Diggerland, Kent: Who Knew Digging Holes Could be Such Fun!

Diggerland in Kent is a theme park with a difference. We spent last Sunday there, with Millie-Mae (12) and Toby (10). They’d never been there before, but had seen signs for it while we’ve been out and about. Had we left it too late? Were the children now ‘too old’, given that adrenaline-fast rollercoasters are their ‘thing’ now? I took the decision that it was now-or-never … let’s go and see what Diggerland is all about.

Where is Diggerland Kent?

It took us about 90 minutes to reach by car. For us it was a hop down the A1 to the M25, then over the Dartford Bridge to the A2/M2 which took us near enough to the door. Its location is on the north bank of the River Medway, with Rochester being opposite.

There is a substantial car park – no problems parking. And I probably shouldn’t say it, but just outside the park, by the river, is a McDonalds; there are also several eating options within Diggerland though.

Our Visit

Upon arrival we were given a map of the park with additional info to make our day run smoothly. Then it was through the doors and out into the park. You are greeted by the fastest ride at Diggerland, SPINDIZZY. But we didn’t start there. Our first stop was the giant deckchair!

We then had a walk around the park, eyeing up ‘favourite’ rides – in case we didn’t have time to do them all (we did!) Diggerland is all about the rides and activities, so let’s talk about them now.

The Rides and Activities

With the exception of one activity (tyre stacking), I took a short video of each ride/activity. Watch this first (it’s very short).

Toby spotted a row of small diggers, where the job was to hook some ducks from small ponds. Both children had a go at DIPPY DUCKS.

In a similar vein, there’s also BURIED TREASURE and SKITTLES – a mini digger and a mini wrecking ball!

Next they wanted to queue for SPINDIZZY; when I say queue, I mean about 4-5 minutes. They both enjoyed this … though I feel I ought to mention something about Millie-Mae at this point. She’s a month away from becoming a teenager and Diggerland “is for babies”. Her teen angst exterior refused to give away that she was actually enjoying herself. She ‘warmed up’ as the morning went on – when she realised that she wasn’t actually the oldest child there (in fact, I’d say most children were in the 8-12 age group). She later confessed to enjoying it, so you’ll have to take my word on that! Anywhere, here’s a photograph of SPINDIZZY:

Following this, the DODGEMS!

Driving DUMPER TRUCKS around a set course was their next ride. Being tall enough for all the rides, both children could take themselves on everything. They enjoyed these dumper trucks, but they moved incredibly s-l-o-w-l-y ….

Straight after the dumper trucks, Toby ran to join the short queue for the GIANT DIGGERS. Millie-Mae had a go too. They both managed to dig very impressive holes!

There’s also DIRT DIGGERS – just smaller versions of the GIANT DIGGERS. Toby being Toby was only interested in the biggest machinery though!

He then wanted to drive the ROBOTS. Again, they moved quite slowly, but they were controlled by a joystick rather than a steering wheel.

Toby wanted to go on the GO KARTS … he did, but his car cut out at the furthest corner of the track, so he couldn’t compete to win the race.

We then walked past a few rides that were geared towards younger children. Obviously, we won’t feature these as we didn’t experience them. But there are rides for everyone, of all ages.

DIG-A-ROUND was a low-adrenaline ride – good for the little ones …

And SKYSHUTTLE was a slow ride up high on a high loader, to get amazing views over the theme park, and of the River Medway.

I didn’t get any photos of JCB 3CX, because I was driving! Yes, I took my family for a short ride in a JCB!

As mentioned before, I failed to take a short video of the children on STACK ATTACK. Instead, here’s some photos:

Finally, both children had a ride on the GROUNDSHUTTLE. It was very dusty!

Eating

There are various food outlets within Diggerland. The main restaurant, THE DIG INN, seemed to serve most meals! Breakfasts, burgers, wraps, paninis, baguettes, baked potatoes, large main meals, vegetarian meals and a kids’ menu. A very good range, so something for everyone.

Towards the other end of the park you’ll come across a gourmet burger and hotdog van. This was very popular. As was the ice-cream van near it.

Everything Else

A ride we kept seeing was the DIGGERLAND TRAIN – everyone on it looked like they were having fun!

There are indoor activity areas too; we visited on a lovely day, so I didn’t even venture in to the soft play (sorry).

Finally, as you leave Diggerland, you walk through the gift shop … good luck with that 😊

Final Thoughts

Let’s mention age again … In my opinion, Toby – 10 – was a good age, and height, for Diggerland. 140cm seemed to be the ‘magic height’, upon which you can do everything without parental involvement. There were lots of children there of a similar height to Toby, and these kids were the ones enjoying themselves the most.

I know people who have been visiting Diggerland since their children were babies. There are activities for all ages in the park. Many of the activities can be done with a child/toddler sitting on an adult’s lap. From our experience we perhaps should have visited a couple of years ago. Toby would still be over 140cm but Millie-Mae wouldn’t quite be as mature/tall as she is now. She enjoyed it, but not as much as Toby.

Their highlights – SPINDIZZY and GIANT DIGGERS, which they went on three times each!

Disclaimer

Diggerland gifted us complimentary entrance tickets in return for this honest review.