Oakwood Theme Park

Oakwood Theme Park was an amusement park near Narberth in Pembrokeshire, Wales. It opened on 14 April 1987 as a small, family-owned leisure operation on land associated with the McNamara family, local Pembrokeshire farmland owners. The family entered the leisure sector after changes in agricultural economics, including the introduction of milk quotas, and spent approximately a year researching the proposed attraction before opening it. The original park was modest in scale and focused on family recreation rather than large thrill rides. Early facilities included a 15-inch-gauge narrow-gauge railway linking the main amusement area with the car park, BMX courses, a wooden play fort, a 3D cinema presentation and go-karts. Oakwood’s subsequent development reflected the broader expansion of the UK theme-park market, as regional parks increasingly used signature rides to attract visitors from beyond their immediate local area. A major turning point came in 1994 with the installation of Snake River Falls, a water slide that helped increase visitor numbers. Management then began repositioning the park toward more substantial thrill attractions. In 1996 Oakwood opened Megafobia, a £1.7 million wooden roller coaster built by Custom Coasters International. The ride became the park’s signature attraction and was widely regarded by coaster enthusiasts as one of the leading wooden coasters in the United Kingdom. Its opening helped Oakwood reach approximately 500,000 visitors in a single season for the first time. Further headline attractions followed. Vertigo, a Skycoaster, was added in 1997; the Bounce drop tower opened in 1999; the Hydro shoot-the-chute water ride opened in 2002 and was later renamed Drenched; and Speed: No Limits opened in 2006. Speed was promoted as the steepest roller coaster in the United Kingdom at the time. Alongside its thrill rides, Oakwood retained family and children’s attractions and experimented with themed environments. The Wild West area known as Jake’s Town was rethemed as New Orleans around 2000, coinciding with the opening of the Voodoo Mansion dark ride. The area later returned to a Wild West identity in 2012. The McNamara family owned and developed Oakwood Leisure Ltd. until March 2008, when the park was sold to Aspro Parks, a Spanish leisure and attractions group. Under Aspro Parks, Oakwood announced a five-year investment programme beginning in 2012. The first major stage was the redevelopment of Kidz World into Neverland, which opened to visitors on 23 May 2013. Circus Land, another children’s themed area, was also introduced during 2013. In 2018 the park added a bespoke themed soundtrack produced by Nick Hutson, with music associated with the park, the After Dark event and Megafobia. Oakwood also developed seasonal programming. Its After Dark event began in 1996 and combined extended evening opening with fireworks, entertainment and discounted evening admission. This helped the park broaden its use beyond daytime family visits and created a recurring event brand within the wider Oakwood offering. The park experienced serious safety incidents during its operating history. In 2004, a 16-year-old visitor died after falling from Hydro. Investigations and a later prosecution found that the rider’s restraint had not been properly secured and that staff checks were inadequate. The attraction was closed for the rest of that season and later reopened with over-the-shoulder restraints replacing the original lap bars. Oakwood pleaded guilty in 2008 to a breach of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and received a £250,000 fine plus £80,000 in legal costs. Other incidents included a 2022 ejection from Treetops, after which the Health and Safety Executive found no ride fault and took no further action, and a 2024 emergency stop on Bounce that led to first-aid treatment and hospital visits. On 4 March 2025, Oakwood announced that it would permanently cease operations after nearly four decades. The…

