For all the Brave Adventurers...
In favor of the Anton Pieck-styled harbor, the current location of
‘Speelbos Nest’ will be used differently and instead
‘Speelbos Nest’ will be moved over to the site of where we now find Python. Python will not be making its return to the park, as I personally believe the park holds on too much to nostalgia with this ride while its theme, story and technique are outdated and don’t fit into Efteling’s storytelling character.
‘Nest’ also known as Play Forest is a playground for young children in Tough Realm, which has been designed with special attention to children with disabilities. All about twenty play elements can be used at different heights, so they can be used sitting or standing. The whole looks as if it was ‘ridden by children’ and composed of parts of the various Tough Realm attractions, of which Joris en de Draak, The Flying Dutchman and Baron 1898 are the most prominent. There is also a place with little stimulation where children can retreat for a while, where the use of color and theming is more modest. The hungry stomachs are filled by catering point ‘
’T Verwende Nest’ (The Spoiled Nest(Brat)).
The entrance to Nest is located near where we now find the action photo booth for Python and is formed by a large gate built of wooden planks. At the top is the name
‘Speelbos Nest!’ and the payoff,
‘Voor alle Dappere Durfals’ (for all Brave Daredevils). The gate has shields in different colors with icons of the surrounding attractions in Tough Realm. Some of the shields have a joke related to the respective theme: a crab of a lion’s claw, an arrow or a dragon bite. A golden key hangs from a ribbon at the gate. This is the key to the
‘Ridderschool’ (Knights Academy/School) from the book
‘Redders van Ruigrijk’ (Saviors of Tough Realm) by Marc de Hond.
‘’Rutger, son of a blacksmith, lives in Tough Realm. Ruger can’t walk, but he built himself a wheelchair. His neighbor Ella pushes him on. She is not able to see. The realm feels threatened by the two-headed dragon Naga, who lives on the volcanic neighboring island of Krakatoa. A knight’s school is therefore established. Rutger would like to go there, but is not allowed because of his disability. Ella finds the key to the school, lost by a teacher who was visiting their house, and together they secretly practice night after night. They decide to build their very own Play Forest using equipment from the Knight’s School and theming it around the adventures in Tough Realm. One night, Naga comes into Rutger’s father’s forge and takes his father with him. Rutger and Ella continue to train as knights.
Seven years later, Rutger and Ella are now engaged. Many knights have left for Krakatoa to fight against Naga, but the supply is now exhausted. This is Rutger’s chance to prove he can become a knight. Ella and Rutger sail to the island together. They find the knights there, and also his father. They are all busy chopping wood and heating the dragon. The dragon turns out to have a limitation that he is ashamed of: the two heads cannot breathe fire and are chronically cold. Rutger promises him that he and his father will build a machine that will allow the dragon to breathe fire again. They return to Tough Realm with the long-lost knights and Naga, and the initial scepticism about a knight who can not walk quickly dissipates. Rutger is knighted as prince, all children are now welcome at the knight’s school and they live happily ever after’’
A little way to the left of the gate is a sales point for some souvenirs and photos: ‘
De Jolige Jutter’ (The Jolly Sea Robber). A reference to the whale of Polka Marina has been incorporated into the nameplate. Next to it, so closer to the gate, a part of the hull of a boat has been placed with the inscription ‘Marina’, also a reference to the attraction. At the hull, you can pose for a photo. To the right of the entrance, a few artificial grass hills (internally also referred to as
‘kaatsheuvels’ (named after the town of Kaatsheuvel)) have been installed and there is a large parchment board with information about the creation of Nest and a reference to
‘De Redders van Ruigrijk’. After the gate you enter the playground which has an area of 1200 squared metres, and which is completely fenced. The subfloor consists largely of cast rubber in various colors and patterns. For example, right behind the gate, green footprints with the numbers of a hopscotch are included in this floor. In the middle of the playground(
‘Hart van ‘t Nest’(Heart of the Nest)), you will find a waterbed in the form of a wobbling compass and a treasure map and sea map of five meters in diameter. Next to it is a large totem pole of boxes and barrels with inscriptions such as ‘iced tea’ and ‘chocolate milk’. On hot days, thin jets of water squirt out of it, as if the corks in the barrels don’t close properly.
From the compass, you can go in four directions to different themed zones. A decking path, called the ‘
Levenspad’ (Life Path) runs around the various parts of the playground. This is 80 metres long and accessible by wheelchair or buggy. The straight ahead zone is primarily devoted to Joris en de Draak, although there are also
‘Python’ references (to an attraction that closed down over time). The color green that predominates in the woodwork here can refer to both Dragon Edna and the mentioned serpent. The floor is made of cast rubber in the shape of a dragon’s tail and a nest, also made of cast rubber, containing gold-colored dragon eggs on which you can balance. One apparently did not survive this, because it has now become a fried egg. The cast rubber is surrounded with play sand. Along the edges, benches are positioned against the decking.
The eye catcher is the large dragon tower of 6.5 meters high. It weighs 2500 kg and is reminiscent of dragon Edna. You can whiz down a slide, under the dragon’s teeth. There is a periscope in the ridge, with which you can look ‘through the eyes of the dragon’ from the deck. To the left of it is a low, wide slide that is suitable for wheelchair users with a step. On the decking that runs around this area, on the left is a sand play table in the shape of a python, suitable for those who want to play with sand while sitting, with a lifting bucket and deposit. After this, a shaky bridge is also included in the deck. In the back is a hole where you can climb under the deck. Some of the fence posts are shaped like bones. On other poles, colored lances of a knight’s tournament can be recognized as an attribute; others are adorned with (peacock) feathers. On the right is a play panel with the games tic-tac-toe and memory, in the theme Joris and the Python.
