Family Boomerang

Fun for the whole Family

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Parc des Combes

If the track gauges of some model railroaders become too large, then a theme park can also be created as a result. That’s roughly how the history of the Parc des Combes can be summed up. In 1985, the model railway enthusiasts from Le Creusot and the local politician, and later president of the NPO Chemin de Fer Touristique des Combes, Serge Chevalier decided to revive the old track of the Chemin de Fer des Crouillottes..

Originally, the line was used to transport slag from the blast furnaces of the Usines Schneider to the Plateau de la Combe for disposal. However, it was already shut down and dismantled in the 1950s. Now the line had to be re-laid. The tracks, rails and sleepers were taken from the Creusot-Loire – a recently bankrupt steel company. Five years later, the first 2.5 km section was opened from Parc des Combes station down to the Combe Denis. The current 5.2 km circuit of the Train des Combes was completed five years later. A station was also built in the centre of Le Creusot, not far from the SNCF station. This was accompanied by the construction of the third section, which was completed in 1999. Since then, during the French summer holidays, it has been possible to travel by the Train des Deux Vallées over a distance of 10 km from the city centre up to the amusement park. In addition, on selected days in July there is the possibility to travel by steam train.

In 1996 the construction of a summer toboggan run from the Wiegand company took place. The success of the Luge d’été laid the foundation for the park’s current orientation. In 2003 the Déval’Train, a family roller coaster from the Dutch manufacturer Vekoma, followed. The subsequent years are characterised by smaller novelties, before the Alpine Coaster 2007 set new standards in visitor numbers. In 2011 Vekoma presented the Family Boomerang, a new development, which made the Parc des Combes famous nationwide. In 2013 the interactive roll-over ride L’Escadrille, also a new development from Technical Park, followed. The French must have liked this, otherwise the next step for a park of this size is hardly explainable, because in 2017 a Flying Fury moved into the park with Canad’R. This is one of only two rides worldwide! Vraiment magnifique!

Before we dare to climb up the mountain to the self steering propeller, we have to get the Pass Partout, the all-you-can-ride whistband of the park. Of course, there would also be the possibility to buy single tickets, but this is only worth it if you have come to the Parc des Combes for up to four rides and are not interested in the Train Touristique. Of course you can also buy a special ticket for the train ride if you are not interested in the theme park. The actual entrance is free.

Alpine Coaster

Passing the station of the Combes, which includes the park’s restaurant and a number of smaller children’s rides, we make our way to the two toboggan runs. We join the queue on the left and are immediately the first passenger of the day of the Alpine Coaster.

During the ascent we have an excellent view of the upcoming attractions, especially the Canad’R. At the top we steadily increase our speed in several small zigzag curves. In the following serpentine curves we cross several smaller waves, which make us lift up a little bit out of our seats. Shortly afterwards we race towards a helix. With now pronounced speed, we race through a long left turn and soon over a beautiful jump. Unfortunately the short and enjoyable ride ends after another right turn.

Luge d’été

But before we get right back into the Alpine Coaster, we dedicate ourselves to the Luge d’été. Parallel to the ride we just tested, we climb the lift hill, but then turn right at a slightly lower altitude. After another right turn, we quickly increase our speed over a steeper gradient. A left turn and a small zigzag passage follow at high speed, before we see ourselves in a right turn with a pronounced cross slope. Now several left and right turns follow in quick succession, which can also throw you off track. After a jump and another right turn the ride ends.

It is difficult to say which of the two rides is the better one. I personally enjoyed both of them very much. Since none of the French visitors even had the idea to brake early, both rides were experienced at full speed. In general, however, the Luge d’été seemed to be more popular with the visitors.

Déval’Train

Via stairs we now reach the station of the roller coaster Déval’Train. The ride on the classic roller skater layout with a length of 207m is particularly convincing because of its embedding in the surroundings and the high degree of theming. Of course, this ride features several laps, so that the little ones get their money’s worth.

Boomerang

The Boomerang roller coaster is a little more exciting and faster. However, it is only available for groups of 6 people or more, so I had to wait here for some time for my ride. Especially in the low season you should not be too early at the Parc des Combes, because it takes some time until a sufficient number of people find their way up the mountain. But you will have the Canad’R all to yourself as soon as it opens. One way or another, at some point the time had come, and since only a few people got off after the ride, it was possible to take one lap after the other.

