I'll admit that when an invitation popped into my inbox to go to Diggerland in Kent to learn about the new DIG VR game from Wired Productions and Just Add Water, my main reason for accepting was for my adult child who loves VR and my almost three year old Grandson who loves diggers.
What I did NOT expect was to have the most wonderful day with diggers real and virtual and now I can't stop recommending the theme park and the game to anyone who will listen.
Let's start with the game since that was why I was invited. We used a Meta Quest headset to play Dig VR (PEGI 3) which gives a light simulation experience as if you are operating a real excavator or "digger" along with fun arcade games.
DIG VR is out on November 14. Pre-order HERE for a discount. Usual price £14.99, discounted to £10.99
My 23-year old got the full experience seated in a Roto VR Explorer chair but I was fine on a normal seat and was very happily surprised to find I picked the controls up really quickly thanks to clear instructions appearing in front of your eyes on the headset.
We loved the ability to customise our ride and choose a radio station to listen to while digging and it's oddly satisfying to dig holes and trundle about in a virtual world. We won't mention my son who had a go while I entertained his son. All was well until I heard him enquire if it was OK that he had managed to set his virtual excavator on fire. Insert eye roll here.
The game is so true to life with the controls that I found once I got onto a real excavator at Diggerland I knew how to operate it after my virtual session.
I began my Diggerland experience by driving a huge JCB around an off-road type course. We had experienced biblical rain that week (although the day of our visit was thankfully dry and mostly sunny) and so there were some epic puddles and mud patches to rumble through. My two children and grandson rode behind me laughing a lot, if slightly nervously. They were fine-I had a member of staff seated with his feet on the brakes making sure I didn't write off this VERY expensive bit of kit. Seriously if you do nothing else, go and have a go in the driving seat of this bad boy. Zoom into the rear view mirror in my picture and look how happy i am!
While waiting for our group to take turns on the JCB we were invited to ride in what usually would be the scoop of another "digger". Sadly my Grandson was too young to join us but him and his Daddy waved enthusiastically every time we were driven past.
There's obviously quite a range of digger related activities - the clue is in the name. You can dig holes, play skittles using the arm of a mini digger, pick up ducks on Dippy Ducks (that required some skill!) ride diggers on the dig-a-round roundabout and even spin round in the scoop of Spindizzy.
My lot however decided the highlight of the day for them was driving the little dump trucks.
There's a soft play centre for little people if you need to sit and take a break and picnic tables across the theme park- my Grandson loved admiring the diggers while he enjoyed his snacks.
The cafe had lots of choices ranging from bacon sarnies to steak and chips - everything you might need during a busy day of digging.
There are quite a few pay per go attractions not included in the admission price but to be honest there's so much to occupy kids big and little you would probably get away with not having to pay any extra if you didn't want to.
The gift shop is large and extremely well stocked with everything from tea shirts to snow sliders. They also sell kid's wellies and I did expect Diggerland to be very muddy after all the rain, but the paths were clean and actually apart from walking a short distance to the excavators there was no mud. I didn't need anything more than wipeable trainers on my feet. There are shoe covers to use when you go inside if you do get muddy.
The venue in Kent is not massive which I was relieved about as I often find theme park days exhausting because of the sheer distance you have to walk. It was mostly flat too with no real hills. There are three other venues in Devon, Durham and Yorkshire - details about them including disabled access and facilities are on the Diggerland website.
Disabled visitors are entitled to free carer entry (see website for details). As I've mentioned the paths in the Kent Diggerland are wheelchair/buggy friendly but getting to some of the rides might be tricky if you can't walk at all. Getting into the diggers and dump trucks involves stepping up and staff are not allowed to help. Most of the diggers are hand controlled and don't required great strength to operate them - my grandson managed it.
Diggerland is an absolute must if you have digger fans in your family. We figured age 7 or 8 upwards is the ideal age to be able to go on everything but having said that our two, almost three year old had a lovely day and was able to go on lots and very much enjoyed the soft play area. It's a fantastic family day out. Opening hours vary according to the season and the park closes for the winter on November 4. Check the Diggerland website for opening hours and to buy tickets.
Disclaimer: I was invited to Diggerland for the launch of Dig VR. Views and opinions remain honest and my own.