Miniature Steam Train
We were having one of those rainy afternoons that are fab for your garden, not quite so for a four year old cooped up in the house. Seemed the ideal occasion to nip down to Brétignolles sur Mer to visit Vendée Miniature. This model village is housed under one roof and over was 15 years in the making!
There are 650 little figurines dotted around the village. Every 10 minutes or so the lights go down, the village slowly awakes, & the steam engine does its’ rounds, the kids just loved this bit! Strategically placed steps are placed around the village so the kids can get a better look.
Three metre high church
I loved the smell of burning incense wafting around the cemetery, nice touch! The 3m high church is spectacular, have a nosy inside, it’s packed to the rafters. My favourites were the Quincaillerie, right down to the titchy poster for Sewing Machines, And the Epicerie corner shop with its’ miniature glass jars of old-fashioned sweets and Blédina baby formula.
The houses are meticulously reproduced using local schiste stone, which is what our cottage was also built from some hundred years ago.
If you race around the village, you’ll have done the whole thing in a quarter of an hour, so take your time to visit, because the attention to detail is fabulous. Our son is only four and he was mesmerised, as were all the kids I saw that day.
No photos or videos are allowed inside by the way, so thanks to the lovely lady at the desk who sent me these pics for the blog!
Vendée Miniature, 50 Rue du Préneau, 85470 Bretignolles sur Mer
Adults 7€30 & Kids (5 – 12) 4€50
Open June, July, August from 10 am to 7 pm
Open September from 10 am to 12 noon, and 2 pm to 6.30 pm, closed Saturday morning and Sunday morning.
