Travel Diaries: Days Out In France

Whilst in France, I tried to do many different things and have days out to a variety of places. Three of my favourite days out had been going to Zoo de Champrépus, Viaduc de la Souleuvre and Forêt Adrénaline in Rennes.


Zoo de Champrépus

I went to Zoo De Champrépus last year and loved it so much that I had already planned to go back at some point on this holiday. I spoke about this zoo in a blog post last year where I went into more detail about how the zoo was set out and all the different areas but for this post I'm just going to talk about specific parts of the trip I enjoyed and share some of my favourite photos.

 This year, I felt that i saw much more of the animals. I think that this was due to the time of day I went - last year, I went later in the afternoon but this year i went earlier so many of the animals were more out and active.

I managed to properly see a red panda this year. I love red pandas and it was so great to get a proper view of them and watch them in their habitat. 

The little goats at the petting area were probably still my favourite this year. I fed them the goat popcorn which is available to buy as you enter the park as well as in vending machines. As soon as the goats realise you've got popcorn, they all crowd around you and jump up on you like dogs (which at first I was a little apprehensive of when it came to the bigger goats, but it was actually fine - goats are pretty gentle and friendly). 

Another animal that I felt I saw more of this year had been the tigers. Both of the tigers were strolling around and coming right up to the glass so we all got a really goof view of them. This is one of the things that I like about zoos - you get to see all of these animals up close in a safe environment.

All of the animals in the zoo are very well cared for and are all in enclosures which are constantly being updated. If you're ever in Normandy in France, this place is definitely worth a visit.

Viaduc de la Souleuvre

Another place I went to was the Viaduct in Souleuvre. is a partly demolished railway viaduct over the Souleuvre River in La Ferriére-Harang in Normandy. It is a protected natural site.

There are many different activities suited to various age groups: there is a luge - which looks like a rollercoaster except you're the one in control. It's described as a toboggan run. There is also a barefoot garden; tree climbing course (aimed for children); a zip line; bridge swing; pendulum jump; and a bungee jump. 

This place was split into two different areas. One was where you went to do the luge, tree climbing or go to the barefoot garden and also where the restaurant was, while the other was for the zip line, bridge swing, pendulum jump and bungee jump. To get from one area to the next, you could either take a walk through a little woodland path or pay €2 to go on the small train.

For each different activity, there was different prices - it wasn't just the case of paying an entry fee and then you get to go on everything, you had to pay for each activity individually.

I went on the luge multiple times. It was fast and fun. For this, you went up to a little booth and payed to get tokens which you would take and then hand over to the person working the luge. The price of the luge varies depending on the time of day and if you're buying more than one token at a time.

I also went on the zip line. This was lots of fun (and far less daunting than I had initially thought it was going to be). You got to take in and appreciate the views around as well as get a better look at how everything was laid out in the area.

One thing I didn't do that I now wish I had done (and will definitely be doing if I ever go again) was go on the bungee jump. Bungee jumping had never really been something I had any great interest in doing, but after seeing people bungee firsthand, it's now something that I'd like to have a go at.

Forêt Adrénaline

Another place I went to and enjoyed during my trip to France was called Forêt Adrénaline located in Rennes. It is basically where you tackle different obstacle type courses set up in the trees. There are fifteen courses of varying ability levels.

You're strapped into a harness and you choose whatever course you would like to do. You're given a time limit of 2 hours and 30 minutes (although they're not too strict on this if it isn't that busy). Each course is around 30-45 minutes long however the time it takes you to actually complete a course will vary depending on different factors. Each course is also aimed at different age groups and on entering the park, you are given a band with a colour for what age range you're in for safety reasons.

While there, I completed four courses. I even managed one called "Black Panther" which had the highest difficulty rating. It was challenging but rewarding once completed.

This was a really fun day out but my muscles and body were hurting a bit the day after😄 (definitely worth it though!)

These were possibly my top three favourite days out while away (although it's actually pretty hard to pick just three!)

If you ever find yourself in France near Normandy (or close to any of these activities), I'd definitely recommended going.

Bye for now, xo