At the weekend we were kindly asked to visit Sooty Land at Crealy Devon for their press day and give our thoughts. If you are an 80s child like me, you will definitely know who Sooty & Sweep are! Sooty is 5 years old and a glove puppet created by magician and puppeteer Harry Corbett in the 50s. He has his friends Sweep and Soo to back him up on adventures! Richard Cadell took over puppeteering Sooty in 1998 and he is now making sure the children of today know of Sooty and the gang by bringing us Sooty Land to Crealy in Exeter!
Sooty Land at Crealy opened on the 28th May 2022. They have turned one area of the theme park into a magical land dedicated to Sooty and his friends. With lots of new attractions, rides, shops, shows and places to eat it truly is the best of the south west.
Image Credit – Steve Haywood
Here is the low down on the rides and attractions at Sooty Land Exeter!
New Rides at Sooty Land
There are some fabulous new rides at Crealy in the Sooty Land area. They are bright, colourful and perfect for the whole family. Our favourite was Soo’s Sweet Balloon Ride.
Soo’s Sweet Balloon Ride
Pick your favourite colour balloon and off you go! Up and down round and round. You can also spin your balloon round via the wheel in the middle of the ride!
Height Restrictions
Over 90cm can ride alone. Under 90cm must be accompanied by a responsible adult and be able to sit unaided.
Sooty’s Magic Bus
Get on Sooty’s Magic Bus for a fun ride high in the sky, then back down again! We found it wasn’t too fast and perfect for taking in the view of the resort!
Height Restrictions
Over 105cm can ride alone. Under 105cm must be accompanied by a responsible adult and be able to sit unaided.
Sweep’s Flying Circus
Take a flight and ride in the sky with in one of Sweep’s circus themed planes. This ride is lots of fun for young kids! There are flashing lights and noisy buttons in the cockpit for kids to press. An adult can sit in the back of the plane with two smaller kids or one older child in the front.
Height Restrictions
Over 105cm can ride alone. Under 105cm must be accommpanied by a responsible adult and be able to sit unaided.
Izzy Wizzy Let’s Get Dizzy
The wildest ride in Sooty Land – Izzy Wizzy Let’s Get Dizzy is soooo much fun! There are many colourful cars to get in, then hold on tight! Join a spinning adventure with Sooty & the gang and don’t forget to shout the famous spell ‘Izzy Wizzy, Let’s Get Dizzy!’ And of course hold on tight to your tummy! Not recommended to ride straight after lunch!!
Height Restrictions
Over 120cm can ride alone. 92cm – 120cm must be accommpanied by a responsible adult and be able to sit unaided. Under 92cm can not ride.
The Pier and Places To Eat At Sooty Land
The Pier is the hub of Sooty Land. It houses Sooty’s Diner, Soo’s Cafe, Seaside Spuds, The Sooty Store, an indoor play area. Sooty’s Carnival Games including digi wall ball games, Sooty’s Magic Mirror Maze, Hall Of Fame with over 70 years of props & memorabilia from the iconic Sooty Show, a Dance Studio , and Themed beach huts home to games including Giant Twister, Tetris and Jolly Blocks. not forgetting Sooty’s Stage photo opportunity! Just outside you will find Sweep’s Hot Dog Stand which is quick and easy for a bite to eat.
There is so much to do all under one roof. If it’s raining The Pier is a great place to go! Lots to keep the kids busy all under one roof. And you can chill out in Sooty’s Diner or head into Sooty’s Store and buy your own Sooty and friend’s puppets!
We especially loved Sooty’s Diner, it is decorated in a 50s style with lots of tables and bright blue deco! The food was amazing for a theme park. The girls had the kid’s meals of chicken bites and Mac n’ Cheese bites. They were really tasty and freshly cooked. Myself and Mr B had the Ultimate Burger Meal. It was a double-stacked burger with fries and a fizzy drink. I must say the burgers were amazing quality and proper thick meaty, not like those cheap skinny burgers! We would highly recommend having a meal here. The staff are lovely, it was all lovely and clean.
Sooty’s Big Top Showtime
Watch Sooty, Sweep & Soo cause mischief in live daily performances of the iconic Sooty Show in Sooty’s very own Showtime Arena! We could not wait to see the show all day! It truly was a highlight of our day at Sooty Land. Lots of jokes, puppet fun and the kids can get up and dance at the end! The show is included in the price of your theme park entry ticket which I think is a complete bargain!
Image Credit – Steve Haywood
Overall Thoughts
We really had a fantastic time at Sooty Land Crealy, one afternoon definitely wasn’t long enough to explore and so we will head back again soon! It took us 1 hour and 25 minutes to get to Crealy Devon from Truro Cornwall. The park opens at 10 am and closes at 5 pm. With so much to see and do at no point did we have to queue for more than a few minutes. It was a fabulously run theme park with staff around at all times. They were always happy to say hello and have a chat. All the rides were clean and well maintained with knowledgeable and helpful staff.
A couple of times during the day my autistic 4 year old did get a bit overwhelmed, but that was more to do with so much to see and lots going on than the loudness or business of the park. So we discovered a beautiful nature reserve area which we took her to have a walk around. We saw some ponies, ducks and swans and crossed some crazy bridges!
The weather was great, the food was great, the rides were amazing and we had lots of fun making memories! Thank you to Crealy for inviting us for the day. You really are a special place in the South West!
Directions to Crealy Devon
Crealy in Devon is located just minutes from junction 30 of the M5 near Exeter, it’s easy to get to from Cornwall and from further up the country.
- 5 minutes from M5 junction 30
- 10 minutes from Exeter
Crealy Theme Park & Resort, Sidmouth Road, Clyst St Mary, Exeter, Devon EX5 1DR
Parking is free at Crealy Devon.
Our Photo Gallery
Here are some more photos of our day at Crealy.
If you enjoyed this, you may like these posts:
During the sooty big Top show time how were a little girl or little boy pick by cast member with sooty pick to go up on stage to help sooty with an magic trick.
When we went it was just random.