Much-loved UK theme park forced to close after 39 years now frozen in time

Much-loved UK theme park forced to close after 39 years now frozen in time The park shut its doors for good in March 2025 after 39 years of operation — and over a year on, the abandoned site is slowly being reclaimed by nature with structures still visible on the skyline A year has passed since the closure of the much-loved theme park, yet its fate remains uncertain as nature slowly takes back the site. It came as a blow to both locals and visitors alike when it was announced the decades-old Pembrokeshire theme park would be shutting its doors permanently in March 2025. Despite enjoying considerable success over the years, the park had been on a steady decline, citing "unrelenting economic challenges" as the reason behind its closure. Oakwood Theme Park in Pembrokeshire, Wales, first opened its gates on April 14, 1987, as a modest leisure attraction. Nearly 40 years ago, the site boasted a narrow-gauge railway ferrying visitors from the car park to a handful of small attractions, which included go-karting, water slides and a bobsleigh run. Things were cranked up a notch in the 1990s with the introduction of the iconic rollercoaster Megafobia, built at a cost of roughly £1.7m. Before long, it was joined by a string of bigger, bolder rides aimed at genuine thrill-seekers, drawing crowds from right across the UK. In 2006, Oakwood Theme Park unveiled Speed: No Limits, a rollercoaster that at the time held the title of the steepest in the entire UK. The ride was later bought and moved to an amusement park in Agen, France, known as Walygator Sud-Ouest, following the park's closure. Despite more than a year passing since its abrupt closure, some of these attractions remain partially standing or have yet to be demolished. Other rides, though, have been granted a second chance, including Drenched, Treetops, the Pirate Ship, and the hugely popular Snake River Falls. During its heyday the park attracted thousands of visitors to the site, which now lies dormant awaiting new ownership while it stays in the hands of Aspro Parks, a Spanish leisure company. This same firm operates 68 other parks throughout Europe, suggesting this Welsh venue may not be high on their agenda. Aspro acquired the park from the McNarma family in 2008, who established it during the 1980s as a means of diversifying their land. The family enterprise grew into a thriving business until it became unsustainable. Aspro issued a statement saying: "In the entire history of Aspro we have never closed any park or attraction. We, and our dedicated team of staff has strived to overcome numerous challenges to continue to bring joy to families and visitors across the region and country. "Unfortunately, we could no longer see a sustainable way forward and will seek to improve our other parks using the assets and, where possible, team elsewhere. We are aware that Oakwood has been a much-loved destination for generations and a rite of passage for many young visitors. It is for this reason we feel such a sense of sadness." Over the decades, the way families seek entertainment has dramatically shifted, largely driven by rapidly evolving technology and the growing ease of enjoying leisure activities from the comfort of home. As a result, theme parks are witnessing a decline in visitor numbers, raising concerns that further closures could be on the horizon. Di Clements, county councillor for the Martletwy ward of Pembrokeshire, the region where the theme park was situated, weighed in on the issue. He said: "Locally there has been little discussion and comment about the future of the old Oakwood site. "No plans have been made public or any that I am aware of. Other local attractions have, over the years, become popular with visitors and locals alike, so Oakwood's closure didn't really have that much of an impact locally, and it had been in steady decline anyway. "Whilst some of the old rides have been removed, there are still a number of structures prominent to the skyline. Ideally, if there are no future plans for the site as a theme park, these should be removed. It's not particularly attractive to have rusting and rotting structures visible in such a beautiful area." The councillor suggested that what the area truly needs is an "all-weather attraction" for Pembrokeshire. Nevertheless, there is widespread speculation that the site could be redeveloped to extend Bluestone National Park Resort, a holiday park located within the same South West Welsh county.