ERA WE GO! ANTHONY HARWOOD ran the risk of sensory overload at an 'unknown' French theme park.

Byline: ANTHONY HARWOOD

PUT together the words "France" and "theme park", and most British holidaymakers think EuroDisney.

Not this time. It turns out that the French have been keeping a spectacular secret: Puy du Fou - a theme park which recreates themes from history.

There's not a single slide or fun ride in sight. But don't worry, the kids will be anything but bored. The excitement of meeting Snow White or Mickey Mouse is more than matched by the fireworks, breathtaking stunts and assorted pyrotechnics lighting up the attractions.

After a day in which we had been among 6,000 people to witness convincingly played out gladiator contests and chariot races, and watch Vikings arrive on 10th century battle ships to ransack a French village, we thought we'd seen it all...

Wrong. The day ended with an astonishing Son et Lumiere show, portraying French history from the Middle Ages to the present day, all performed by 1,000 actors against the backdrop of a Renaissance chateau, a lake and three windmills.

This was so epic we could scarcely believe it. There were moments in the day when it felt we were caught in the middle of a Ridley Scott film.

What astonished us even more was that we'd never even heard of Puy du Fou, which is in the Vendee region of Western France. I've been coming to France on and off for 30 years and lived in Paris for one of them. But, though it deserves to be a household name, I didn't know it existed, which explains why the vast majority of fellow visitors were French.

From Roman times to the Hundred Years' War and romantic tales of the Three Musketeers, Puy du Fou is built around different time zones.

Thanks to an equestrian school on site, most performances are dominated by daring shows of horsemanship: Roman chariot races, jousting, and horse-back acrobatics.

Add to the mix a huge menagerie of animals. Our daughters couldn't believe their eyes as camels, a flock of geese and a cheetah led the parade of "exotic beasts" into the amphitheatre for the pleasure of the "Emperor" in the balcony.

That was only the start. As a "Christian" was tied to a post to meet her fate, three untethered lions, a tiger and finally a hyena bounded into the stadium.

Each time we thought we had seen the ultimate, only to step into another world to find more Viking longships that rise out of a lake, war machines that explode into flames - all set to rousing film score-style music.

Yet each show was dramatically different.

For the ballet of the birds, dozens were released from a balloon hundreds of feet up in the sky. Peregrine falcons, the fastest species in the world, descended in a matter of seconds, starting as tiny dots in the clouds to swoop down and land with perfect timing.

As a finale, scores of owls, eagles, vultures and falcons skimmed over the heads of the audience, who were by now all open-mouthed.

At Richelieu's Palace, the huge indoor stage gradually filled with water, creating a heart-stoppingly beautiful reflection of an illuminated Louvre-style palace, as a dozen chevaliers in period costume performed dressage.

By the end of the day, it felt like sensory overload. So we were glad of a break before the evening show, although we found it hard to imagine what more it could bring.

Even the on-site hotel had a theme. It was a Roman villa, where all the staff dressed in togas.

At nightfall, we took our places among the 13,000-strong audience for the two-hour outdoor night-time show.

Once again, the setting was vast, a huge natural stage set across half a mile. As the show started, I felt like I'd been thrown on to the set of Ivanhoe - with a dozen knights riding at full gallop towards us round the lake, trailing flags with their coats of arms behind them.

The lights came up to reveal the huge cast spread over the set in medieval costume, as well as oxen, sheep and pigs creating a tableau of life in this region of France up to the French Revolution, both world wars and beyond.

At times, the scale was so astonishing, it felt like we had stumbled into an Olympic opening ceremony. Lasers and holograms were projected on to the chateau walls as balls of fire billowed from the building and a huge firework display erupted overhead. Need I go on?

It is all made partly possible by the fact that the civic pride of the French is so great that all the actors and technicians are volunteers. The evening show, which takes place twice a week in the summer months, began in 1978. It is only in the past 10 years that the theme park has grown up around it.

We travelled to Puy du Fou from our bucket-and-spade holiday resort of St Jean de Monts, two hours away on the coast.

We had a three-year-old and a sixyear-old to entertain, so we were pleased to discover a huge range of family entertainment in the area, from miniature villages to pony riding.

Best of all was the network of cycle paths through forests and along roads, which allowed us to ride off to the beach and many of the other attractions whenever we liked.

