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Oakwood Discussion
- Thread starter Rob
- Start date
Matt N
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Shambhala (PortAventura Park)
Well, I saw on CoasterForce Forum (http://forums.coasterforce.com/threads/oakwood-2018.42398/) that Oakwood is apparently opening a new ride this summer, according to the park map. I reckon this could be something to be excited about, as Oakwood's recent investments (Neverland and Dahland) have been really good investments despite their simplicity, and have had really nice theming.
On the subject of Dahland, the park already seems to have gotten rid of the Roald Dahl IP license from the area, with all of the area's attractions receiving a spooky theme to go alongside Spooky 3D. From what I can tell, the rides seem to have been rebranded as follows:
On the subject of Dahland, the park already seems to have gotten rid of the Roald Dahl IP license from the area, with all of the area's attractions receiving a spooky theme to go alongside Spooky 3D. From what I can tell, the rides seem to have been rebranded as follows:
- Flight of the Giant Peach (Pinfari RC40) is now known as The Creepy Crawler.
- Aunt Spiker & Aunt Sponge's House (walkthrough) is now known as The Hollow Pumpkin.
- The Ladybirdolines (trampolines) are now known as The Cauldrons.
He111epard
TS Member
What a dodgy thing to do! Create your own characters and market the merch. They didn't need to attempt to steal the best children's author of all times characters. And even worse they didn't commit to making it a truly immersive world like his books
I try not to be too critical of the people running theme parks, because it takes a lot more skill and dedication to run a successful park than people often realise. It's easy to sit behind a keyboard and be an armchair critic, but often the people running the place know more about what will and won't work than a lot of enthusiasts will ever give them credit for. Nonetheless, using a well know IP without permission does sound particularly incompetent.
There might be some kind of misunderstanding behind the scenes that we don't know about, but it does come across as really inept. Surely making sure you have the correct permission to use a property is basic common sense. If they'd had permission then the concept wasn't a bad one for a themed area done on a shoestring. Neverland seemed to be well received, so I understand them wanting to repeat its success. It seems that they must be a bit embarrassed about it, as their newest area is now buried away on the website with the new rides sitting at the bottom of the page without any photos.
https://www.oakwoodthemepark.co.uk/family-adventure/
I do, however, still have a lot of love for the place. I definitely want to see them succeed. We all make mistakes, but Oakwood's a park that struggles anyway so it'd be a shame for this to become a white elephant.
There might be some kind of misunderstanding behind the scenes that we don't know about, but it does come across as really inept. Surely making sure you have the correct permission to use a property is basic common sense. If they'd had permission then the concept wasn't a bad one for a themed area done on a shoestring. Neverland seemed to be well received, so I understand them wanting to repeat its success. It seems that they must be a bit embarrassed about it, as their newest area is now buried away on the website with the new rides sitting at the bottom of the page without any photos.
https://www.oakwoodthemepark.co.uk/family-adventure/
I do, however, still have a lot of love for the place. I definitely want to see them succeed. We all make mistakes, but Oakwood's a park that struggles anyway so it'd be a shame for this to become a white elephant.
Matt N
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Shambhala (PortAventura Park)
I actually think that if you take the awful operations out of the equation, Oakwood is actually quite an underrated little park, with a strange sort of charm to it. I actually found the park quite a nice little place to spend a day, even though the operations, along with the management of Fastrack sales, were the worst I've ever seen. Seriously, who thought it was a good idea to implement a policy where main queue guests are only let on to the ride every other train, with every other full train being filled with Fastrackers? Like, I know Oakwood knows what they are doing and probably has a perfectly plausible reason to do this, but still.
On a more positive note, considering the size of the park, it has some absolutely fantastic rides that would not look out of place at a slightly larger theme park! Megafobia is a stunning woodie with some incredible airtime. Even though it's a bit rough around the edges and Wicker Man slightly betters it overall, it is still a top 10 coaster for me! Speed is also a great ride that packs a punch, and it's actually quite smooth, with only a slight rattle. That ejector airtime hill is also fantastic! A very underrated coaster, in my opinion, even though it's not quite Oakwood's best coaster. Even though I never rode it when I was there, as it wasn't open, Drenched also looks like an insane water ride! In terms of ride hardware, Oakwood is actually a pretty impressive park!
MaxPower
TS Member
I have some very fond memories of Oakwood from back in the 90s when the McNamaras owned the place, though the park was never the same after Nutty Jake was replaced by that stupid Brer Rabbit ride.