The ride itself begins with the ascent of the reverse lift hill. Once in the starting position, you are stopped briefly while the friction wheels are pushed apart. Now the track is free and you race straight down the just climbed track. You cross the station at 60 km/h and then shoot into an uphill left turn. Now you race through a valley, before an upward helix leading over hill and dale joins up. The train loses its momentum on the undulating spike that follows, whereupon it reverses direction and passes the track backwards. The train then comes to a halt again in the station.

Family Boomerangs are definitely a great roller coaster type. Therefore it is even better that the Parc des Combes has recognised this with the English amusement park Drayton Manor before all others. Although the original layout with its undulating course does not offer a distinct speed profile, this does not detract from the fun of riding. It is even better when you can do several laps at once.

L’Escadrille

The next attraction on our mountain ascent is the aerobat L’Escadrille. After the success of the Gerstlauer Sky Roller and the Sky Fly from the same company, the Italian manufacturer Technical Park has come up with its own interpretation of an interactive roll-over roundabout. Insofar it is nothing unusual, as it is good manners to adopt successful concepts from other manufacturers. Instead of a direct copy, however, the focus was on an intensified development of the well-known paratrooper ride.

Although I knew in advance that the ride is not really exhilarating, one should always be open-minded about new rides. So first of all the positive: The gondolas are comfortable and the wings also fit well in the hand. But now the negative: Whether you move the wings or not does not change the ride. This means that permanent rollovers are impossible right from the start, and whether you like it or not, at some point everyone will go head over heels through the pit. Hourra…

In general, the concept of a modified paratrooper is not wrong. But the ride on the aerobat is simply no fun. From my point of view, the ride is just too steep to take advantage of the interactivity of the ride. That’s a pity, because the concept itself has potential.

Woodside 66

Well, in that case you’d better get into a modified Apollo 2000. With the Woodside 66, a sidecar from Technical Park has been in the park since this year. The swing of the interactive compressed-air ride can be controlled by the throttle twist grip on the motorbike, at least until the air runs out at some point. But after a few laps on the ground, the wild or not so wild rocking can start all over again. A really great ride, which has quickly gained popularity in the amusement park industry.

Something that unfortunately did not benefit the last ride on our exploratory tour through the Parc des Combes. Although very popular with fans, the Flying Fury is still in the shadows, probably due to its low capacity and technical complexity. But all this has not stopped the Parc des Combes from putting the ride on a mountain where everyone can see it from afar. You wouldn’t believe how high the 37m high ride can seem when you look down a mountain during the ride.

Canad’R

Due to the interactive nature of the ride on Canad’R it is difficult to reproduce the ride in detail. However, it looks something like this: ” So, I now have the joystick in my hand, how does it go forward? Okay, now I’m going in circles. What happens if I move this control to the side? Aha, now I turn over to the side. Next I pull the joystick towards me, aha, the propeller is now moving clockwise. Well, then it can start”. After this short period of getting used to it, everything is ready to get down to business. Friends of very strong accelerations can also start a turbo phase, in which the plane switches to automatic for a short time, then straightens out and accelerates with 5G. Depending on which direction you hold the stick, this happens either forwards or backwards. You have to be very careful not to expose yourself to a Grey Out or even a Black Out – apart from that the ride is quite nice.

So much so, in fact, that I tried out the wildest driving manoeuvres several laps at a time. Sometimes you can lose your orientation quite a bit during the ride, but no matter if you are upside down and turning sideways through the station area or do laps with permanent side rollovers, I only had the most extreme ride when the ride had a fault shortly after the start and then went to zero position. Interestingly, the boom then drove at snail’s pace and counter-clockwise for a complete lap before reaching the entry position. In the beginning it was very relaxing, but at the latest with the hangtime part and the fabulous view at a height of over 30m it became quite frightening. Luckily you can trust Italian technology, but the ride was closed for a while after that.

Later on I was able to do some more laps on Canad’R, but after my sixth ride I broke it down. Shortly after the ride started, nothing more happened and I could wait – at least halfway comfortable – for a good 15 minutes to be released from the ride. In the late afternoon the ride started again, but then I had to leave again for my next destination.

Pictures Parc des Combes

Conclusion Parc des Combes

Parc des Combes is a very pleasant small theme park with a rather interesting portfolio. Hardly any other park of this size offers so many – for the country – unique rides. If the park continues to develop in this direction, you will have to go to Le Creusot all the time. The Parc des Combes is already a must-see for every lover of really good rides. Moreover, the park can be perfectly combined with Le Pal, a park that you must experience one way or another. If you are also a friend of narrow-gauge railways, you will definitely have fun here.

