

Rides with no height restriction:

• Peppa's Big Balloon Ride
• Grandpa Pig's Little Train
• Grandpa Pig's Boat Trip
• Daddy Pig's Car Ride
• Windy Castle
• Miss Rabbit's Helicopter Flight
• The Queen's Flying Coach Ride
• Grampy Rabbit's Sailing Club

Plus 3 play areas, all with no height restriction:

• Muddy Puddles splash park (bring a change of clothes)
• Mr Potato's Adventure Playground
• George's Spaceship Indoor Playzone

Every Peppa ride is gentle, and the theming will be instantly familiar to a fan of the show.

The wider park matters. Peppa Pig World is inside Paultons Park, which has 33 rides and attractions open to a child under 100cm. Beyond Peppa, look out for Dino Chase (a family coaster from 85cm with an adult), Cat-O-Pillar Coaster and Buffalo Falls (both from 90cm with an adult), and Ghostly Manor, Seal Falls and the Rio Grande Train Ride (no height restriction).

View all Paultons Park rides by height →

Thomas Land: More Rides, More Variety

Thomas Land is billed by Drayton Manor as Europe's largest Thomas & Friends themed area, with 17 rides plus a play area and an exhibition. The catch is that most rides need an adult for smaller children: only the Thomas, Rosie & Percy Engine Tours has no height rule at all, but 11 more take a child of any height if an adult rides with them.

Any height with an adult (the height in brackets is when your child can ride alone):

• Lady's Carousel, Blue Mountain Engines and Flynn's Fire Rescue (90cm)
• James and the Red Balloon (100cm)
• Bertie Bus, Harold's Helicopter Tours, Rocking Bulstrode and Winston's Whistle Stop Tour (105cm)
• Sodor Classic Cars (110cm)
• Jeremy Jet's Flying Academy and Diesel's Locomotive Mayhem (120cm)

From 90cm to 100cm:

• Thomas & Percy's Submarine Splash: from 90cm with an adult, 120cm alone
• Toby's Tram Express: from 95cm with an adult, 105cm alone
• Troublesome Trucks Runaway Coaster: from 100cm with an adult, 120cm alone. Thomas Land's coaster, and a good first one.
• Terence's Driving School: from 100cm, maximum 140cm

From 105cm:

• Cranky's Drop Tower

Thomas Land has more variety than Peppa Pig World: a coaster, a mini drop tower, helicopters, planes and driving rides. Emily's Adventure Play has a 130cm maximum height, and the park says children aged 4 and under may not use the main play area.

The wider park adds more. Drayton Manor has 28 rides and attractions open to a child under 100cm, including Polperro Express Railway and the Carousel outside Thomas Land (any height with an adult).

View all Drayton Manor rides by height →

Height-by-Height Breakdown

Ages are a rough guide only; it's your child's height that decides what they can ride.

Under 85cm (often under 2)

Peppa Pig World: 8 rides + 3 play areas, none of which has a height rule.

Thomas Land: 12 rides + the Discover Thomas Exhibition, but 11 of those rides need an adult riding with your child.

Winner: Peppa Pig World, if you want a toddler to ride freely and play. Thomas Land has more rides to go on, as long as an adult rides every time.

85cm to 99cm (often 2 to 3)

Peppa Pig World: all 9 rides (George's Dinosaur Adventure opens at 85cm with an adult), plus Paultons rides at 90cm with an adult like Cat-O-Pillar Coaster and Buffalo Falls.

Thomas Land: 14 rides once your child reaches 95cm, adding Thomas & Percy's Submarine Splash (90cm) and Toby's Tram Express (95cm), both with an adult.

Winner: Thomas Land for the sheer number of themed rides; Paultons Park if you count the whole park, since its family coasters open at 85-90cm with an adult while Thomas Land's coaster waits until 100cm.

100cm and up (often 3 to 5)

Peppa Pig World: all 9 rides, and Paultons' bigger coasters (Velociraptor, Storm Chaser and Flight of the Pterosaur) open from 100cm with an adult.

Thomas Land: Troublesome Trucks Runaway Coaster and Terence's Driving School open at 100cm, and Cranky's Drop Tower at 105cm, which completes Thomas Land.

Winner: Close. By this height your child has probably moved beyond needing everything to be Peppa or Thomas themed, so the wider park matters more. Both parks' ladders are below.