Oakwood began operating in Pembrokeshire on 14 April 1987. It was established by the McNamara family, whose background was in local farming and who diversified into leisure after changes to the agricultural environment. The initial attraction was a small family-owned park with a narrow-gauge railway, BMX facilities, a play fort, a 3D cinema and go-karts. The railway, built to a 15-inch gauge, connected the amusement area with the car park and formed part of the park’s early family-oriented identity. The business began moving toward larger attractions after Snake River Falls opened in 1994 and helped raise attendance. In 1996, Oakwood installed Megafobia, a large wooden roller coaster manufactured by Custom Coasters International. The ride cost £1.7 million and became the park’s defining attraction, helping attendance reach about 500,000 visitors in one season. That year also saw the introduction of After Dark, a recurring evening event featuring late opening, fireworks, entertainment and reduced-price admission. Expansion continued with Vertigo in 1997, Bounce in 1999, Hydro in 2002 and Speed: No Limits in 2006. Hydro was later renamed Drenched. Speed was presented as the steepest coaster in the UK when it opened. Oakwood also introduced themed environments. Jake’s Town, originally Wild West-themed, was transformed into a New Orleans area around 2000, with Voodoo Mansion serving as a new dark ride and other attractions receiving related theming. The area returned to a Wild West theme in 2012. In March 2008, ownership passed from the McNamara family’s Oakwood Leisure Ltd. to Aspro Parks of Spain. The new ownership announced a five-year investment programme in 2012. Its first major project was the redevelopment of the children’s Kidz World area into Neverland, which opened on 23 May 2013. Circus Land was also launched in 2013. In 2018, Oakwood introduced a park soundtrack produced by Nick Hutson, including music for the general park, After Dark and Megafobia. Safety issues formed an important and difficult part of the park’s history. On 15 April 2004, a 16-year-old visitor died after falling approximately 30.4 metres from Hydro. The subsequent investigation and 2006 coroner’s inquest focused on an unsecured restraint and insufficient operator checks rather than an inherent mechanical defect in the attraction. Hydro remained closed for the rest of the 2004 season and later reopened with over-the-shoulder restraints in place of its original lap bars. The Health and Safety Executive announced a prosecution in 2007. In 2008, Oakwood pleaded guilty to failing to ensure that visitors were safely restrained and was fined £250,000, with £80,000 awarded in legal costs. Further incidents occurred later in the park’s life. In October 2022, a rider was ejected from Treetops. The park closed temporarily while the HSE and Dyfed-Powys Police investigated, but the HSE concluded that the ride itself had not malfunctioned and required no further action. In July 2024, Bounce made a sudden stop described by management as a programmed emergency procedure. Some visitors received treatment at the park and others attended hospital. On 4 March 2025, Oakwood announced that it would permanently close. The decision was attributed to the prevailing business environment and deteriorating financial performance, which management said made further investment unsustainable. The removal of rides and attractions began after the announcement. Speed: No Limits was subsequently relocated to Walygator Sud-Ouest in Agen, France. Oakwood’s operating history consequently ended after approximately 38 years, leaving a legacy as one of Wales’s best-known regional amusement parks and as the home of the celebrated Megafobia coaster.

1. 2025Permanent closure announced

   Oakwood announces on 4 March that it will permanently cease operations and begins dismantling and removing attractions.

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2. 2018Themed soundtrack introduced

   Oakwood introduces a soundtrack produced by Nick Hutson for the park, After Dark and Megafobia.

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3. 2013Neverland and Circus Land introduced

   The Kidz World area is redeveloped as Neverland, opening on 23 May, while Circus Land is also added for younger visitors.

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4. 2012Five-year investment programme announced

   Oakwood announces a multi-year investment plan and restores the Wild West identity to the former New Orleans area.

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5. 2008Aspro Parks acquires Oakwood

   Ownership transfers from the McNamara family’s Oakwood Leisure Ltd. to Spain-based Aspro Parks.

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6. 2006Speed: No Limits opens

   Speed: No Limits opens as a major steel roller coaster promoted as the steepest in the United Kingdom at the time.

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7. 2002Hydro opens

   The Hydro shoot-the-chute water ride opens; it is later renamed Drenched.

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8. 2000Jake’s Town is rethemed as New Orleans

   The park changes the identity of its themed area from Wild West to New Orleans and opens the Voodoo Mansion dark ride.

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9. 1999Bounce opens

   Oakwood adds the Bounce drop tower to its growing collection of high-intensity rides.

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10. 1997Vertigo opens

    The Skycoaster Vertigo becomes one of Oakwood’s major thrill attractions.

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11. 1996Megafobia opens

    The £1.7 million wooden roller coaster Megafobia opens and helps Oakwood reach approximately 500,000 visitors in a season.

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12. 1996After Dark launches

    Oakwood begins its annual After Dark event, adding evening operation, fireworks and entertainment to the park calendar.

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13. 1994Snake River Falls increases visitor interest

    The opening of Snake River Falls contributes to higher visitor numbers and encourages management to pursue larger thrill attractions.

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14. 1987Oakwood opens

    Oakwood opens on 14 April as a small family-owned leisure park in Pembrokeshire, with a narrow-gauge railway and a selection of family attractions.

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A regional Welsh amusement park that evolved from a small family leisure attraction into a thrill-oriented theme park, while retaining family rides, children’s areas and seasonal entertainment.

• MegafobiaWooden roller coaster1996

  Megafobia opened in 1996 as a large wooden roller coaster built by Custom Coasters International. Costing £1.7 million, it was Oakwood’s principal signature attraction and a major factor in the park’s rise in attendance. The ride gained strong recognition among coaster enthusiasts and remained central to Oakwood’s identity until the park closed.

