I haven't been for years, but if things haven't changed much (and I don't believe they have) the bodsleigh is a good ride to head for first, before the queues build up. It's a fun ride and it's got a low throughput. But I haven't been for about 15 years, so make of that what you will.
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Oakwood Discussion
Enter Valhalla
TS Member
Bobsleigh first as really low throughput, remember that Drenched needs minimum 12 people so allow plenty of time if you want to do it as you’ll usually have to wait for people to turn up. Otherwise not much else really. Sit on the back row of Speed if you don’t like rough coasters.
Skyscraper
TS Member
How cheeky is this lol 
Burbs
TS Team
Why so? Seems like a fun interactive element (although whether it'll actually work, who knows).How cheeky is this lol
Shaggy_Dog_
TS Member
I’ve just watched the TPWW from Oakwood that was uploaded today and Shawn described his ride on Megafobia as awful and said that it was more brutal than Grand National before the retrack! Sounds bad doesn’t it, though he did mention that it was an extremely hot day and that might have affected it.
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When I went in July I was really dissapointed with Megaphonia, I went in with fairly low expectations and came out thinking it was rubbish. I can see the potential in the layout but it rides dreadfully. It needs some serious track work as it is really rough and uncomfortable.
Matt N
TS Member
Oh dear... sounds like Megafobia's gone downhill even since I last rode in 2019...
Back then, the back was pretty rough (a bit too much for me), but the middle and front were reasonably OK, albeit not quite as glossy smooth, say, as Wicker Man. But if comparisons to Nash are really being made now... wow, it must have gotten pretty bad.
I always feel like I must be riding a totally different coaster to everyone else when I go on Megafobia, because I all I ever hear is about how it defecates on Wicker Man from a great height, and I've even seen it ranked higher than the likes of Wodan and Troy by a fair few... I've heard it called "one of the best wooden coasters in Europe, maybe even the world" by a fair few. Yet Wicker Man sits vastly higher for me, as does Wodan (Wodan is #3 and Wicker is #5, while Megafobia is #23. For some idea, my current coaster count is 91.), and even Mine Blower, which is a peg below the two GCIs at my #10 spot, beats Megafobia by a fair distance for me.
For me, the ride can have some brilliant airtime dependant on where you sit (the first drop in the back is exceptional, and there is a good yank of ejector off of one of the turnarounds too), but it has numerous dead spots and is very, very inconsistent, varying a lot between seats; front was my favourite row, with it having some fun pops of gentle floater and not being overly rough at all, the middle was thoroughly average, and while not rough, offered very little sensation at all, while the back was more intense, but also a fair bit rougher (a fair amount too rough for me, sadly). I found it an incredibly tough coaster to rank/rate for this reason (my #23 placement, and 7/10 rating, is a sort of high end placement, if you like; front would probably go about there or slightly higher, middle would go slightly lower and back would go quite considerably lower).
Interestingly, I'd actually say that the airtime in the front is weaker than that of Wicker Man, in spite of how strong the airtime is in the first drop on the back. The front had some nice pops of floater, albeit weaker airtime than many of WM's strongest moments, the middle had next to nothing, and the back had the exceptional ejector on the first drop, but was mostly quite similar to the front other than that.
Back then, the back was pretty rough (a bit too much for me), but the middle and front were reasonably OK, albeit not quite as glossy smooth, say, as Wicker Man. But if comparisons to Nash are really being made now... wow, it must have gotten pretty bad.
I always feel like I must be riding a totally different coaster to everyone else when I go on Megafobia, because I all I ever hear is about how it defecates on Wicker Man from a great height, and I've even seen it ranked higher than the likes of Wodan and Troy by a fair few... I've heard it called "one of the best wooden coasters in Europe, maybe even the world" by a fair few. Yet Wicker Man sits vastly higher for me, as does Wodan (Wodan is #3 and Wicker is #5, while Megafobia is #23. For some idea, my current coaster count is 91.), and even Mine Blower, which is a peg below the two GCIs at my #10 spot, beats Megafobia by a fair distance for me.
For me, the ride can have some brilliant airtime dependant on where you sit (the first drop in the back is exceptional, and there is a good yank of ejector off of one of the turnarounds too), but it has numerous dead spots and is very, very inconsistent, varying a lot between seats; front was my favourite row, with it having some fun pops of gentle floater and not being overly rough at all, the middle was thoroughly average, and while not rough, offered very little sensation at all, while the back was more intense, but also a fair bit rougher (a fair amount too rough for me, sadly). I found it an incredibly tough coaster to rank/rate for this reason (my #23 placement, and 7/10 rating, is a sort of high end placement, if you like; front would probably go about there or slightly higher, middle would go slightly lower and back would go quite considerably lower).
