Matt N
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Shambhala (PortAventura Park)
Ah, OK… I’ve never heard that expression for prison before! Thanks for informing me… you truly do learn something new every day!
On a more on-topic note; it is really sad to see Oakwood in such a struggling state, outwardly at least. For many years now, it’s seemed like one of a number of UK parks that’s been “ticking over”; not really thriving or making any overly interesting investments, but surviving and still managing to operate and maintain the status quo for another season. I don’t think it’s had an especially interesting existence, or an overly promising future, for a number of years now, but it has still maintained an existence.
Things do look a bit bleak at the park based on today’s updates, though… last year, I genuinely thought that the park was starting to turn a corner and show some promise, what with Megafobia’s huge retrack, Bounce’s refurbishment, and Spooky 3D’s retheme. However, it seems like a lot of this momentum has dissipated; Spooky 3D’s retheme appears to have completely stalled despite originally being intended for 2023, there’s little sign of any impending development on the cordoned off land, quite a few rides seemingly haven’t opened for the season yet, Creepy Crawler is half-dismantled, the park has completely missed the Easter holiday period for the first time ever… the overall situation at Oakwood does not seem that great, if I’m being honest.
It’s a shame, because I think the park has real potential. It’s a charming park, with arguably one of the stronger ride lineups of the smaller UK parks; Megafobia and Speed are a very formidable one-two punch of custom thrill coasters, Drenched is quite an impressive water ride, Bounce is an impressive tower ride, Treetops is a fun family coaster, and they have some undeniably unique stuff alongside that. For a UK park of its calibre, I think it has a strong ride lineup with a lot going for it on paper.
As for what the future holds… I don’t know. On one hand, the Megafobia retrack of 2023, alongside other refurbishment projects like Bounce, suggests that Aspro might see a future in Oakwood. On the other hand, though, the current situation of stalled projects, numerous closed rides including one half-dismantled, and a notably reduced operating calendar suggests that the park might be in a spot of bother.
My mum put her prediction out there that the park will close in the next 2 years… I don’t know if I’m quite that pessimistic, but I’d be lying if I said the situation at Oakwood looks promising at the moment.
On a more on-topic note; it is really sad to see Oakwood in such a struggling state, outwardly at least. For many years now, it’s seemed like one of a number of UK parks that’s been “ticking over”; not really thriving or making any overly interesting investments, but surviving and still managing to operate and maintain the status quo for another season. I don’t think it’s had an especially interesting existence, or an overly promising future, for a number of years now, but it has still maintained an existence.
Things do look a bit bleak at the park based on today’s updates, though… last year, I genuinely thought that the park was starting to turn a corner and show some promise, what with Megafobia’s huge retrack, Bounce’s refurbishment, and Spooky 3D’s retheme. However, it seems like a lot of this momentum has dissipated; Spooky 3D’s retheme appears to have completely stalled despite originally being intended for 2023, there’s little sign of any impending development on the cordoned off land, quite a few rides seemingly haven’t opened for the season yet, Creepy Crawler is half-dismantled, the park has completely missed the Easter holiday period for the first time ever… the overall situation at Oakwood does not seem that great, if I’m being honest.
It’s a shame, because I think the park has real potential. It’s a charming park, with arguably one of the stronger ride lineups of the smaller UK parks; Megafobia and Speed are a very formidable one-two punch of custom thrill coasters, Drenched is quite an impressive water ride, Bounce is an impressive tower ride, Treetops is a fun family coaster, and they have some undeniably unique stuff alongside that. For a UK park of its calibre, I think it has a strong ride lineup with a lot going for it on paper.
As for what the future holds… I don’t know. On one hand, the Megafobia retrack of 2023, alongside other refurbishment projects like Bounce, suggests that Aspro might see a future in Oakwood. On the other hand, though, the current situation of stalled projects, numerous closed rides including one half-dismantled, and a notably reduced operating calendar suggests that the park might be in a spot of bother.
My mum put her prediction out there that the park will close in the next 2 years… I don’t know if I’m quite that pessimistic, but I’d be lying if I said the situation at Oakwood looks promising at the moment.
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