Oakwood Theme Park is a family theme park near Narberth/Tenby area of Pembrokeshire, Wales.
Car parking is free and is close to the entrance. Once you purchase your ticket you can either have a mini train to take you into the park or it is close enough to walk. However it was disappointing that the train didn’t run frequently which forced us in a way to walk into the park. When the train is working it stops at the Neverland area of the park.
The park has had major investment and has been redeveloped over the last few years and there is still development to be completed. However some parts of the park are still looking very tired which is disappointing.
As part of the new development there is a new area called Neverland based on the Peter Pan classic. The park is themed well and the rides are good for younger children. The queues for rides were really short. Typically during our visit we could just walk up and if there was a queue it was only waiting until the ride that was operating had finished. During busy periods you can purchase a fast pass or there is also the advantage of the disability access pass.
In the Neverland Area you can walk through Journey to Neverland where you will see Peter Pan’s shadow on the walls in the nursery of the Darling’s bedroom.
Hop aboard Neverland Chase which is a wooden car that takes you through the Magical Kingdom.
The Lost Boys Adventure is a play area which has three different slides to pick from.
The London Taxi Ride is a similar ride to Neverland Chase but takes you around familiar landmarks of London.
My girls’ favourite rides were Tink’s Flying School, my youngest has a passion for rides and has been on this ride since she was 2. Climb aboard a boat with a moving sail, strap yourself in and up in the air you go. Move the sail from side to side and pretend you are Tinkerbell flying through the sky.
The Crocodile Coaster is suitable for little ones and is a good place to start. Unfortunately due to staffing issues it is occasionally closed at certain times of the day which is disappointing
The Jolly Roger, a gentle pirate ship ride, is lovely for little children. There is a bigger version of this in the main park area.
The Aerodrome was also a favourite with the girls. Once you jump on board a plane you can gently fly up and down.
On Skull Rock you will get a little wet as you come down the log flume but it is good fun. We found that not all rides were open; some were closed for 1 hour to cover breaks so check with staff members for times.
In the main park a good ride for children which is unusual is the Bobsleigh. Younger riders will require an adult to accompany but my seven year old daughter enjoyed going on by herself. You sit on a Bobsleigh which is a bit like a ski lift and it takes you to the top of the hill and you push the lever down to go and pull up to brake. My husband enjoyed speeding down the hillside with my 4 year old.
Circus Land is a little tired but there is a small coaster, merry go round and train ride for small children. There is a new tea cup ride located up a small hill from Circus Land which the girls and myself thought was fun.
My eldest daughter enjoyed the Pirate Ship and Snake River Falls. Soggy bottoms will accompany Snake River Falls but a good dinghy ride.
Beware the Pirate Ship is very fast and goes very high, but on the hour there is a half ride where you do not sore as high.
Most of the bigger rides are towards the back of the park. A good coaster ride for in-between ages is Treetops Coaster where you weave high through the trees and was a family favourite.
The big thrill rides are Megafobia, a giant wooden coaster and Speed which has almost a vertical drop. Drenched which strangely only opens from 2pm is another almost vertical drop ride that’s comes with a tidal wave of water. This is a good photo opportunity to stand on the wooden bridge while some brave souls create a wonderful deluge of water t soak onlookers on the bridge.
Bounce blasts you up in the air at up to 70kph and then back down again, I wouldn’t advise you have lunch until after you have been on these thrill seeking rides.
Vertigo is like a human swing, only for the brave! Vertigo does carry a supplementary charge of £15 per person. Mini Golf, Shooting Gallery & the football game all have additional charges.
The food can be a bit pricey, around £7 for burger and chips meal with drink but we opted to take a picnic and there is plenty of seating and grass areas to enjoy the Dive Show. This is located in the centre of the park, performed at certain times throughout the day comprising of stunts and comedy.
For families with babies there are bottle warming facilities at The Restaurant and in Neverland. There are baby changing facilities in the toilets behind the Waterfall ride and in Neverland.
During August there is the After Dark Night Time show with Fireworks, normally on Wednesdays and Saturdays, please check the website for dates and times. This is included in the ticket price.
The park is open daily throughout the summer and is a good attraction for all ages. My children are younger so they enjoyed the Neverland Area of the Park but for older children and Adults there are some fast roller-coaster and thrill rides.
There are lots of attractions in this area of Pembrokeshire but overall Oakwood is still a great family day out. When the major investment programme is complete it will be even better. If you are using your Tesco Clubcard Vouchers the park is good value but the entry price is quite expensive for families at over £80! . A family ticket (2 adults and two children) is typically £61.00 online. There are discounted rates and special tickets for groups of friends and grandparents taking grandchildren.
We had won a competition so had two tickets to the park and we used Tesco Clubcard Vouchers for the other two tickets. For more information on ticket prices, attractions, and events please visit www.oakwoodthemepark.co.uk
If you are planning a day trip, drive times are: from Cardiff – 1 hour 15 mins, Swansea – 45 mins and Tenby -20 mins. Oakwood is clearly signposted on brown tourist information signs from the end of the M4 and throughout Pembrokeshire.