Oakwood Theme Park - Review

We were recently invited to visit Oakwood Theme park in West Wales, located right next to Bluestone Resort and a quick drive to Narberth and Tenby, two popular holiday destinations. Many people are not even aware that West Wales has a theme park even though Oakwood has been around since the '80s and has grown substantially since then.

I was excited about going back as the last time I had been there was about 25yrs ago when we had come to Wales on a family trip from South Africa. It's funny how things have changed but also some have stayed the same, my favourite memory was going on the bobsleigh and the Treetops rollercoaster, which are still going strong and my boys also thoroughly enjoyed.

Our drive from Cardiff was pretty smooth and took just over an hour and a half to get to the park. When you arrive there is plenty of free parking all within easy reach of the entrance. Once you get your tickets and go through the barrier you come onto the miniature train platform which takes you into the park, unfortunately, on our visit, there wasn't much information and we waited for 15mins with no train appearing so we did the quick 5 min walk into the park (we did manage to catch the train on the way back).

You are provided with a map of the area and once you're on the main site it's fairly easy to navigate. We decided to head over to Neverland, an area that is particularly family-friendly and if you have young children you will probably spend most of your time here. There is a mini swing boat which both of my boys enjoyed as well as London Taxi ride and Aerodrome plane rides. This part of the park is also the one with the most themed rides and attractions, with the Journey to Neverland walk-through display and a large indoor soft play area which is great for a rainy day. The Lost Boys adventure with three slides could be improved on as this is the main outdoor play area for younger children in the park and is a little outdated.

We had hoped to go on the Skull Rock log flume but unfortunately, it was closed for maintenance which is something that is always a possibility at any park, so if you are planning on visiting and have a few rides you really want to go on it could be a good idea calling in advance to check they are open. After we enjoyed everything on offer at Neverland we went to explore the rest of the park and headed over to the bobsleighs, this was, in fact, the only time we queued during our time here, we waited around 15-20mins which is nothing in comparison to other parks and all the other rides we waited 5mins or less.

After the bobsleighs which were a real hit we walked past the Moon landing slide which is an almost-vertical drop slide, I was somewhat anxious about my 9yr old going on this and I think listening to that intuition is important. I feel as a parent I do need to point out that my son was over the minimum age and height for this ride, he took his time & listened to the instruction but on his way down hit the back of his head rather hard on the slide, of course this isn't anyone's fault and besides a bit of upset he was fine although I would take personal caution with any rides you feel your children are not ready for despite the recommended age/height.

The slide shook my son's self-confidence a bit and despite him being a lover of rollercoasters we decided to stick to the smaller ones after and as I was feeling a bit under the weather we focused on the smaller rides in the park that were suitable for all ages and sizes, so if you are visiting with children under then I can honestly say there is plenty on offer.

One of the coasters we did go on and love was the Treetops rollercoaster which whizzes through the woodland part of the park and still gives you that speed rush and was the biggest coaster my 4yr old had been on to date. There are of course some serious rollercoasters in the park including Megaphobia which is one of the largest wooden coasters in the UK then there is Speed which at one point held the record for the steepest roller coaster with a 97-degree drop. Other white knuckle rides include Drenched, Bounce and Vertigo.

Another great family attraction is the paddleboats which cruise past Megaphobia and offers a bit of relaxing among all the excitement. Of course, walking around is going to build an appetite and there are plenty of places to eat from food on the go from different kiosks to a sit-down restaurant, cafe and diner. There are also plenty of picnic benches around the park if you want to bring your own food. We had eaten quite a lot before we arrived but enjoyed some doughnuts on the go before exploring the Witches Brew area which has another smaller coaster, teacups and the Cauldrons trampolines which again the kids loved.

The day we visited was also an After-dark event day which is open slightly later and puts on a fireworks display and entertainment, I really wanted to stay longer although I was coming down with a bad chest infection and wasnt up to it but I've heard good things about these evenings and it's a great additional experience suitable for everyone.

If your thinking of heading to Oakwood especially over this half term I thought I would share some tips on getting the best out of your trip

1. Buying your tickets online saves you an additional 10% and children under 3 go free. There are also discounts for those with a valid student card and those over 65. The same goes for photo passes and Vertigo tickets (which are extra), you save money booking in advance and online.

There is a special Fright for 4 offer on at the moment which works out at £20 per person for 4 people available online only from Sat 19th Oct until Sat 2nd November to celebrate Halloween. Oakwood also takes Tescos Clubcard Vouchers.

2. From our experience, you wouldn't need to purchase the fast track passes as we only experienced queues once during the whole day and even the larger rides the queues were at a minimum.

3. If you want to keep costs down to take your own food, there is plenty of picnics benches as well as a variety of catering options.

4. Do check the website as the park is not open all year round and I would recommend going to one of their event days which are often the same price but offer something a little extra and special.

Also, I would recommend allocating the best part of a day if you decided to visit so you get the most out of your time there and have a watch of my vlog to see more. Do take plenty of snacks and water and just remember to have fun!

*Our tickets were provided in exchange for an honest review