• Speed: No LimitsSteel roller coaster2006

  Speed: No Limits was a major steel roller coaster opened in 2006. Oakwood promoted it as the steepest roller coaster in the United Kingdom when it debuted. After Oakwood ceased operations in 2025, the ride was purchased and relocated to Walygator Sud-Ouest in Agen, France.

• DrenchedShoot-the-chute water ride2002

  Originally opened as Hydro in 2002, Drenched was a major water attraction combining a boat ride with a large drop and splash. The ride was later fitted with more secure over-the-shoulder restraints after the 2004 fatal accident and was one of the park’s principal water-based attractions.

• VertigoSkycoaster1997

  Vertigo was a Skycoaster added in 1997. It formed part of Oakwood’s shift toward high-intensity attractions during the late 1990s and complemented the park’s growing roller-coaster and drop-ride portfolio.

• BounceDrop tower1999

  Bounce was a drop tower introduced in 1999. It remained part of the thrill-ride collection through the park’s later years and was involved in a 2024 programmed emergency stop that resulted in first-aid treatment for several guests.

• NeverlandChildren’s themed area2013

  Neverland was created through the redevelopment of Oakwood’s Kidz World section. It opened on 23 May 2013 as part of a five-year investment programme and was designed to strengthen the park’s family and children’s proposition alongside its larger thrill rides.

• After DarkSeasonal evening event1996

  After Dark began in 1996 as an annual evening event with extended operating hours, fireworks, entertainment and discounted evening admission. It became a recurring seasonal component of Oakwood’s customer proposition and later received dedicated music in the park soundtrack.

• 1996After Dark

  United Kingdom

  Oakwood launched an annual late-opening event combining rides, fireworks, entertainment and reduced-price evening entry.

  Outcome. The event became a recurring part of Oakwood’s seasonal programme.

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• 2025Permanent cessation of operationsStrategy

  Oakwood cited the prevailing business environment and declining financial performance.

  What changed. Management announced on 4 March 2025 that the park would permanently cease operations because further investment was no longer sustainable.

  Aftermath. Rides and attractions began to be dismantled and removed, with Speed: No Limits relocating to Walygator Sud-Ouest in France.

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• 2012Five-year investment programmeStrategy

  Following the change in ownership, Oakwood sought to continue developing its family and themed-area proposition.

  What changed. The park announced a five-year investment plan beginning with the redevelopment of Kidz World into Neverland.

  Aftermath. Neverland opened in 2013, accompanied by the introduction of Circus Land.

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• 2008Sale to Aspro ParksM&A

  Oakwood had been owned and developed by the McNamara family through Oakwood Leisure Ltd. since the park’s creation.

  What changed. The park was sold to Aspro Parks of Spain in March 2008.

  Aftermath. Oakwood continued operating under Aspro Parks and later announced a multi-year investment programme.

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• 1996Investment in MegafobiaProduct launch

  After visitor growth associated with Snake River Falls, management sought to reposition Oakwood toward larger thrill attractions.

  What changed. The park installed Megafobia, a £1.7 million wooden roller coaster built by Custom Coasters International.

  Aftermath. Attendance reached approximately 500,000 visitors in a season for the first time, and Megafobia became Oakwood’s best-known attraction.

  Construction cost. £1.7 million (1996)

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• 2008Health and safety prosecutionControversy

  Oakwood pleaded guilty to breaching the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 by failing to ensure that guests were safely restrained. The park was fined £250,000 and ordered to pay £80,000 in legal costs.

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• 2004Fatal Hydro restraint failureControversy

  A 16-year-old visitor died after falling from Hydro. Investigations concluded that the rider’s restraint had not been properly secured and that staff checks were inadequate. Hydro closed for the remainder of the season and later reopened with over-the-shoulder restraints.

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• 2025Oakwood Theme Park announces permanent closure

  Oakwood announced on 4 March 2025 that it would permanently stop operating, citing difficult business conditions and declining financial performance that made further investment unsustainable.

  BankruptcyOther
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• 2025Speed: No Limits relocated to France

  Following Oakwood’s closure, the Speed: No Limits roller coaster was purchased and moved to Walygator Sud-Ouest in Agen, France.

  M&AProduct generation
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• 2024Bounce makes programmed emergency stop

  The Bounce drop tower stopped suddenly in what park management described as a programmed emergency stop. Several visitors received first aid, while others attended hospital for further treatment.

  OtherRegulation
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• 2022Rider ejected from Treetops during park evacuation

  A rider was ejected from a rear carriage of Treetops. The park was evacuated while the Health and Safety Executive and Dyfed-Powys Police investigated. The HSE found no fault with the ride and took no further action.

  OtherRegulation
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1. Oakwood Theme Park
2. Oakwood Theme Park official website