The zone immediately to the left of the entrance is hung from The Flying Dutchman and probably also refers to
‘De Halve Maen’. The dominant color of the cast floor and fences here is (sea) blue. In the middle is a large wooden shipwreck with the lion from The Flying Dutchman as figurehead. Around it is blue cast rubber with white circles in which are many black cannonballs that you can climb on, behind it is playing sand. Through a hole you can get into the forecastle, through the rear you can conquer the slope of the very sloping deck by means of a rope. The ship’s mast is Nest’s highest point and reaches 7.5 metres. Behind this is again playing sand with a wooden cannon with the VHE logo as known from the attraction. On the deck to the right is a game where you can move ducats through the profile of an anchor, honk the horn or turn a compass needle to view various images including, Polka Marina’s Whale and Pinocchio’s Monster Fish. Right in the back of this zone is a steering wheel with the VHE logo and Van der Decken’s mantra
‘Ick zal vaeren’ (I will sail); when you turn it, a ship’s bell sounds. A bronze-colored telescope is placed on a platform which is in fact a kaleidoscope. On the left are two (not connected) climbing towers, in one of them you can hoist the Dutch flag with a pine man on it. Next to the bow of the ship there is also a hammock in which you can swing. The peaks on the fence here also have a nautical touch with three-masters, sails and anchors.
A new feature will be added to the side of The Flying Dutchman section where we will find
'Effie de Ongrijpbare'. This concept was once realized as a minor addition in which a green sea dragon emerges from the water. Here, Effie hosts a water playground in which kids can interact with jumping water fountains and other jets. Effie herself will be a Loch Ness-type creature slowly moving, turning its eyes and occasionally squirts Guests with water or bubbles. They will also be able to work with dams and other river control mechanisms and are able to interact in a game of
'Hansje Brinker' by stopping the water from breaking through a Dutch dam. The section furthest to the right of the gate is aimed at the smallest children and has four play equipment in the Baron 1898 theme. There is a slide mounted in the large wheel of the shaft tower of the diving roller coaster. The cast floor shows a track on which two seesaw chickens are standing, designed as iron mining carts with serial numbers 2 and 3. It bears the monogram of Gustave Hooghmoed and the saying ‘
Glück auf!’. The front cart is on the edge of the floor where it changes into an area filled with play sand. Hanging from the fencing is a game board largely mine-themed with gold nuggets and gems; it’s mostly focused on tactically interacting with the movable things like rollers. Shade cloth hang above it to keep the little ones safe on sunny days.
The catering point ‘
’T Verwende Nest’ is also located near this corner, but will now also be accessible from outside the playground with a separate counter to prevent Guests from having to disturb the playground experience. In addition to coffee, tea and cold drinks, the specialty here is ‘
De Kurkentrekker’ (Corkscrew), a snack made from twisted bread dough that is sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon or filled with even more sweetness. It is themed to a house built from wooden planks and poles, on top of which a wigwam has been built from piles of branches and sailcloth. On top of the poles are cooking pots containing branches with the specialty on them. You reach the sales counter via an ascending platform. You then first pass a crank with which you can set a colorful windmill in motion, which should give the suggestion that you can turn the bread dough into a spiral yourself. Through a large window next to it you can see the preparation of the Corkscrews. After ordering, you can go down a few steps to reach the terrace, which consists of twelve robust wooden tables. The catering point is located next to the play equipment for the smallest children, who can be kept in view by snoozing parents.
The low-stimulus zone is to the right from the central compass. Through a triangular entrance made of twigs, you enter a part protected by fences. Here the colors are subdued, mainly grey/brown. There is a green winding path of cast rubber on the floor, occasionally interrupted by some lying logs, otherwise there are wood chips. The devices are climbing ropes and sawn logs to walk on. In the decorations of Nest ‘Pine Men’ appear in all kinds of places: figures with a pine cone as a body and an acorn as a head. They fit in with the ‘jottered’ design of the entire play forest, because they could have been put together by children, with stuff found in the forest. However, the men are larger than life-size and are all placed in high, inaccessible places to avoid damage. There are five pine men presented as figurines (one per zone and also at the entrance and on the barrels at ‘T Verwende Nest), all of which match their surroundings in terms of attributes. Furthermore, the men can be found on almost all graphic design in Nest, such as on the board, garbage cans, flags and banners.
At an earlier stage, there was a different thematic interpretation of Nest devised, where more connection was sought with the knight school from the Saviors of Tough Realm. This new playground will be an extension to the Play Forest and will be more connected to Joris en de Draak, extending the medieval knight theme around that area. ‘
De Ridderschool’ from this story will finally be brought to the park and is devised as a fortified playground full of knights’ tournaments tents, medieval houses and a small infill mill attraction. The Knight School is characterized by wooden castle shapes made out of planks and tree logs. Kids can interact with climbing towers, play panels, interactive obstacle trails and even venture to the medieval town, where slides exit the houses and stories are told within the buildings, themed to Rutger and his blacksmith background. A large play castle designed in the shape of a red dragon lays next to a spinner, known as ‘
Drakenvleugels’ (Dragon Wings) in which kids can soar in a laying vehicle, known from the Giant Sky Chaser ride type. In this ride Guests are asked to train with the supposedly build dragon wings that knights can use to fight monsters. Guests will board a wooden contraption made to look like a knight’s test. In the middle a wooden dragon occasionally breathes fire and emits bubbles from its nose. Though it will be a lot smaller than originally envisioned, it will still serve as a worthy extension to the current Play Forest…