Hopefully someone who really cares about the place might take it over as it's just going backwards under Aspro.
Hopefully someone who really cares about the place might take it over as it's just going backwards under Aspro.
Martin
TS Member
Bounce has been closed for a few years now hasn't it?
I hope Oakwood somehow turns things around. Neverland is great, I really enjoyed Speed and although I didn't rate Megafobia highly it's a solid coaster and as one of only three woodies m of any description built in the UK this side of the war it should be saved. (And then converted into an RMC should the place ever have money again).
I hope Oakwood somehow turns things around. Neverland is great, I really enjoyed Speed and although I didn't rate Megafobia highly it's a solid coaster and as one of only three woodies m of any description built in the UK this side of the war it should be saved. (And then converted into an RMC should the place ever have money again).
Croftybaby
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Nemesis
It was SBNO but I think last year if I remember it was removed altogether. I seem to remember seeing the space empty but the tree carving of the ride nearby was still there.
I hope the park have a better year this year. it was really a poor offering last year with dire operations and just a cheap feel to it all round.
Last time I went to Oakwood was, erm, probably 8 or 9 years ago. I recall it was the last year or so before Bounce closed. When I was on it the ride was obviously having problems as the emergency breaks kept activating everytime the ride hit the top on the upwards "blast". It would clunk loudly, and leave us stuck in the air for a few minutes before a very slow descent back to the bottom. Generally things like this dont bother me, but it kept happening that day and by the end I did feel a bit concerned about safety.
I wouldnt go back to the place now. It was run down and tired when I went that last time but by all accounts is absolutely dire there now. Such a shame as the park started off with such promise, then there was that awful accident on Hydro (now Drenched) and I dont think the park ever recovered from that. Add to the mix a company that doesnt give a toss about its customers and just wants to make money (a bit like Merlin) and you have a park which will probably close in a few years unless something is done.
Such a shame.
I wouldnt go back to the place now. It was run down and tired when I went that last time but by all accounts is absolutely dire there now. Such a shame as the park started off with such promise, then there was that awful accident on Hydro (now Drenched) and I dont think the park ever recovered from that. Add to the mix a company that doesnt give a toss about its customers and just wants to make money (a bit like Merlin) and you have a park which will probably close in a few years unless something is done.
Such a shame.
Nathan_Evans2000
TS Member
Just checked the intellectual Property website and it does seem that their trademark of “Dahland” was opposed by someone and eventually withdrawn by oakwood. Here’s the website https://trademarks.ipo.gov.uk/ipo-tmowner/page/search?id=331604&domain=1 note that they still have the trademarks of the names of the previous project that was planned for that area.
The witch hunt looks to be the new attraction for this year which seems to be like a scare attraction, probably in the building that has been used for the curse of the lost souls maze at Halloween. Did anyone get the chance to try out their Halloween attractions last year? I know they did a late night opening, which they are doing this year also
The witch hunt looks to be the new attraction for this year which seems to be like a scare attraction, probably in the building that has been used for the curse of the lost souls maze at Halloween. Did anyone get the chance to try out their Halloween attractions last year? I know they did a late night opening, which they are doing this year also
Coaster
TS Member
Oakwood was amazing last Wednesday, the park was on a 10pm close yet was very quiet, and there were no fireworks meaning the rides stayed open until (nearly) 10pm.
Megafobia was belting round all day, securing its place well above Wicker Man (but still below the National and Mouse) in terms of my favourite wooden coasters. Speed and Drenched are both very good rides and still some of my favourite in the UK. Staff were very friendly and professional throughout the day, many of which I recognised from previous years. Bounce looks sad left there SBNO, seems to be a common theme across UK theme parks unfortunately. Spooky 3D was spookier than last year but still needs work. Creepy Crawler has a nice new anamatronic in the queue.
The park and grounds were looking nice, it appears that a few areas have had some TLC/general aesthetic work which was good to see.
Oakwood is genuinely one of my favourite parks; the setting is lovely, rides fantastic and it's amazing to visit on a quiet day. On a busy day however, it falls apart and I suspect the After Dark events will most likely be plagued with the same capacity issues as previous years. My advice is pick one of the 10pm closes before After Dark starts if you're looking for a decent ridecount.
