Have a roaring good time at UK’s largest dinosaur park

Roarr! dinosaur park is a short car journey from Norwich, passing through some wonderfully scenic countryside. Myself, Grandma and my two children aged 8 and 12 were excited to return to the themed adventure park having last visited when they were about two and six. The park is a sprawling complex of adventures and activities and despite the name, you don't have to be a dinosaur fanatic to have a fabulous day out.

When we arrived the kids made an immediate beeline for the huge adventure playground. They got to experience being archaeologists in a giant dinosaur skeleton excavation sandpit, raced around on a racetrack in giant pedal cars at 'Dippy's Raceway' as well as zooming down a slide in the shape of a giant dinosaur. There are plenty of picnic benches dotted around for parents to sit back and take a moment, including new additions of wheelchair accessible picnic tables. Accessibility has been a big feature in the redevelopment of the park in recent years, from toilets and changing rooms to pathways, activities and seating.

The adventure playground sits in the centre of things, with various paths branching off to other activities. My daughter really enjoyed a large climbing frame while my son and I had a game of mini golf and then we regrouped for the main attraction - the dinosaur trail or ‘Valley of the Dinosaurs’! The route sprawls through lovely English woodland, where spring flowers were just starting to appear. Dotted throughout the 812 metre trail walk are gigantic dinosaurs of all shapes and sizes, 21 animatronic and others with just sounds. There is a bespoke app which allows you to place an ‘augmented reality’ dinosaur onto the path using your phone at various places throughout the trail. It was fun spotting all of the dinosaurs, reading facts about them as well as getting into the story of the trail which centres around Norfolk-born explorer Cornelius Weston-Smythe, the sanctuary owner for rescued dinosaurs. The Secret Animal Garden has animal encounters and Dippy’s Theatre is the place for live shows, movies, and meet and greets.

Your trail concludes at the bottom of the park which features a variety of small dino-themed fairground rides which are also wheelchair accessible. There are lots of attractions to choose from, including the rides Swing-O-Saurus and Raptor Contraptor (wheelchair accessible), Predator High Ropes, the Dinomite Indoor Adventure and water play at Dippy’s Splash Zone. We enjoyed the animal garden meeting pigs, chickens, goats, guinea pigs, reptiles and other small mammals. My children really love animals and so it was a bonus to have a mini-farm on site.

We made our way back up to the central area by way of the 'Neanderthal Walk' and feeling a little bit tired after all the walking we decided to visit Dippy's Theatre which was showing a short cartoon about a group of dinosaur friends on a big adventure. The theatre also has a schedule of live performances throughout the day. Our energy levels revived, the children wanted to test out the indoor soft play whose drop slide didn't disappoint! There is also a cafe here so parents can have a coffee and relax a bit or the whole family can grab some hot or cold food.

This month, one of the park's biggest attractions is opened up - the splash park. With various fountains, sprays and buckets of water tumbling down onto heads, this is a really exciting feature for families - especially on hot summer days. There is also a maze to test your wits with bongo drum clues and a wobbly rope bridge.

Roarr! also recently launched its own Top Trump cards for super-dino fans to buy, reminding them of their epic adventures. It was also a nice addition that they have created their own app so you can check times for experiences, where you are on the map and make use of the augmented reality feature on the trail.

Facts

ROARR! is the UK’s largest dinosaur-themed adventure park. Spread over 85-acres. It features 25 dinosaur-themed attractions. Every ride and attraction is included in the ticket price. Prices range from £9.95 per person to £19.95 depending on the time of year. Visit www.roarr.co.uk for more.

Easter holidays: Forget the bunnies, this Easter, ROARR! offers a special mega-sized ROARR-some Top Trumps Trail until April 14. In addition, giant golden tickets have been hidden around the park. Those lucky enough to locate them all, can exchange them for an Easter surprise. And guests who spot one of the colourful hidden Easter Eggs can win all kinds of prizes, from toys and games to free tickets and vouchers.

Park in the dark: Come and join the twilight adventure on May 25 from 6pm to 10pm.

Dinos at Night: Visit on Saturday, June 29 and discover some wild nightlife. Evening antics will include games stalls, live music and fabulous street food. The Dereham Theatre Sister Act cast will also be performing. Tickets from £10.95 per person, 20 per cent discount for Annual Pass holders (free for children under 90cm). There will also be educational tours with a resident dino hunter.

Details of prices and which attractions are open when can be found here. Places to stay nearby: https://roarr.co.uk/where-to-stay/

ROARR! is easily accessible from the A47 and A1067 between Norwich and Fakenham, or from London, Essex and the Midlands via mainline trains to Norwich (approx. 25 mins away).