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Obscure UK Parks

I follow the Dudgies on YT and they do regular park updates from Barry Island theme park and the place is a shadow of its former self 20+ years ago. You can clearly see the rides been placed on an old car park with the lines of the parking bays and cracked tarmac. So I can’t see him opening up a whole new theme park more like a seasonal funfair.,
 
Danter has kept interest in Barry, but as above, it really is a shadow of its former self. The whole place feels very cheaply done, and it's literally flats dumped on top of the tarmac, a far cry from the themed rides made in the 90s.

As someone who lives in Wales, 20 minutes away from Cardiff, there have been proposals for theme parks here a few times. There would be a decent case for one with no Severn Bridge tolls and Bristol being nearby. But, the M4 through Newport is a nightmare, and given you only need to drive an extra 2 hours or so to access other major UK theme parks, it would have to be something very special to entice people. Danter is a keen businessman, but he wouldn't be capable of anything more than a small local attraction. That article is vague, so it's hard to ascertain his proposal.
 
pluk said:
www.facebook.com

140.531 Aufrufe · 887 Reaktionen | A group of showmen has taken over the Dingles Fairground Heritage building at Lifton so they can run their fair rides whatever the weather. It's now called Dingles Fun Park. | BBC Devon

A group of showmen has taken over the Dingles Fairground Heritage building at Lifton so they can run their fair rides whatever the weather. It's now called Dingles Fun Park..
www.facebook.com www.facebook.com

Dingles is back! Modern rides rather than heritage, Danter family involved with some of their rides. I hope it works out, but if the old opperators struggled with a strong USP I think this could find it difficult without one.
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Stuie said:
This is never going to work! Who wants a day riding **** fairground rides in a warehouse?
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pluk said:
To be fair, me!
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Oh, turns out it was only me then! After 2 months it's bitten the dust.

www.bbc.co.uk

Devon fun park closes less than two months after opening - BBC News

Owners say the park had "incredible support" but it could not generate enough income.
www.bbc.co.uk www.bbc.co.uk
 
Flambards closing was a great disappointment but only so far as it was nostalgic to me. I went every year as a kid until 2004. We revisited as a family with kids in 2014 and the happy nostalgic image was ruined.

It was apparent they were running on a skeleton crew, I never remembered a ride not being staffed as a kid but in 2014 everything seemed to have wildly varying opening time to accommodate staff moving around the park and the staff members were rude. Shouted at me for stopping to the "Stop here" sign for the helicopter pedal track ride. Like where am I to stop? As soon as I physically see the sign before I even get onto the platform?

We did notice in 2004 that things were looking down, lots had closed including the sack slides which were something we always looked forward to and I'm almost certain the indoor slides were shut for a long time.

There was also this half developed thing revolving around Robot Wars, I assume it was an RC thing but it didn't work and by this time Robot Wars was fading away. I'll be sad to lose it and I'm not quite sure what else families can do in Cornwall thats not at the beach in a similar fashion. Years prior there was Dobwalls but that's 20s years ago
 
ACX96 said:
Flambards closing was a great disappointment but only so far as it was nostalgic to me. I went every year as a kid until 2004. We revisited as a family with kids in 2014 and the happy nostalgic image was ruined.

It was apparent they were running on a skeleton crew, I never remembered a ride not being staffed as a kid but in 2014 everything seemed to have wildly varying opening time to accommodate staff moving around the park and the staff members were rude. Shouted at me for stopping to the "Stop here" sign for the helicopter pedal track ride. Like where am I to stop? As soon as I physically see the sign before I even get onto the platform?

We did notice in 2004 that things were looking down, lots had closed including the sack slides which were something we always looked forward to and I'm almost certain the indoor slides were shut for a long time.

There was also this half developed thing revolving around Robot Wars, I assume it was an RC thing but it didn't work and by this time Robot Wars was fading away. I'll be sad to lose it and I'm not quite sure what else families can do in Cornwall thats not at the beach in a similar fashion. Years prior there was Dobwalls but that's 20s years ago
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Camel Creek is still functional but seems to be operating in administration. It wasn't in the best of shape when we visited last year, it's even more remote than Flambards.

Cornwall as a whole has gotten too expensive and families are looking elsewhere. Don't think the mixed messaging from the locals help too who seem to hate tourists but like thier money.
 
Like Oakwood’s location in Pembrokeshire, I think Cornwall is ultimately too much of a remote location for a theme park to really have mass appeal beyond holidaymakers. The continued prosperity of the likes of Folly Farm prove that it’s not insurmountable, but the remoteness of that type of location makes it far harder to appeal to people who aren’t holidaymakers, thus making the park’s primary target market a lot more volatile and vulnerable to headwinds like weather than less remotely located theme parks.

Like Oakwood, it seems as though Flambard’s didn’t really keep itself interesting enough and keep up with the times, thus not helping its location issues.

I do think the West Country could sustain a semi-major theme park of some description, but I think “the West” (Bristol/Gloucestershire/Somerset/Wiltshire) would be a better location for one than “the South West” (Devon/Cornwall/Dorset).
 
