Normandy Region

Kevin is fantastic at researching local adventures. While in the Normandy region of France, he identified a tree-top adventure park with loads of fun activities for our girls. Ropes courses, ziplines, paintball, inflatables, and much, much more gave our girls ample opportunity for exercise and adventure.

First Impressions

While Ellie stayed behind at our Airbnb to complete a Calculus review and test, we took the Littles and went in search of physical activity and fun. Kevin, our planner extraordinaire, discovered Bayeux Adventure and this incredible tree-top adventure park was a huge hit with Rachel and Sophie! Nestled in the countryside of Normandy France, just a short drive from our Airbnb, this park is a favorite of locals. We parked and found ourselves walking toward the entrance alongside many families coming to attend birthday celebrations or just a day of family fun and adventure.

As with many of the less touristy parts of France, we encountered a bigger language barrier here, especially since we had left Ellie, and her beginner to intermediate French skills, at the Airbnb. We had a bit of a challenge determining which pass to purchase but our very patient and helpful staff member was able to walk us through the options. She helped us select the best package for our family, fitted us with the appropriate wristbands, and sent us off in search of adventure. After spending our first few moments watching other families navigate, the girls hesitantly hopped on some lower risk ropes courses meant for young children. They were quickly hooked and ready to get fitted with a harness to seek bigger challenges. After their harness fitting, they were given a quick tutorial on how to clip in and navigate the ropes courses.

Click on photo to enlarge and see descriptions.

Assumption of Risk

The French seem to have a whole different outlook on risk. We saw it throughout our visits to minor parks around France. Coming from the US, where precautions are abundant, it took some adjustment to understand that parents in France are given the opportunity to determine whether their child is prepared for each attraction. There were several staff members, mostly students and young adults, on hand throughout the park and overseeing more dangerous attractions that required specific safety protocols. However, we learned that personal injury lawsuits aren’t really a thing in France. Signing waivers means that the assumption of risk falls to the participant and their adult parent or supervisor. While it felt a little strange at first, we really liked the freedom this gave us when enjoying our time at Bayeux Adventure and other various parks throughout France.

Attractions

Our girls spent time zorbing (running around in giant inflatable balls) and jumping in bouncy houses. They climbed a huge, netted playground with tons of activities. Sophie peddled around in a go cart and Kevin even got in on the action. By far, the biggest highlight of the day was the zip lining! In order to get to the various zip lines, they had to clip in with their harness and follow the ropes up ladders, across and through obstacles, and around trees. There were so many different courses to navigate, putting both their courage and their skills to the test.

Sophie stayed on the lower ones (still very challenging) and Rachel got higher and higher, traversing larger areas and bigger challenges. It was so rewarding to watch them be challenged and get scared but then overcome those obstacles and fears to reach their goals! Kevin and I spent our time on the ground, following them both around the many zip line courses. We were able to find a picnic table in a central location and watch them go from activity to activity, trying things they’d never done before. Rachel even got super brave and did the slingshot! Throughout the day, they made friends with local kids and were able to bridge the language gap through play.

Take-away

This park provided an active and exhilarating experience for our girls! For a fraction of the price of similar experiences in the US, they had a multitude of attractions to try. We loved watching them build their confidence with each new challenge. We loved that this was more of a local park as opposed to being heavily visited by tourists. Families were just out enjoying a fun day together without the stress that can sometimes accompany a trip to an expensive amusement park. We packed our own food for the day, but the snack bar had a fairly extensive menu of food and beverages for those that needed to grab a bite to eat. Next time (and we do hope there’s a next time), we’ll bring Ellie along and all 5 of us will get fitted for harnesses to experience all the excitement!

What kinds of experiences do you enjoy when you’re traveling? Are you a thrill-seeker or do you like to play it safe? We’d love to hear what kind of adventures you’re seeking and how we can inspire you to jump in and enjoy some Uncommon Family Adventures!

To have your own treetop adventures while visiting the Normandy region of France, follow this link:

Bayeux Adventure Park