Interestingly, I'd actually say that the airtime in the front is weaker than that of Wicker Man, in spite of how strong the airtime is in the first drop on the back. The front had some nice pops of floater, albeit weaker airtime than many of WM's strongest moments, the middle had next to nothing, and the back had the exceptional ejector on the first drop, but was mostly quite similar to the front other than that.
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I think Oakwood is finished unless they get a buyer who will plough a huge amount of money into the park. I would even be happy for Merlin to take it on at the moment and try to make something of it.
I don’t bother to venture to Oakwood anymore. Last time I went I didn’t feel safe and I do think it’s just a matter of time before there is another accident at the park.
I don’t bother to venture to Oakwood anymore. Last time I went I didn’t feel safe and I do think it’s just a matter of time before there is another accident at the park.
Jb85
TS Member
Totally agree with this. Megafobia was a great ride but I haven't been since 2015 and have no intention of going back.
Sounds like it's all been left to rot.
Rick
TS Member
All the conversation last year was that Megafobia was running like a dog last year but when I rode it it was fine bar a couple of rough spots. As I recall the train had pretty much been completely rebuilt too.
Oakwood is what it is, but what it is is certainly increasingly difficult to make work in this day and age. I wish them well but it does feel like they have a bit of an uphill battle.
Oakwood is what it is, but what it is is certainly increasingly difficult to make work in this day and age. I wish them well but it does feel like they have a bit of an uphill battle.
Rick
TS Member
I think it has become increasingly difficult to operate a well rounded park on a smaller scale. Irrespective of what you're looking for, there's a bit of it - but not a lot - I think expectations have changed and its location means scale is always going to be difficult.
Furthermore, the park is just a park. The McNamara family sold it but retained Bluestone so their opportunity to do anything on top of day tickets is quite limited.
I don't think it's toast by any means, but it can't be making lots of money.
Safety is an interesting one at oakwood. At no point of the rides did I feel in danger however when I was there a few school kids just the fence into Megadobias rude area to skip part of the queue. The staff didn't even notice and nothing was done despite it being next to the station. I couldn't believe what I was seeing.
I’ve seen staff let kids on under the minimum height in the past because her didn’t want any hassle from the parents I was also on bounce before it closed when it kept e stopping at the top with the brakes jamming on. That’s quite a scary feeling shooting up and then stopping instantly with a screech at the top. Even more scary was the ride op kept sending up back up several times for it to do the same thing.
Lack of staff over the years is also a problem. One guy at the top of flumes loading all 3 by himself and keeping an eye on safety and the public… no chance.
Lack of staff over the years is also a problem. One guy at the top of flumes loading all 3 by himself and keeping an eye on safety and the public… no chance.
Matt N
TS Member
Now I do not debate that Oakwood is a perfectly, 100% safe establishment. I’m surprised that anyone has ever felt unsafe there; obviously I can’t speak for anyone else’s experiences, but I never felt any less safe there than I have at any other park.
I must admit, though, that the comments remind me of the somewhat disconcerting screeching noises that Speed was making whilst going up the lift hill, and it felt like it struggled a bit over the top…
I must admit, though, that the comments remind me of the somewhat disconcerting screeching noises that Speed was making whilst going up the lift hill, and it felt like it struggled a bit over the top…
I think the rides are all perfectly safe, it's just whether they should have better procedures to deal with potential safety issue's for me. I think when you visit Oakwood it's clear that it is not in it's glory days. It looks run down, well looked after in some places but still it looks old. It's a shame really as I think speed is actually much better than the general view. I'm no fan of Gersts however speed was considerably better than Megafobia for me. Megafobia needs some serious work before I go anywhere near riding it again.
Rick
TS Member
I have never had a safety concern at Oakwood.
It sounds simplistic, but cutting corners in this industry isn't good for business. Doing the right thing saves you money in the long run, look at any situation from the Battersea Big Dipper to Smiler to Hydro. It makes senses to run safe rides.
It sounds simplistic, but cutting corners in this industry isn't good for business. Doing the right thing saves you money in the long run, look at any situation from the Battersea Big Dipper to Smiler to Hydro. It makes senses to run safe rides.