Oakwood Theme Park was Wales’s largest theme park, set across about 80 acres of hilly woodland at Canaston Bridge near Narberth, Pembrokeshire. It opened on 14 April 1987 as a small family-run attraction under the McNamara family before growing into a major regional draw, later passing to Spanish operator Aspro Parks in 2008.
The park’s signature ride was Megafobia, a wooden coaster built by Custom Coasters International in 1996 and long ranked among Europe’s finest wooden coasters. It was later joined by Speed: No Limits, a Gerstlauer Euro-Fighter that briefly held the world record for steepest coaster drop. After nearly four decades in operation, Aspro Parks announced Oakwood’s permanent closure in March 2025, citing rising operating costs and falling visitor numbers, and its rides were subsequently sold off and dismantled.
Stats at a Glance
- Location: Canaston Bridge, Narberth, Pembrokeshire, Wales
- Operator: Aspro Parks (2008–2025); previously the McNamara family (1987–2008)
- Opened: 14 April 1987
- Closed: 4 March 2025
- Size: About 80 acres
- Annual visitors: Over 400,000 (peak of around 500,000)
- Signature attraction: Megafobia wooden coaster (Custom Coasters International, 1996)
The Ride Experience
Megafobia was Oakwood’s crown jewel, an 85-foot-tall wooden twister coaster stretching nearly 2,956 feet, reaching speeds of about 48 mph with no inversions. Designed with John Wardley’s input, it was the most recent wooden coaster built in the UK until Alton Towers’ Wicker Man opened in 2018, and it underwent a £1.5 million partial retrack by The Gravity Group in 2023.
Speed: No Limits, added in 2006, was the UK’s first Gerstlauer Euro-Fighter, launching riders through a near-vertical 97-degree first drop that made it briefly the steepest coaster on Earth. Other attractions included the Vertigo skycoaster, the Bounce drop tower, and the Hydro log flume, giving the park a mix of thrills for families and enthusiasts alike.
Closure and Legacy
Oakwood’s closure was announced on 4 March 2025 after a strategic review by owner Aspro Parks, which pointed to unrelenting economic pressures including energy costs, ride maintenance expenses, and declining attendance. The park did not reopen for the 2025 season.
Following the announcement, several rides were sold rather than scrapped; Speed: No Limits was relocated to Walygator Sud-Ouest in France. For 38 years, Oakwood had been a cornerstone of Welsh tourism and the country’s only major theme park, and its closure marked the end of an era for coaster enthusiasts across the UK.
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Oakwood Theme Park FAQs
Is Oakwood Theme Park still open?
No. Oakwood Theme Park permanently closed on 4 March 2025 after 38 years of operation and did not reopen.
What was Oakwood Theme Park’s most famous ride?
Megafobia, a wooden roller coaster built by Custom Coasters International in 1996, was widely regarded as the park’s signature attraction.
Where was Oakwood Theme Park located?
It was located at Canaston Bridge, near Narberth in Pembrokeshire, Wales.
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Photo: WillMcC / CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.