We have travelled to the Vendee region of France several times and we had heard about The Grand Parc at Puy du Fou but it is billed as a Medieval Theme Park and it really didn't appeal to me! However having "done" many of the attractions in the area and faced with another day of dodgy weather (we were very unlucky in 2008) we decided to give it a go.

The tickets were about 25 euroes for adults and 15 for children. However when I enquired about directions at our campsite office they told me that we could buy tickets from them with a 5 euro discount each. This seems to be common practice in the area so either book online or through your accomodation if possible to bag a bargain! They also informed me that it was a simple journey and would be well signposted off the A87. They mentioned that the road to The Grand Parc gets busy--they were not kidding! The journey from Jean De Monts probably took about one and a half hours with at least the last half an hour crawling along a single carriageway road to the entrance.

The carpark on arrival was huge and was free. There appeared to be disabled spaces closer to the gates. At this point I will say that my french is not very impressive but it is better than the rest of my family (my children both study German at school!). I failed my O-level over 20 years ago and have done a couple of nightschool classes since. However I have always managed to read written French reasonably easily. Due to these limitations on our language skills I was a bit worried about how the day would work out.

When we arrived we were given a map of the park which had lots of information in english. We immediately headed to the customer service point as I read that they had Interpretation Headphone available. We purchased two sets with double earphones. These proved invaluable during the day, I was able to follow most of the shows (sometimes a little vaguely!) without them as I am not a fan of earphones but everybody else loved them. When you got to a show you chose your language and it was a radio to get your translation of the action.

The park is built on a huge scale and it is very difficult to explain the impressiveness or the splendour of the shows. I have been to Disneyland several times but the shows here were much more awe-inspiring. It is important after you arrive to plan your day. Each spectacle runs several times a day but they are quite long- about 40minutes or so. It is not possible to see them all in one day unless you are supremely organised and have great stamina. I believe the park sells two day tickets as well if you want to take it more slowly. There is a hotel on site.

The park is set amidst a tranquil woodland setting. There are various "walk-around" historical settings which have buildings, shops and craftsmen working. There are many people around dressed in appropriate clothing and each area is very atmospheric. There was a Medieval City, an 18th century village and also a Market Town of around 1900. There are various restaurants and snack areas dotted around these sites. We bought some drinks which seemed a reasonable price and we also took our own picnic. There were plenty of picnic areas. There were toilets throughout the park but I was informed by my son that some of the urinals were pretty much on public display so you have been warned!

Now we come on to the "Spectacles" as they are called. You needed to queue up to get a seat on the day we were there but it was the height of the season so I don't know if that is always necessary as the seating areas are very large.

Gladiators

My favourite was definately the Gladiators. This takes place in an enormous rebuild of the coliseum. There are lots of fight scenes with plenty of "blood-bags" so is quite gory. They even have tigers that come out but I think they are so well fed they just want to lie down and watch the action! The finale is a fantastic chariot race with bits of chariot flying off whilst we are all cheering for our hero. Of course good triumphs over evil (not quite like the real romans then!) but it is still very exciting to watch. When you take your seat be careful not to sit on those marked restrictive viewing (sorry - can't remember what that was in French but I'm sure it was something obvious), I think for some parts there would be no view at all from these ones.

Vikings

The setting for the Viking spectacular has a large tower with a lake in front. The action involves lots and lots of fire and viking longboats. The final scene involves people being underwater for a long time-very impressive. I found the story to this one a bit dull but the the effects were very good.

Birds of Prey

I am not usually that taken with bird displays. I think I have just seen too many and find them dull. I found this one a bit contrived but it was impressive for the sheer number of birds that they have flying. Many of the handlers are walking around the audience so the birds brush past your hair regularly which is quite exciting! The story did seem to go on but I was having trouble following it (should have used the earphones!) so that is probably why. Everyone else thought it was very good.

Richelius Musketeer

We chose this as our last show as it was indoors in quite an impressive looking theatre. I thought there would be lots of swash-buckling type action which my son would enjoy but we were wrong. I had to resort to the translator here as I could not make head nor tale of what was going on! There was little fighting but there was fantastic horse-riding. The stage was flooded with water and the combination of the horses and the light effects was absolutley stunning!

We were not able to see The Battle of the Keep as we ran out of time. Also the park is very famous for Cinescenie which is their Son et Lumiere, this involves lots of local residents. It was not showing on the day we visited but I think it adds about 15 euroes onto the ticket price. It would be very tiring after a day at the park and may be better seen on its own. The seating areas of most of the shows are quite exposed and lots of suncream is recommended. The photographic opportunities are countless so take an extra memory card or roll of film for your camera!

Overall I was very impressed with this park. The children thoroughly enjoyed it and learnt a little history along the way. Obviously the historical facts are certainly bent a little in the Frech favour but that would be the same in any country! I would recommend this as a day out for anyone in the area who fancies a change from the beaches!

(Previously on Dooyoo under the same name)