Paultons Park:

Drayton Manor:

The Practical Stuff

Getting There

• Paultons Park: Hampshire, at Ower near Romsey and Southampton.
• Drayton Manor: Staffordshire, near Tamworth and Birmingham.

Tickets

Both parks use date-based pricing, and ticket rules for small children change, so check each park's official site before you book.

Crowds

Both toddler areas get busy during school holidays and at weekends. Arrive at opening and go there first, then explore the rest of the park later in the day.

Bringing an Older Brother or Sister

Toddler areas are only half the story if an older child is coming too. Both parks have bigger rides outside the themed areas, and by 120cm an older child can go on almost everything at either park:

At Paultons Park, an older child can work through Velociraptor, Storm Chaser and Flight of the Pterosaur (120cm alone, 100cm with an adult) and Raven (130cm alone, 110cm with an adult). The biggest rides are Edge and Cyclonator (120cm with an adult, 140cm alone) and Drakon (125cm with an adult, 140cm alone).

At Drayton Manor, look out for Jormungandr and Loki (105cm with an adult, 120cm alone), The Wave (120cm with an adult, 132cm alone), and Maelstrom and Stormforce 10 (both 130cm).

With two adults, split for part of the day and meet up again in the toddler area. Our guide to visiting with siblings of different heights has more ideas for keeping both children happy.

When It Rains

Both toddler areas are mostly outdoors, so check the forecast.

Paultons Park has 3 indoor rides and attractions in our data: George's Dinosaur Adventure, George's Spaceship Indoor Playzone and Ghostly Manor. The first two are in Peppa Pig World. Ghostly Manor and the Playzone have no height rule, and George's Dinosaur Adventure takes riders from 85cm with an adult.

Drayton Manor has 2: the Discover Thomas Exhibition in Thomas Land, and The Haunting (any height with an adult, 120cm alone).

Neither park is a wet-weather park, so on a rainy day you'll be outside for most of it. For parks with more under cover, see our rainy-day guide to indoor theme park rides.

The Verdict

Choose Peppa Pig World if:

• Your child is under 2 and you want rides with no height rules at all (8 rides plus 3 play areas)
• Your child is a Peppa fan (the theming is spot-on)
• You want family coasters your child can try from 85-90cm with an adult
• You're in the south of England

Choose Thomas Land if:

• You want the most themed rides in one area (17 rides), and an adult is happy to ride along
• Your child loves Thomas
• Your child is around 100cm and ready for a first coaster (Troublesome Trucks)
• You're in the Midlands or the north

The honest answer: Both are excellent. If your child loves both characters equally, Paultons Park edges it, because Peppa's rides need no adult and the wider park has more to ride once your child reaches 85-90cm. If your child is Thomas-obsessed, the sheer number of Thomas Land rides is hard to beat.

Check Both Parks

Enter your child's height to see every ride they can enjoy:

• Paultons Park — all rides by height →
• Drayton Manor — all rides by height →

Or compare them side by side in the height planner.

Frequently asked questions

Which is better for a 1 or 2 year old, Peppa Pig World or Thomas Land?

For the very youngest, Peppa Pig World. Eight of its nine rides and all three play areas have no height rule, so a toddler can ride without anyone checking their height. Thomas Land has more rides a small child can go on, but almost all of them need an adult riding along.

Can toddlers ride Thomas Land rides without an adult?

Only one, Thomas, Rosie & Percy Engine Tours, has no height rule at all. The earliest any other Thomas Land ride can be ridden alone is 90cm (Lady's Carousel, Blue Mountain Engines and Flynn's Fire Rescue). Below that, an adult needs to ride too.

Are Peppa Pig World and Thomas Land separate parks?

No. Peppa Pig World is an area inside Paultons Park, and Thomas Land is an area inside Drayton Manor, so the rest of each park is there to explore as well.

What is the first roller coaster at each?

At Paultons Park, Dino Chase takes riders from 85cm with an adult, and Cat-O-Pillar Coaster from 90cm with an adult. Both are outside Peppa Pig World. In Thomas Land, Troublesome Trucks Runaway Coaster takes riders from 100cm with an adult and 120cm alone.

Can a child be too tall for Thomas Land?

For a couple of attractions, yes. Terence's Driving School has a 140cm maximum and Emily's Adventure Play a 130cm maximum. None of the Peppa Pig World rides has a maximum height in our data. Our guide to maximum height limits on kids' rides covers this in more detail.