Ridecount for the day;
Megafobia x28
Speed x10
Drenched x7
Creepy Crawler x3
Bobsleigh x2
Spooky 3D x2
Snake River Falls x2
Waterfall x1
Treetops x1
Tinkerbell's Flying School x1
Skull Rock x1
Pirate Ship x1
Moon Landing x1
Taxi x1
Boating Lake x1
Witch Hunt (horror maze) x2
TOTAL: 64
This is sad
But this is AMAZING
After possibly the best day at Oakwood since 2006/7, I'd highly recommend visiting.
Megafobia was belting round all day, securing its place well above Wicker Man (but still below the National and Mouse) in terms of my favourite wooden coasters. Speed and Drenched are both very good rides and still some of my favourite in the UK. Staff were very friendly and professional throughout the day, many of which I recognised from previous years. Bounce looks sad left there SBNO, seems to be a common theme across UK theme parks unfortunately. Spooky 3D was spookier than last year but still needs work. Creepy Crawler has a nice new anamatronic in the queue.
The park and grounds were looking nice, it appears that a few areas have had some TLC/general aesthetic work which was good to see.
Oakwood is genuinely one of my favourite parks; the setting is lovely, rides fantastic and it's amazing to visit on a quiet day. On a busy day however, it falls apart and I suspect the After Dark events will most likely be plagued with the same capacity issues as previous years. My advice is pick one of the 10pm closes before After Dark starts if you're looking for a decent ridecount.
Ridecount for the day;
Megafobia x28
Speed x10
Drenched x7
Creepy Crawler x3
Bobsleigh x2
Spooky 3D x2
Snake River Falls x2
Waterfall x1
Treetops x1
Tinkerbell's Flying School x1
Skull Rock x1
Pirate Ship x1
Moon Landing x1
Taxi x1
Boating Lake x1
Witch Hunt (horror maze) x2
TOTAL: 64
This is sad
But this is AMAZING
After possibly the best day at Oakwood since 2006/7, I'd highly recommend visiting.
Matt N
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Shambhala (PortAventura Park)
Were operations good, out of interest? I'd presume they were, judging by the amount of rides you got in!Oakwood was amazing last Wednesday, the park was on a 10pm close yet was very quiet, and there were no fireworks meaning the rides stayed open until (nearly) 10pm.
Megafobia was belting round all day, securing its place well above Wicker Man (but still below the National and Mouse) in terms of my favourite wooden coasters. Speed and Drenched are both very good rides and still some of my favourite in the UK. Staff were very friendly and professional throughout the day, many of which I recognised from previous years. Bounce looks sad left there SBNO, seems to be a common theme across UK theme parks unfortunately. Spooky 3D was spookier than last year but still needs work. Creepy Crawler has a nice new anamatronic in the queue.
The park and grounds were looking nice, it appears that a few areas have had some TLC/general aesthetic work which was good to see.
Oakwood is genuinely one of my favourite parks; the setting is lovely, rides fantastic and it's amazing to visit on a quiet day. On a busy day however, it falls apart and I suspect the After Dark events will most likely be plagued with the same capacity issues as previous years. My advice is pick one of the 10pm closes before After Dark starts if you're looking for a decent ridecount.
Ridecount for the day;
Megafobia x28
Speed x10
Drenched x7
Creepy Crawler x3
Bobsleigh x2
Spooky 3D x2
Snake River Falls x2
Waterfall x1
Treetops x1
Tinkerbell's Flying School x1
Skull Rock x1
Pirate Ship x1
Moon Landing x1
Taxi x1
Boating Lake x1
Witch Hunt (horror maze) x2
TOTAL: 64
This is sad
But this is AMAZING
After possibly the best day at Oakwood since 2006/7, I'd highly recommend visiting.
Glad to hear you had a great day! I had quite a good day at Oakwood when I went there on a school trip in July 2016; the only part I could have criticised were the operations! Megafobia is fantastic (but for me it sits just below Wicker Man in my #10 spot), and I think Speed is a fun and very underrated coaster (my personal #13)!
Coaster
TS Member
It's the entrance to Creepy Crawler (it was a peach last year!)
Operations were the same as ever, though Speed did start the day on two cars before going down to one (as it was so quiet two weren't really needed). The issue with the operations is that they are fine for quiet days, but don't change when the park is busy; Megafobia only has one train built up, but it used to run two on busy days. Speed used to run three if I remember correctly, yet I have witnessed it running one with a full queue back in 2014.