A park full of bees

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Parc du Bocasse

The last stop on my journey through France lies directly on the route to the ferry port of Dieppe and thus directly on my way back to England. In the small village Le Bocasse you will find the amusement park Parc du Bocasse. As so often in France, the amusement park has developed from a small restaurant. As early as 1967 the gastronome Jacques Chabaille put up some playground equipment, which was then supported by some bigger rides and the park’s first roller coaster in the 80s. When Max Chabaille took over the amusement park, not only the park grew, but also the target group of the park. In 2015, the park expanded its grounds, so that a new themed area including an entrance area could be created.

And through the elegant wooden gate we enter the amusement park. Right at the beginning of our tour of the Parc du Bocasse, we immediately notice the new orientation of the park, which is really worth seeing. Instead of alot of smaller additions, the park went bigger and more substantial. Not only do the rides here look excellent, they are also much larger than in the rest of the park.

Splash-o-Saure

The first one is the log flume Splash-o-Saure by the French manufacturer Soquet, which is more reminiscent of the ride Mami Wata from the Austrian amusement park Fantasiana Erlebnispark Strasswalchen and could therefore have come straight from Hafema.

After leaving the station, you quickly reach the first lift, which takes you up a few metres. When you arrive at the top you are turned around on a turntable in the direction of the descent, but you leave it backwards. Well moistened, you now bob along the canal for a few bends until you reach the central tower of the ride. In here you will find the vertical lift of the ride, which will take you up to the starting point of the big drop. Without any great skirmishes you go down immediately, whereupon a quite decent shower is waiting for you. After another bend you reach the station of the ride again. With a bit of bad luck you can get drenched by another boat – very similar to the old log flume Wildwasserbahn II of Heide Park. You leave the ride via a footbridge past the run-out section.

The Splash-o-Saure is a really good log flume. It is really nice to see more and more new rides from Soquet in the recent years. But before I get all sentimental, let’s take a look at an older ride from the same manufacturer, which is located on the other side of the park, which is divided by a road.

Train de la Mine

The Parc du Bocasse also has a classic Train de la Mine. The variant here, however, has a very remarkable helix right at the start of the ride, which makes the ride stand out a bit. The course is then skilfully and fluently initiated by a beautiful steep curve. On the following hill we change the direction of the ride for a short while, whereupon we enter another downhill helix. After two full turns we leave this helix again and immediately dedicate ourselves to a little bunny hop. After a tight turn below the first helix we immediately approach the terrain and follow the course of a small hollow. After a straight line and a left bend we reach the final curve of the ride, whereupon we immediately find ourselves in the station of the roller coaster.

The Train de la Mine is a very nice family roller coaster, but it lacks the more daring moments of other Soquet roller coasters. Nevertheless, the ride is a lot of fun and has an optical highlight and a really nice start due to its high-mounted helix.

Electro Spin and Flash Tower

As the French round boat slide rafting Colorad’Eau next door was unfortunately not in operation at the time of the visit, we will now turn our attention to the rides next to it. They are all made in Italy, and this also applies to almost the entire area of the park. The more exciting rides Electro Spin and Flash Tower are from Zamperla, other rides are mostly from SBF Visa.

Speedy Gonzales

In fact, the Parc du Bocasse offers an exceptionally large collection of smaller children’s rides. These are now gradually being integrated into the park’s theme-based activities, and some of them are certainly worth seeing. The small roller coaster Speedy Gonzales, which has a very compact layout in the shape of an eight, is still completely without design.

Pirate’s Plunder

In the back corner of the Parc du Bocasse amusement park, we then come across other fairly large rides, such as a Rockin’ Tug and a boat swing. There is also a simulator, as well as an interactive theatre by Alterface. Instead of the well-known western shooting, we go on a treasure hunt with a Jack Sparrow blend and get rid of skeletons. Terrific fun!

Apiland

But the biggest surprise of the amusement park awaits us in a small hall marked Apiland. What looks like a museum about bees from the outside, turns out to be a lovely dark ride inside, which just doesn’t want to end. The ride is simply outstanding for a theme park of this size.

Jurassic Twister

On the way to the exit we take the roller coaster Jurassic Twister with us, which rides like any other Zamperla spinning coaster. Shortly afterwards I’m sitting in my car again and leave the Parc du Bocasse in a very good mood. French family parks simply have what it takes 😉.

Pictures Parc du Bocasse

Conclusion Tron-Tron-Trône

A little later I am already on the ferry to England, whereupon my journey through France comes to an end. It was nice; but it was not cheap either. However, the French amusement park landscape is definitely always worth a visit. With a few exceptions, the parks are all great, the public is usually very pleasant and the rest of the country is also very relaxed; you just shouldn’t be so fooled by French people abroad. In any case, come and visit them, it’s worth it.

What are your thoughts about the theme park Parc du Bocasse? Just write it here below the report in the comment field or visit our social media channels:

TKathke April 15, 2018 February 20, 2023 Parc du Bocasse / Tron-Tron-Trône Day 9

A tale of a very wild Train

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Fantasiana Erlebnispark Strasswalchen

The Fantasiana Erlebnispark Strasswalchen is a small amusement park on the outskirts of Strasswalchen close to the city of Salzburg. Founded in 1996, the park mainly focuses on fairy tales, but also has some special rides, such as the Wild Train roller coaster, which is very popular with many amusement park enthusiasts.