Thankfully, the area is flat and there are lots of inventive ways to make the most of pedal power. Some families rented pedal cars while we put our eldest daughter, who is not yet ready to go stabiliser-free, on the back of my bike with a third wheel.

Along our forest trail, we would often cycle past children on ponies being led by one of their own family, rather than a stable hand as you would expect in the UK.

This is the more laissez-faire French way of taking kids riding, as we found to our cost when the saddle strap on our own three-year-old's pony broke and we turned around to see her sprawling on the ground.

With no instructor to help, it was a job getting her and the ponies back to the stable, where the incident seemed to merit little more than a gallic shrug.

After that, bikes seemed much the safer bet. Perhaps the most bizarre adaptation of cycle power was the Velo Rail, at Commequiers, where hordes of tourists clamber aboard a dozen cycle cars on a one-way, single track 10km stretch of deserted railway line.

There is room for two cyclists upfront to pedal like mad and two passengers, usually the kids, to recline in the deck chairs behind.

After 10 days of cheap wine and calorie-laden French food, my wife and I initially welcomed the opportunity to get some exercise as we puffed along through the wooded countryside.

One by one, families in the cars ahead gave up and lifted their cycle cars off the track to let others pass, while I was encouraging us all to go the whole distance.

For a change of scenery, we spent a day at the Ile of Noirmoutier, where the children could enjoy looking at turtles, seals and sharks in the local aquarium.

On the way back, we visited the miniature village - a surreal experience, best suited to students of French architecture.

Each tiny home was a recreation of the distinctive house building style of each department of France.

As the children were failing to appreciate the subtle differences in masonry and tile work, we managed to keep them happy by hinting that they might catch fairies peeping out from behind the miniature net curtains.

The fact that the Vendee is so easy to get to from the UK was one of the attractions for us as a family.

Sailing from Portsmouth with Brittany Ferries, we were able to reach our villa in four hours once we'd arrived in the French port of Caen.

In St Jean de Monts, we stayed at the peaceful Domaine de Vertmarines, a gated collection of 96 villas a mile from the beach, most with their own pool.

Beware, though - not much is included in the price, with water, electricity and even towels and sheets charged extra.

That said, the accommodation was tastefully decorated and well maintained, which meant we were happy to splash about and eat at home when the somewhat changeable weather allowed. When we felt like a change of scenery, we simply nipped out of the back gate at the rear of the Domaine and followed the sandy cycle route to the beaches.

They were vast and dominated by huge Atlantic breakers which attract the surfers. But sandcastles abounded and everyone seemed to be having a good time.

That said, after an hour or two, getting back on our bikes and having a glass of wine by the pool suddenly seemed like a much more enticing idea.

FACT FILE

1. WAKE UP IN FRANCE. DISCOUNT FOR MIRROR READERS.

One week in a three-bedroom villa (sleeps 6) with private pool with Wake Up In France starts at EUR527 (pounds 454) in September. Mirror readers can get 10% off any 2009 Wake Up In France holiday taken after August 29 or a 2010 holiday booked by October 1, 2009. Quote ref MR1. www.wakeupinfrance.co.uk Phone in UK 0148 468 0855 and in France 0033 2 5159 7800.

2. BRITTANY FERRIES. Return fares to west coast of France start from pounds 140 for a car and two passengers. For more information or to book, see www.brittanyferries. com or call 0871 244 1400.

3. NOVOTEL. Novotel at Caen: From EUR89 (pounds 76) for two adults bed and breakfast included. B& B is free for two children under 16 in their parents' room. www.novotel. com.

4. VELO RAIL: 85220 Commequiers Tel : [phone].

5. CYCLE-HOP BIKE RENTALS: In the St Jean de Monts area. www.cyclhop. fr or 0033 2 5158 0481.

CAPTION(S):

BREATHER: A spot of relaxation after a busy day HORNS OF PLENTY: Vikings ransack a French village at Puy du Fou KNIGHT KNIGHT: Puy du Fou's night-time show was like an Olympic ceremony HOLD TIGHT: The girls enjoyed their pony ride... until Anthony's youngest toppled off FAIRYTALE SETTING: Puy du Fou's castle provides a great backdrop IN DAYS OF OLD: The 15th century La bataille de donjon