1987 - 2009
Oakwood Theme Park was set up in 1987 by the McNamara family, Pembrokeshire farmers who took the bold decision to diversify into the leisure industry.
The concept of Oakwood took twelve months to research and great care was taken to ensure the landscaping complemented the existing valley and natural vegetation. Not a single mature tree was disturbed and many have been added to enhance, screen and provide natural avenues to the various rides.
The first stage, opened to the public in May 1987, cost approximately £1m to build and investment in new rides and the existing infrastructure has continued steadily each season to a total investment of £21m.
As a result Oakwood is regarded as one of the top ten UK theme parks and is Wales’ top paid-for visitor attraction with 400,000 visitors each year. The park boasts world-class rides and attractions including the famous wooden roller coaster Megafobia, recently voted the best ride in the UK and the third best ride in the World by enthusiasts. Oakwood’s most recent addition, Speed, introduced the first beyond vertical drop to the UK and attracted roller coaster clubs from all over the UK, Europe and America keen to try it.
In March 2008 Oakwood was acquired by the ASPRO group. ASPRO are a leading leisure company based in Madrid and own numerous attractions and parks throughout Europe. These include the popular Aqualand parks across France, Spain, Portugal as well as numerous other attractions in Finland, Switzerland and Belgium. They also own attractions throughout the UK including the Blue Reef Aquariums, Blue Planet Aquarium and Deep Sea World.
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Did you know?
Oakwood opened to the public on 23rd May 1987.
The first ride at Oakwood, and still one of the most popular today, was the Bobsleigh.
Oakwood has had more than 6 million visitors since 1987.
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