Matt N said:
I do think the West Country could sustain a semi-major theme park of some description, but I think “the West” (Bristol/Gloucestershire/Somerset/Wiltshire) would be a better location for one than “the South West” (Devon/Cornwall/Dorset).
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This has just given me food for thought, Bournemouth or Weymouth could be fantastic locations for a seaside theme park like Adventure Island.

I'm thinking more Bournemouth as it's central.

The other locations mentioned are fantastic as well. I think somewhere along the M4 would be perfect for a theme park between Bristol and Reading.

It also makes me think what if an all ages theme park turned up near to the Legoland, Thorpe Park and Chessington areas as I can imagine Merlin taking a blow due to focusing their audiences on family and thrill rather than focusing on a balanced line up. Although it could be like the Orlando of the UK as well.

Those are just my thoughts although slightly off topic 🤣
 
owenstreet7 said:
This has just given me food for thought, Bournemouth or Weymouth could be fantastic locations for a seaside theme park like Adventure Island.

I'm thinking more Bournemouth as it's central.

The other locations mentioned are fantastic as well. I think somewhere along the M4 would be perfect for a theme park between Bristol and Reading.

It also makes me think what if an all ages theme park turned up near to the Legoland, Thorpe Park and Chessington areas as I can imagine Merlin taking a blow due to focusing their audiences on family and thrill rather than focusing on a balanced line up. Although it could be like the Orlando of the UK as well.

Those are just my thoughts although slightly off topic 🤣
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Paultons is right there when you are talking about Bournemouth though isn’t it. Yes it isn’t exactly a seaside attraction but considering how shabby the transport network is around the new forest area it’s sited in a pretty good location.
 
dave___ said:
Paultons is right there when you are talking about Bournemouth though isn’t it. Yes it isn’t exactly a seaside attraction but considering how shabby the transport network is around the new forest area it’s sited in a pretty good location.
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You're right, although it is in a central area with good links by both road and rail.

I'd say Bournemouth and Paultons is further away than Fantasy Island and Skegness, Southport and Blackpool and Pleasurewood Hills and Great Yarmouth.

Some of these are not the greatest examples although I'm sure a seaside theme park in Bournemouth and Paultons Park could co-exist if it ever happened.
 
Matt N said:
I do think the West Country could sustain a semi-major theme park of some description, but I think “the West” (Bristol/Gloucestershire/Somerset/Wiltshire) would be a better location for one than “the South West” (Devon/Cornwall/Dorset).
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The biggest attraction in that area that has (or had) the most nascent potential to be a large high quality theme park is Longleat Safari Park (though it now has more developed themeing and landscaping around its zoo area in comparison to the 90s/00s and got a small ride similar to Paultons Park's George's Dinosaur Adventure).
 
DiogoJ42 said:
Do obscure scare attractions belong in here?
Just found a very interesting vid about Alien War. I never got to do it myself, despite walking past it many times. There's also a good map of the layout a few minutes in.


From: https://youtu.be/VhVjadAGT2c


IMG_6107.jpeg
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If we’re doing obscure London attractions no-one remembers, can I throw in the Tower Hill Pageant that opened in the late 80s I think (I went in the 90s) - a long, omnimover-style dark ride that told you the story of London and how it was built over the centuries:


From: https://youtu.be/CQi7gcdgH8s?feature=shared


Narration, smellpods and everything - was ahead of its time really and very interesting.
 
KolonelKlink said:
If we’re doing obscure London attractions no-one remembers, can I throw in the Tower Hill Pageant that opened in the late 80s I think (I went in the 90s) - a long, omnimover-style dark ride that told you the story of London and how it was built over the centuries:


From: https://youtu.be/CQi7gcdgH8s?feature=shared


Narration, smellpods and everything - was ahead of its time really and very interesting.
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I was starting to think I dreamt that place up in some fever!
 
KolonelKlink said:
If we’re doing obscure London attractions no-one remembers, can I throw in the Tower Hill Pageant that opened in the late 80s I think (I went in the 90s) - a long, omnimover-style dark ride that told you the story of London and how it was built over the centuries:


From: https://youtu.be/CQi7gcdgH8s?feature=shared


Narration, smellpods and everything - was ahead of its time really and very interesting.
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Reminds me of Jorvik Viking Centre in York which opened in 1984, so maybe not that ahead of its time really. Spirit of London at Madame Tussaauds opened 1993 and the Kingmaker exhibit at Warwick Castle in 1994. The late 80s and early 90s really was the hey-day for this sort of waxwork or animatronic story-telling I think.
 
I remember a similar one called the Oxford Story, it was a dark ride in Oxford's Broad Street and took you through scenes from the city's history, e.g. an old medieval street complete with "sewage" smell pods, the foundation of the university, famous novelists like Lewis Carroll and CS Lewis. It closed in 2007 after 20 years:


Anyone else remember this?
 
I've just looked The Oxford Story up, the articles say the building lease was given to Jesus College but, as far as I can see, the building is now occupied by a Mountain Warehouse?

The reminder of the reminder of the reminder has equally reminded me of the Beaulieu dark ride Wheels, which I got to ride in 2003. I'm also aware of a Robin Hood dark ride up in Nottingham that's since become a Tesco Express (?). Honestly loving how this country was chock-a-block with dark rides, but equally gutted none of them exist anymore.



 
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