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Parc des Combes / Tron-Tron-Trône Day 3

On a dinosaur hunt in the Peppa Pig World

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History of Paultons Park

Known nationally as Peppa Pig World, Paultons Park is located on the land of the former Paulton’s Estate near Southampton. In 1979, the Mancey family bought the land, cleared it of scrub and debris and built the gardens we see today, including a small bird park and adventure playground. In 1983 the park opened its doors to visitors for the first time as Paultons Park and Bird Gardens.

Three years later the first rides moved into the park. In 1993 the first roller coaster was added. Since the millennium the park has been growing steadily. But its most important investment was made in 2011 with the opening of the first Peppa Pig Land, the Peppa Pig World. Within a year, Paultons Park doubled its visitor numbers. An unparalleled success that has attracted a host of other toddler theme areas at various theme parks both within and outside the UK. However, it remains to be seen whether such brand loyalty outside the UK works at all.

Tour of the park

Upon entering the park, one immediately finds oneself in the beautiful gardens of the park. From here you can either turn right to the Peppa Pig World or left to the Lost Kingdom theme area. Basically a decision against or with the stream of visitors. As a roller coaster fan the choice is even easier, but for narrative reasons I start with the visitor booster.

Peppa Pig World

Passing a 3D cinema, where the film Sammy’s Great Adventure was shown, as well as an adventure golf course included in the admission price, the park railway, an rubber dinghy slide, a beautifully laid out tractor ride and a carousel, we head towards the Peppa Pig World theme area. Here you will find a number of rides from Metallbau Emmeln and Zamperla, including an electric horse-riding track in a toy dino design, a duck carousel in a boat design and a Flying Wheel (a kind of teacup ferris wheel). All this is complemented by figures familiar from the series, matching playgrounds and the house of the Pig family. In 2018, the themed area will also be expanded with a round boat trip and a sightseeing tour.

There is not really anything more to tell there. While the rest of the park was partly deserted, there was a lot of activity in this area. All this speaks for the series produced since 2004. I myself consider such branding to be questionable, as it has a major impact on small children. Unfortunately, it must be said that the time of generally designed toddler areas (e.g. a farm area) seems to be over.

Cat-o-pillar

Interestingly, Paultons Park itself offers the exception to the rule. Instead of just relying on Peppa Pig, the park does its own thing in the Critter Creek theme area. Besides the roller coaster Cat-o-pillar, a Zierer Tivoli in the medium sized version, the themed area convinces with its wacky design and the integration of an insect and amphibian house.

Little Africa

There are also several animal enclosures along the river, which were expanded in 2018 with the Little Africa theme area. There is also a large penguin enclosure where show feeding takes place several times a day.  Directly adjacent to it there are several smaller rides, including a boat swing, a teacup lift, a Kontiki, and two family free-fall towers of different heights, which were placed directly next to each other.

Lost Kingdom

On the other side of the gardens is the Lost Kingdom themed area, which has created a very special flair by cleverly expanding the portfolio and incorporating rides that were once only loosely themed. Here you can see how you can create an all-round coherent themed area with well-considered actions.

Flight of the Pterosaur

In order to get a better overview of the area we immediately board the roller coaster Flight of the Pterosaur. After a short curve out of the station we climb the 20m high lift hill. At the top we immediately fall down in a wide left turn towards the ground. Far above the adjacent Demolition Derby we climb up again in the same way. A straight hilltop follows. With momentum, we now pass through a short dip, whereupon a labyrinth of narrow helices follows. Alternating right and left helices, we pass a cave and get faster and faster before we shoot into the station at top speed. There we are gently slowed down and then come to a stop.

Flight of the Pterosaur is a top class ride. The layout is fun and can satisfy especially the young park guests. As the first big roller coaster I can hardly imagine a better ride, although Paultons Park can offer two similar calibres. The pacing and the ride characteristics of this modern family roller coaster classic are very convincing.

Velociraptor

Right next door is the small shuttle roller coaster Velociraptor. As the first rebound version of the Family Boomerang by Vekoma, the ride impresses with its curves close to the ground and the small hill above the station. The layout itself resembles an eight, with both ends running over the loops.

After you have been driven backwards up the lift hill, you immediately descend rapidly and then pass through the station at full speed. This is followed by a left-hand bend close to the ground, as well as the already mentioned hill above the station, where light airtime sets in. After a right-hand bend under the lift hill, a hill follows over the first bend, which has a small hump in the middle. Here one comes to a standstill, whereupon the backwards journey begins. A little more leisurely than before, you now make your way back to the station.

