If you're out and about in West Cornwall Flambards is worth a visit (Flambards Village Theme Park)

Member Name: chrisc92

Product:	Flambards Village Theme Park
Date:	04/07/09 (30 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Somewhere you can spend at least half a day

Disadvantages: It's very bitty, and doesn't have any one thing it focuses on

Flambards Theme Park just a short distance from Helston in Cornwall is defintely an experience, the only trouble is I'm not sure which one!

It's a fair drive (nearly 2 hours from Plymouth) and is not far from 2 other fantastic sights - The Lizard and Lands End.

There are a few rides, a carousel, a log flume (Canyon River), a modest sized roller coaster (Hornet), tug boat, a spinning wheel (thunderbolt) and a ride known as Extreme Force which basically turns you upside down slowly in one direction and then does the same the other. It's a pity they changed the previous ride which was very similar, because I managed to get the guy running it to leave it with 2 of my former step kids head down for about 5 minutes at the very top - it was fun (for me at least).

There are a number of other rides for younger visitors and theres a little pedal powered monorail that goes around the thrill rides, but it did feel a little uncomforting! The majority of younger childrens rides are on the opposite side of the park. (There's also a gokart track).

There's a hands on experience, with mirrors, interesting experiments to try - like seeing which wheel will roll down hill faster, and it's worth paying a look at particularly as the weather changes.

There's a crazy golf course of 10 holes, but I'm still not sure what the real objective is, as despite being crazy golf there isn't actually any golf like holes to putt into.

Inside there's also so drop slides which some kids may like.

At the entrance to the younger childrens area is a big dome where they stage a few shows in which you can watch and afterwards play with spiders and snakes (while parents cringe!). Unfortunately on our last visit, the performer's microphone broke and they spent ages trying to sort it out rather than just getting on with it, and when they did it was like watching someone selling something at an auction as the guy was talking and his 2 assistants just kept turning the animals from side to side.

The younger childrens play area has a few rides, a mini drop (berry), and a little run round track car type ride. There is however, Gus Honeybun (yes that cute rather naughty rabbit from Westward TV) that was a reminder of my childhood stuck behind glass, and a walkthrough tunnel with some other underground favourites in the guise of Beatrix Potter etc, and at the other end a small number of enclosures with the odd animal and birds (like goats and owls).

Then there's the 3 indoor exhibitions, Victorian Village Experience, Britain in the Blitz Experience and the Memory Lane Experience. These are all great exhibitions to walk through, but referring back to my initial comment I'm not sure what Flambards is really trying to achieve, because realistically, how many children are going to walk round this, and similarly with only a handful of rides how many kids are going to feel they've had a great day out?

The Victorian Village lets you walk down cobbled streets and look in the windows of lots of different shops and see how life probably looked, and there's even a couple houses that you can walk through with nanny rooms etc. The last shop in the exhibition was completely rebuilt and artefacts are exactly as they looked when it was discovered following the death of its owner - cobwebs and all, which to me was the most interesting.

Britain in the Blitz is interesting, and gives the impression of what it would have been like during World War 2. There's a look at the NAAFI, a bombed house, and various other look backs at shops and houses from the period, and again what life was like. It's funny really, but out by one of the older kids rides is something that really would make it more realistic - some engines/propellers from aeroplane wreckage found off the cornish coast. To me it would give this exhibition a more lifelike approach.

The final exhibition is a walk through time, which now includes a major walkthrough on flight. There's a number of wooden propellers and various things that were made out of broken ones. There's also a large number of letters from the war and how modern aeroplanes developed. As part of the exhibition there's alot of uniforms and backgrounds to each of them, the front section of concorde and of a bomber, and other aircraft as well as a number of models.

It is not only about the war/aircraft, it includes a range of wedding dresses, dresses and fashions - but there does seem a vague link between them all.

There are places to buy food and drink scattered around the park, a cafe and toilets.

However you view it Flambards is interesting, but entertainment value I'm not sure about - it's certainly worth a few hours, but will you find enough for a full day out I think not. If you are in the area it's certainly worth spending a bit of time there, but I feel you'll be pulled in a number of directions by your children.

My rating of 3* is based on 4* for the exhibitions, 3* for younger children and 2* for older children as despite having the odd rides are unlikely to get much out of it.

Standard prices are £16.50 for adults and £11.50 for children, but like everywhere else there's discounts to be had, and quite often you can get a buy 1 get 1 free offer somewhere.

Summary: For family enetertainment in Cornwall there's nothing like it