On a sunny morning in July, we set off on an adventure, to try out this year’s edition of the Popcorn Labyrinth in Marcoussis. It had only just opened for the season and we were the only people there. It was time for our summer experience!
Clélia took on the challenge!
"A superb activity in the great outdoors, filled with laughter, exercise and games, what more could we ask for?"
We were welcomed by two experts from the labyrinth who explained the rules of the game and gave us some top tips. They know the maze like the back of their hands if we happened to get completely lost... But we set off confidently, ready for this new challenge.
This year's theme is 'Blackbeard's treasure'. This cruel and legendary pirate is believed to have made a golden statue of his first beloved parrot, encrusted with diamonds. We were lucky enough to have in our possession a map which would guide us to the treasure. It was time for us to set off into the rows of corn, in search of the treasure!
Damien began reading the games booklet and we ventured into the mysterious maze. Our goal was to find the first challenge. The corn plants were high and dense. There was no way we could see through or over them to try and get a peek of where the puzzles were.
We came across a few 'hint' signs from the nighttime version of the escape game. We got a bit lost in the maze until we finally found an arrow showing the way. We found the first puzzle, and had to put our heads together to figure it out!
Inside the labyrinth there are 6 puzzles and 6 wooden games. Normally you would have to choose one of the two (either the puzzles or the wooden games), but because we were alone in the maze, we did both at the same time. We had a good laugh with the wooden games, especially the one with the chopsticks, it was very competitive! The games of skill and dexterity were worthy of the TV game show Fort Boyard.
The puzzles are designed for children and they are very well done. We had to solve a rebus, a sort of battleships game and the pirate version of 'Guess Who?' The puzzle where we had to recognise the constellations was really tricky. Luckily, after a few hesitations, we finally figured out which direction we had to take to continue our adventure. We went from challenge to challenge through the wide paths of the maze. We often came to a dead-end and sometimes went round in circles, but we never gave up! We finally arrived at the entrance to the final challenge, the mini labyrhinth.
The last challenge was a mini labyrinth with much narrower paths, and we had 4 signs to find. We split up for the last part and we were almost running, crossing paths around the maze as we searched. We heard "I've got one!", "Where are you?" or "I think it's this way". We called out to find each other and compare our findings before we reached a locked door. The signs each featured a pirate symbol that we had seen throughout the labyrinth. When they were put together, they gave the code to open the door. We beat last year's record and got out of the maze in 1 hour and 20 minutes. We did it!
When we left the maze, we were congratulated for our performance and we each got a certificate. We got a group photo taken with Mr and Mrs Popcorn, proudly showing off our certificates.
We had a great morning exploring this vast labyrinth, we got a bit lost and had a good laugh. The nighttime version must be a very different experience, not-to-mention the escape game nights of horror!
The puzzles are varied and perfectly adapted for children.
We had so much fun and we highly recommend this adventure as a family!
Wear clothing adapted for the weather, bring a hat, sun cream, trainers, etc.