Compared to the standard model, this system is particularly impressive due to its distinctive speed profile. The curves close to the ground are convincing all along the line and even the hill in the middle of the track knows to please on the forward drive. Thanks to the generally lower visitor demands, it is possible to remain seated on the ride and thus dare one ride after the other. For the coaster fan this is an optimal roller coaster which really is a lot of fun, but probably keeps many children away from the ride because of its backward ride.

Temple Heigths, The Dinosaur Tour Co. and Dino Chase

The situation is different for the remaining rides in this area. The small flying carpet Temple Heights and the Jeep Safari The Dinosaur Tour Co. know how to please just as well as the children’s roller coaster Dino Chase, a Zierer Tivoli in the smallest version with an extremely cute train design and an all around successful appearance.

Magma

Passing a dragon carousel of the manufacturer Zierer, which offered both a forward and a backward ride, and a go-kart track, we now head towards the last roller coaster of the park. But first we queue up at the interesting free fall tower Magma and enjoy the elaborately designed queue, before we ride up and down the SBF Visa tower over and over again. If the park would offer a different hardware, the tower would probably be a good one.

Cobra

Arrived at the Cobra, the first thing to do is to leave the depressing and extremely sterile waiting area behind you. Once this is done, you have to get into the well-known Gerstlauer sleds, whereupon the journey is about to start. After the lift hill has brought you up to the initial height of 16.5 m, the sledge immediately plunges down in a very steep right turn, whereupon an upward helix is performed in the same direction. After a short block area, four hairpin bends follow in best wild mouse manner. In a racy combination of two helices, the descent becomes extremely fast before ascending again a few metres. Over several camelbacks you make your way to the other side of the course, but unfortunately there is no generous lift-off at all. After a further downward helix the brake run of the layout is reached.

Cobra is a good roller coaster, but it lags a little behind its sister coasters. The ride seems to be a little bit more powerless, at least in general, which is especially apparent in the very lax camelbacks. The layout itself differs only a little from the G’stengte Sau from the amusement park Tripsdrill or the great roller coaster Thor’s Hammer from the Danish amusement park Djurs Sommerland, but the fun doesn’t really come across during the ride. Maybe the ride is just missing an appealing design, I couldn’t really explain it to myself.

The Edge

Right behind the roller coaster Cobra is the disk’o coaster The Edge, which offered a rock solid ride. Due to the successful theming of the nearby Lost Kingdom theme area, however, the ride, just like the Cobra roller coaster, seems to have been put in place without any love. The area around the park’s Reverchon log flume has a similar effect. There is a need for action in this area, but it is only a matter of time until the park creates another great theme area. At least it is not unlikely.

Pictures Paultons Park

Conclusion Paultons Park

Paultons Park is an exceptionally pleasant amusement park, which rightly calls itself the UK’s number one family park. The park offers a wide range of family rides, including five family roller coasters, as well as numerous playgrounds. It also offers a truly beautiful garden landscape, as well as numerous animal enclosures and a miniature golf course included in the admission price. If there would be a water park available you could think you were in a Scandinavian sommerland theme park. This is quite appealing, if the common visitor would not only come because of Peppa Pig. The park offers more and might even be able to add even more to it. In this respect, one should look forward to the future.

 

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Paultons Park

Klugheim’s wild roller coasters

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Phantasialand’s Klugheim

Due to the limited space available, rejuvenating cures are not uncommon in Phantasialand. A complete redesign of a theme area, which was only relevant for visitors with a large nostalgia for the rather boring dark ride Silver Mine, is part of the package. Nevertheless, it seems that the park actually hang on old icons, even if they were completely destroyed by a fire a long time ago. The multi-million euro project Klugheim with the two roller coasters Taron and Raik in an impressive scenery reminds of the former area around the legendary roller coaster Gebirgsbahn and its little sister, the Grand Canyon Bahn.

Once you enter one of the numerous entrances to the area and let yourself be overwhelmed by the breathtaking scenery, it is more or less clear that the park did everything right. In Klugheim, you can rave about the basalt rock formations or the numerous wooden buildings where the black tracks of both roller coasters pass by and cross each other. My highlight remains the fantastic food that you can get in Rutmors Taverne, the very nicely designed restaurant of the theme area. For a theme park this is outstanding, even the price is right. As mentioned before, you simply have to fall in love with this area. Actually, there is no need for a roller coaster, but the view to two of them makes the enthusiast’s heart beat loudly.

