DAYSOUT
DIGGERLAND :
the ultimate adventure for toddlers , teens and everyone in between !
IT ’ S HARD NOT TO PICK HOLES IN THIS BRILLIANT THEME PARK … AND WE DON ’ T MEAN THAT IN THE NEGATIVE SENSE . DOING EXACTLY WHAT IT SAYS ON THE TIN , DIGGERLAND IS AN ENTIRE WORLD OF OVER 20 DIFFERENT ATTRACTIONS AND 100 DIFFERENT MACHINES AND IT ’ S ALL ABOUT GETTING TO GRIPS WITH THE IRRESISTIBLE LURE OF CONSTRUCTION MACHINERY . LITERALLY GETTING TO GRIPS – YOU ’ RE AS LIKELY TO SEE A FIVE-YEAR- OLD AT THE WHEEL OF A THREE-TONNE DUMPER TRUCK HERE AS YOU ARE A 75-YEAR-OLD GETTING MERCILESSLY SPUN AROUND IN THE BUCKET OF A KOMATSU BULLDOZER ; IT ’ S NOTHING SHORT OF GENIUS .
The park is the brainchild of Hugh Edeleanu , chairman of H . E . Services , Europe ’ s largest Specialist Excavator Plant Hire company , who hit upon the idea of Diggerland following a family open day at his company in 1996 . He noticed that kids were fascinated by all the different machinery – even just by sitting in the cabs of diggers – which of course to them appeared as massive toys springing straight to life from their playrooms like something out of Toy Story . The concept was there playing out before Hugh ’ s eyes , so he ran with it and Diggerland was born .
What sets it apart from any other day out , however , isn ’ t just the unique theme , but the fact that it ’ s genuinely as enjoyable for adults as it is for kids . We ’ re a family of five with three children ranging in age from teen to toddler and everyone was enthralled all day – not least dad who finally realised his dreams of climbing aboard a giant Komatsu PC55MR-5 tracked excavator to scoop up bucket after bucket of freshly laid soil , swivel about , and then dump it again . Incredibly , kids can take part in almost all of the activities and rides too : anyone over 1.4m tall can drive and dig an eight-tonne JCB digger , a £ 25,000 JCB dumper truck and a six-tonne excavator , and kids over 90cm can do all of the above if sat on a parent ’ s lap .
Another standout positive about Diggerland is that although it ’ s perfectly safe , it ’ s not over the top about the minutiae of health and safety encroaching on anyone ’ s fun ; the people controlling the rides are fully trained and therefore fully in the know , which is all the reassurance you need . I did have to keep reminding myself of this while being raised 50ft skyward in the bucket of a telehandler , but that ’ s only about me being a little unsteady with heights ; my kids meanwhile were whooping with delight at the spectacular bird ’ s eye views of the park and its surrounding countryside .
Family favourites on the day were the Ground Shuttle , a custom-designed , purpose-built carriage mounted on the front of a JCB telehandler that rocks and rolls over ridges and troughs at significant pace ; the mini Dirt Diggers where digging , scooping , moving and dumping is the order of the day ; for the smallest , the Dig-a-Round , a modern-day carousel made from a specially adapted JCB 8060 that propels forwards and backwards ; and , for the teen , without doubt the chance to get behind the wheel of a Mitsubishi Pajero and joy-ride the whole family around a 400-metre offroad course in a Diggerland Police 4WD SUV . Honestly , it ’ s an extraordinary day out and we can ’ t wait to go back .
Diggerland Kent Medway Valley Leisure Park Roman Way Strood Kent ME2 2NU www . diggerland . com
Diggerland diggerland . uk
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