If you enter the Fantasiana Erlebnispark Strasswalchen you will immediately be greeted by an animatronic. In the same room there is a lovingly designed exhibition that recreates the story of Snow White with soft toys.

Schloß Drakula

Through a door the visitors get to the forecourt of Drakula’s Castle, one of the main attractions of the park, where a guided tour takes place at regular intervals. Due to the lack of abundance within the park and the alternating opening hours of the rides, we unfortunately had to miss out on a visit.

Sindbad’s Abenteuerreise

Starting from here, you can either go directly to the western section of the park or take the big tour around the lake. Within the fairy tale forest you can find some children’s rides, an antique car train, as well as a monorail pedalway without its pedal function. Following the ways through the forest we end up in a generously sized oriental theme area. The dark ride Sindbad’s Abenteuerreise and a 4D cinema are located here. Despite the advertised opening hours of the dark ride, there was no employee to be found nearby.

Mami Wata

If you continue along the path you will come across the pirate boat swing and the construction site of the Hafema log flume Mami Wata, which is this year’s novelty of the amusement park. On a small area you will soon find a splash ride with two drops, where the starting height of the bigger descent will be reached by a vertical lift.

Knights Ride Tower

Along the picturesque western section of the Fantasiana Erlebnispark Strasswalchen, the path leads us straight to a building that seems rather inconspicuous from the outside. Inside there is the Knights Ride Tower, a small free-fall tower built by abc Rides. The queue of this tower is nicely designed and raises the expectations, as we already know comparable installations of the Merlin Entertainments Group Dungeons and amusement parks.

Strangely enough, you have to strap yourself to the ride before the ride can finally begin, which was not at all an easy task in a darkened room without my glasses. Now, we move up slowly and stop at different levels with different video projections and animatronics. On the first floor you can see a sleeping dragon and a knight galloping through the cave, on the second floor a mythical creature playing a musical instrument in front of a fire, on the third floor several awakened dragons in attacking mood, and on the final floor a fight between a horseman and a dragon. The free fall follows and a detached hand embedded in the ground is illuminated.

The Knights Ride Tower is what Thalon at Bayern Park would like to be, which is a rideable vertical ride with a good background story. Although the ride is a bit lengthy due to the many stopovers, the potential of the ride type is never missed and the scenes and projections are of the highest quality. The drop itself, similar to all the other abc towers, is very pleasing and shows once again that the height of a free Dfall tower is not the decisive argument.

Dino Adventure

In the back corner of the park – next to the park railway Dino Adventure, which leads along several prehistoric scenery pictures – you can find a ferris wheel, a wave slide, another bumper car and a racetrack, which is not included in the entrance fee.

Wild Train

Above the race track you find the highlight of the Fantasiana Erlebnispark Strasswalchen: the roller coaster Wild Train. The roller coaster is highly exotic not only because of its support construction but also because of its Russian manufacturer called Pax. From the outside the layout seems to be quite normal for such a small ride and even the train seems to be only wild because of its design, but if you know the predominant opinions about the ride you already know that the roller coaster is much wilder than it seems.

When the train is ready to move, the wild ride can start. Slowly but steadily we climb the friction wheel lift. A small hill follows after the first steep turn, which lets the passengers fly off their seats immediately. This is followed by an uphill helix. Regardless of any losses, it is followed by a drop with immensely pronounced ejector airtime, similar to Piraten from the Danish amusement park Djurs Sommerland. A camelback repeats the previously experienced change between pressure and weightlessness. On a Bavarian curve you now circle around a small castle before it reaches the most insane point in the whole layout. With full force you are now being shot into your lap bar, only to be shaken through the next bend due to the missing ground contact. Another hill and yet another bavarian curve lead you back to the station.

The Wild Train is a crazy roller coaster and also one of the few roller coasters that leaves something lasting behind for its passengers. Be it the bruise on both thighs or the memory of a truly incomparable intensive family roller coaster. Unfortunately the ride closes immediately after the first raindrop, maybe it wasn’t the worst for our health.

Pictures Fantasiana Erlebnispark Strasswalchen

Conclusion Fantasiana Erlebnispark Strasswalchen

Fantasiana Erlebnispark Strasswalchen is a small, friendly family park, which always distinguishes itself from similarly small parks by well-considered investments. The park is a great one and offers many surprises during your visit.

What is your opinion about the amusement park Fantasiana Erlebnispark Strasswalchen? Just write it in the comment field below the report or visit our social media channels:

TKathke May 9, 2015 February 27, 2023 Fantasiana Erlebnispark Strasswalchen

Fantasiana Erlebnispark Strasswalchen

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Theme Park:	Fantasiana Erlebnispark Straßwalchen (since 2012)
	Erlebnispark Straßwalchen (1996 - 2011)

Address:	Märchenweg 1
	5204 Straßwalchen
	http://www.erlebnispark.at

Operated by:	Fantasy Factory Betriebsgesellschaft m.b.H.

Fantasiana Erlebnispark Strasswalchen is a small amusement park near the Austrian city of Salzburg. The park offers a variety of truly ingenious amusement rides, which have long inspired the amusement park fan community. Wether it is the very intensive family coaster Wild Train or the freefall tower Knights Ride Tower, everyone gets his money’s worth. In total, the amusement park remains loyal to its target audience and offers a variety of family-friendly rides and activities.