Raik

The smaller ride of the two roller coasters is called Raik and is made in the Netherlands by the manufacturer Vekoma. It is a Family Boomerang roller coaster and features an obligatory forward and backward ride; unfortunately, it also has always a rather long queue, which is why a visit is only really worthwhile during the later opening hours, when everyone else has already made his rounds on the roller coaster.

There is hardly anything to complain about the ride and after you have left the queue behind you, the friction wheel lift takes you up the hill. Once you have reached the starting height of 25m, the train is briefly held in place while the friction wheels are mechanically pushed apart. After the release of the train it races down the hill and immediately through the station. After a short hill, which introduces a downward helix, the lowest point of the ride is reached. At 62 km/h the train shoots through the canal, leaving it in a left turn. After a short reversal you approach the lift hill, after which you gain potential energy on the parallel track section – at least in theory – via a second pair of friction wheels. The backward part is now driven through a little slower, which is why the forces are not quite as pronounced as on the outward journey.

Raik is an exceptionally nice family coaster, which despite its two (world) records as the highest and fastest ride of its kind, does not quite match the ride characteristics of the prototype Ben 10 – Ultimate Mission of the English amusement park Drayton Manor Theme Park. Due to its significantly more compact layout and the resulting dynamic ride, it simply convinces a bit more. However, it’s hard to imagine a better roller coaster to get the next generation used to roller coaster riding than Raik.

Taron

As soon as your kids are old and big enough, nothing stands in their way of riding the second roller coaster in this area. As soon as you have left the beautiful queue and the extremely desolate open-air waiting area behind you and have decided to ride in the back part of the train or in the first row (which other than indicated has mostly a shorter waiting time), your ride on Taron can start immediately.

The ride on Taron

You leave the station in a right-hand bend, whereupon the train enters the waiting position for the upcoming launch. As soon as the track section is cleared, the train accelerates with a lot of pressure and races up a steep right-hand curve. This quickly turns out to be a slightly inclined U-turn, which sends the train at a high altitude in the direction of an exceptionally nice camelback, which pushes you out of your seat with ejector airtime. With a huge grin on your face, the train leads you through a tight left turn, just before the next twist brings a very surprising highlight to the visitors. The young buck tries to kick you sideways out of the train. Quelle surprise exceptionelle! From here the train shoots through a wide right-hand bend and then passes two gentle turns. After the second turn the roller coaster Raik is passed by in a small Bavarian curve. A left-hand bend follows, which leads into a short zigzag section. Another left turn takes the cars down into a pit and ends the first part of the ride.

In contrast to the Lost Gravity roller coaster at Walibi Holland, which has a similar division of the ride, the second act of the ride begins with an outstanding highlight, similar to the song “Totale Finsternis” from the musical Tanz der Vampire or “Maskerade” out of Phantom of the Opera. In general, Taron can easily be compared to a good play, only that here we forget about the intermission.

The train is now brought up to its maximum speed of 117 km/h with a tremendous force by a second launch. After that, the train shoots up a very steep left turn. Arrived at the highest point of the layout there is hardly any time to catch your breath, as a curvy shot follows in no time. Several short changes of direction, with constant inclination, lead to a fast descent, before you throw yourself into the abyss at a proper cross slope. On the following hill, the buck tries to throw you off again laterally, but this attempt again fails. All good things come in threes, which is why the following turnaround is just as wild. After that, you cross a relatively moderate right turn, above the heads of the motivated riders within the queue. A gentle twist leads to the final left turn of the ride. On the only straight section, aside from the station, launch and brake tracks, you cross two hills where the speed is reduced quite a bit. The only weak point of the layout is skillfully compensated with the following right turn, whereupon the brakes of the roller coaster Taron are reached.

Conclusion Taron

Taron is a genuinely impressive roller coaster and undoubtedly the best roller coaster in Germany. At the moment it has no competition in Germany, as the wood giant from the Lüneburg Heath is quite weak at the moment and its future is uncertain; otherwise Taron would only be the best steel roller coaster in the country; but who wants to differentiate in small nuances? The company Intamin has once again succeeded in a great coup, which was outstandingly staged by Phantasialand, besides the questionable record marketing. The expectations for upcoming projects have once again been raised by one bar; let’s see how the other parks (apart from the already well-known Star Trek Coaster of Movie Park Germany) will react.

Pictures Phantasialand

 

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