There’s no getting away from the fact that Diggerland is one of Devon’s more pricey days out. Based on a family of four, tickets come in at more than £110, which is £30 to £40 more than some other Devon theme parks. So you may be wondering: is Diggerland Devon worth it?
Devon with Kids contributor Stacey Sheppard was invited along and discovered it’s a fun attraction whether your kids are into diggers or not. Read on for her full review and tips for visiting this Devon theme park, including how to make the most of your day.
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At first, I did worry if my children, two girls aged six and eight, would be interested in going to Diggerland near Cullompton as they aren’t particularly into diggers.
However, once I showed them the website and all the different things there are to do at the park, they were surprisingly excited to visit. My husband was also surprised by the sheer amount of activities on offer.
Upon arrival we were greeted by music which really helped to get us in the mood for our adventure ahead. There was also a sign that said that unattended children would be sold to the circus – a clever move which ensured that the children stayed close to us throughout the day!
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Rides at Diggerland Devon
The girls particularly loved the Spin Dizzy and this was the only ride they went on twice.
The operator of this ride was obviously aware of the fact that it can be a lot scarier than it appears from the ground. He advised us that if we didn’t like it we could give him a thumbs down and he would stop the ride immediately and let us off.
The girls were quite shocked when I had to do exactly this a few moments after the spinning had commenced. They carried on regardless though, relishing the adrenaline rush that had proved too much for me.
They also really enjoyed the Skyshuttle which provided brilliant views of the whole park.
I would recommend going on this ride as soon as you arrive as it gives you a great overview of what to expect and allows you to orient yourself in the park. It is situated right at the entrance to the park so it makes sense to start with this.
They also enjoyed the very bumpy ride that they had on the Groundshuttle, racing the go karts around the track, whizzing down the zip wires and playing on the outdoor adventure playground.
My kids found some of the rides, like the Dippy Ducks and the Treasure Hunt, quite frustrating as they were difficult to control so we didn’t spend too long on these.
In hindsight, it may have been better for them to do this with one of us so that we could help them with the controls.
Handy things to know about visiting Diggerland Devon
If you’re heading for a day out at Diggerland Devon, here’s some Q&As to help you plan ahead:
How long do you need to visit Diggerland?
We actually spent four and a half hours at Diggerland as we arrived at lunchtime and stayed until they closed.
In all honesty we probably could have made a whole day of it. The girls, didn’t quite manage to go on all 20 rides in that time. So staying longer would have given them the chance to go on the rest of the rides and to do their favourite ones again.
I would probably say you need to plan a minimum of three hours though and longer if your children have sufficient attention span.
What ages is this Devon theme park best for?
On the website it says that Diggerland is aimed at children between four and 14 years of age and I would agree that this is the age range that will get the most out of the experience.
My husband and I were able to join the join the children on many of the rides so actually Diggerland is a great attraction for all ages.
For most rides children must be 90cm (2ft 11″) to ride, measured with shoes on. There are measuring sticks at many of the rides so that heights can be checked. So size is a factor as well as age.
Any children under 90cms tall are admitted free of charge as they cannot go on the rides. However, there are also things that toddlers can enjoy at Diggerland such as ride around little cars, a ball pool in the restaurant area and some smaller rides outside.
Children over 14 may still enjoy the day out but I would imagine they would get bored far quicker than younger children.
Is Diggerland pushchair friendly?
Diggerland is accessible for families with pushchairs. The route around the park is flat and the paths are either tarmac or paving.
There are no steps to deal with and the only challenge might be if you want to join your children while they are playing on the grassed areas.
Toilets and baby changing
The toilets are extremely easy to find and are very well signposted. We were also told where to find them on arrival at Diggerland. They are situated inside the cafe on the right-hand side.
There is a baby changing unit in the disabled toilet and also in the women’s toilets.
Food and picnics
There is an onsite cafe at Diggerland with indoor seating and we were surprised by how reasonably priced it was.
The menu features a variety of beef and chicken burgers and wraps or malted cheese, ham or BLT baps that cost around £4 to £5.
For those with bigger appetites, chips can be added along with a small selection of side dishes such as onion rings, chicken nuggets or veggie fingers.
For those who don’t eat meat, there is a small selection of vegetarian and vegan burgers and wraps.
There is also a kid’s menu offering smaller portion sizes of the adult meals and costing £4.25 including chips. There is a reasonable selection of hot and cold drinks on offer too costing £2 on average.
If this kind of food isn’t to your taste, there are plenty of picnic benches dotted around the park where you can eat your packed lunch.
You are also able to bring the cafe food outside to sit on the picnic benches. Half our party ordered from the cafe and half had packed lunch but we were all able to sit together outside.
Parking
There is plenty of onsite parking
2024 updates: electric car charging points have been added.
We did ask if there was overflow parking should it be required and we were told that the car park rarely gets so busy that extra parking is required, but should that happen they do have extra spaces and people will be directed to them should they be required.
Are dogs allowed at Diggerland?
Dogs are not allowed into the park with the exception of guide dogs and assistance dogs.
When is Diggerland Devon open?
Diggerland Devon is open every day during school holidays excluding Christmas and is open at the weekend at other times of year. Check before you travel.
What to wear
Much of Diggerland is outdoors so appropriate clothing and wellies or boots is a good idea if the weather is bad to ensure that you can still enjoy the whole experience.
The park remains open even when wet, although some rides may close in adverse weather conditions such as high winds, thunder or lightning. Refunds are not given for bad weather conditions.
Diggerland prices
You can pay on the day but this costs £32, which is £4 more than if you pre-book your tickets online (once the online booking fee has been added).
It is worth noting that you will only be guaranteed entry by purchasing your online one day entry tickets in advance of your visit date. Once purchased, tickets are non-refundable and non-transferable to another date.
Are there any extra costs?
Considering that tickets to Diggerland for anyone over 90cms and up to age 65 are almost £28 per person (once you add on the £2 online booking fee) and £32 per person on the day, we were quite surprised to learn that some of the rides cost extra.
You have to buy tokens at the cafe if you want to use some of the smaller drive around rides and the bumper cars.
At £1 a token and 1 token per ride this can quickly add up depending on how many children you have and whether they need to be accompanied by adults like they do on the bumper cars.
Can you get Diggerland discounts?
At the moment (summer 2022) you can’t use any discount vouchers, offers or promotions against the purchase of online tickets and Diggerland isn’t currently accepting offers or discounts if you pay on the day either.
Where is Diggerland Devon?
Diggerland is part of a national chain, so make sure you set your sat nav to go to the right one!
Here’s the address: Verbeer Manor, Cullompton, Devon, EX15 2PE.
Looking for more local days out? Check out our guide to things to do in Mid Devon with kids.
The Devon with Kids verdict
Overall, we had a fantastic day out at Diggerland and I would thoroughly recommend it, even if your children aren’t particularly into diggers. There is still plenty for them to enjoy.
It was actually a very chilled day out, the park is small enough that the children can run off to play without the adults having to worry about losing them and the flatness of the park provides great visibility from pretty much everywhere.
The rides are close enough together that you don’t need to walk far at all to get to the next attraction.
On the day we visited Diggerland it wasn’t overly busy and we didn’t have to queue for any of the rides for longer than a couple of minutes which was really nice and stopped the children getting bored. I asked one of the staff if this was normal and he said it was.
We hope you’ve found this guide to visiting Diggerland Devon helpful.
Find out more on the Diggerland website.
Disclosure: Stacey and her family were given free entry to Diggerland in exchange for a review.
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