Thrilled at Oakwood Theme Park! Quiz

Answer: Wales

In the late 1980s, many British farmers were finding that they could no longer make a living from their farms and the need for diversification was apparent. Oakwood Theme Park was therefore a fabulous creation based on the innovation of a farming family from Pembrokeshire, west Wales. One of the signature features of Oakwood Theme Park was the use of the surrounding vegetation from the local farmland to enhance the theme park experience.

A perfect example of this was the Treetops Family Roller Coaster built in 1989.

This medium paced ride was built around the trees and gave the impression of flying through a canopy!

Answer: Megafobia

I hope my clue within the question helped out if you weren't sure here. Megafobia was built in 1996 and was, at the time, the largest roller coaster in Europe made of wood. Megafobia was for over a decade the main attraction at the Welsh based Oakwood Theme Park and was the primary reason for the increase in visitor numbers to the theme park.

Answer: Vertigo

This was one of the rides at Oakwood Theme Park that I never had the guts to try. Not only because of the fact that it dropped you from a great height along a parabolic path, but because they charged you extra to try it! Despite the extra costs Vertigo was a very successful attraction at the theme park, often resulting in people having to reserve their place in advance if they wished to sample the delights of 'flying'.

Answer: Hydro

At the time of Hydro's construction in 2002, it was the largest water coaster in Europe. Not only that, but Hydro was right up there with the largest water coasters in the world. It was essentially a water slide, well, a 100ft water slide and may I add that the drop was very close to vertical!
A few years after the attraction's inception it made the national headlines after a teenager died on the ride. The main safety feature of the ride before the controversial incident was a lap bar. This was subsequently changed to shoulder restraints, similar to those used on many roller coasters.

Answer: Bounce

Well, Bounce was so similar to PlayStation (later called Ice Blast) that some may say that they are exactly the same thing. The only difference is that Bounce rises to roughly 160ft whilst PlayStation elevated those who dared to try it to over 200ft! The PlayStation could be found at Pleasure Beach, Blackpool.

Answer: Speed

Indeed, this 'speed'y ride took visitors to Oakwood Theme Park on a 2000ft journey which included a large vertical climb. As the heart pounds and the adrenaline surges the vertical climb ends and you teeter on the edge, urging the cart to fall but simultaneously petrified at letting gravity do its thing! The drop had an angle of more than ninety degrees, thus plummeting thrill-seekers back to the ground with a tremendous view of the park below!

Answer: Pirate Ship

Shiver me timbers one of my greatest strengths is subtlety, not! Yarr me hearties, the pirate ship is one of those rides you just see everywhere. It of course swings people back and fore until they 'yarr' for more or until it makes them sick! I usually find myself in the latter camp and yes, that fact is just a tad pathetic.

At Oakwood Theme Park you could have boarded the pirate ship at a pond near the back of the premises.

Answer: Gold

Yes! You could have, if you wanted, relived the thrills of the gold rush by panning for chunks of gold. Unfortunately, the gold wasn't real as you'd expect but children loved it all the same. The 'gold' was mixed in with gravel and that combination was placed in water. If you gathered enough 'gold' you could trade it for a souvenir 'gold' coin!

Answer: Bobsleigh

Whilst at the park you could have taken a ride on the bobsleigh but, as Oakwood Theme Park was in rural Wales, the course wasn't made of ice! The course was made of metal and this surprisingly provided a surface with a reasonably low coefficient of friction allowing visitors to reach relatively high speeds. You could have gone solo or you could have navigated the course with a partner.

Answer: The Crystal Maze

The complex allowed visitors to take a journey through the four time zones that were featured in the incredible game show with a massive cult following, 'The Crystal Maze'. This show was originally presented by Richard O' Brien who was the author of the 'Rocky Horror Picture Show'. O' Brien was succeeded by musician Edward Tudor-Pole who took a team of six players on a quest to gather as many crystals as possible in order to win the big prize! Oh, how I miss this show. I live in hope that they bring it back though it seems most unlikely!
'CC2000' was once owned by Oakwood Theme Park.