Venue: Oakwood Theme Park
Who Went: Me and a large number of other RCCGB members, including Andy Hine, Barry Frost, Brian, Lucy Cosnett, Mark and Margo Lewis, Matt Walker, Ryan Hackett, Stevie Bee, Wendy Adams Evans.
DISCLAIMER: The above is NOT intended to be an exhaustive list of everyone who attended. It's a small sample of attendees; mainly those I spoke to and/or rode with at Oakwood. I sincerely apologise to anyone else who was there and I've not listed. Not all attendees (whether or not listed above) were present all day.
N.B. Any use of "today" or "Saturday" in this report means Saturday 11 August 2018.
Rationale for Trip
The RCCGB's annual visit to Oakwood Theme Park in Pembrokeshire, to enjoy a one-hour ERS on the wooden rollercoaster Megafobia before opening time, a one-hour dark ERS on Megafobia with party music and disco lights after closing time, and more riding in between. This was my seventh consecutive year of attending this trip. My only concern beforehand was what to wear for the dark ERS, bearing in mind the ColourFest UV powder paint party was taking place before the dark ERS, and some members might turn up for the dark ERS covered in UV powder. The weekend before Mega-GLOW-Mania 2018 I had a rummage through the bottom of my wardrobe and found an old sweatshirt, which had a couple of stain marks towards the bottom of the front. I immediately knew it would be in my best interest to wear that old sweatshirt during the dark ERS, as it wouldn't matter if I got a little paint powder on that.Saturday First Thing
The first let-down of the day was the weather! When I checked the Met Office website forecast before breakfast, the latest prediction for Oakwood Leisure Park Cross Hands (Pembrokeshire) was light rain from 09:00 to noon, and mainly heavy rain from noon onwards. The predicted wind speed from 11:00 onwards also gave cause for concern; average 16 to 17 mph and gusts high 20s mph. Worse still, visibility was expected to be poor from 17:00 to 19:00 and thunder was predicted for 23:00, just as the Club's dark ERS was scheduled to end. Rain and strong winds were the last thing anyone would want where one would be spending most of the day outside. My biggest concern at the time was whether or not the wind and/or rain would necessitate closure of Megafobia and/or other major rides, and/or cause the Management to cancel the late-night opening altogether and close Oakwood at 17:00 or 18:00. Back in 2014, when it was sunny until 15:00 and mostly rain to some extent thereafter, the Park stayed open until 22:00 as scheduled, and the dark ERS took place afterwards as planned. Anyway, I got ready and packed my rucksack. At 08:00 I had an early breakfast, consisting of cereal followed by beans on toast. As soon as I finished breakfast, I waited until Mark and Margo arrived to give me a lift to Oakwood. Oakwood Theme Park
Welcome to Oakwood
Mark, Margo and I arrived at Oakwood around 08:50. Light rain was already falling, so it was hardly surprising other attendees, who were already there, were waiting under the entrance canopy. Shortly afterwards everyone entered the Park for the morning ERS. On the way in I noticed the front field (where the Club played baseball early afternoon each year until 2016) contained plants required for an event later in the year and was therefore fenced off.Megafobia ERS
The day began with a one-hour ERS on Oakwood's famous wooden coaster Megafobia, which has been operating since 1996. It was designed by Dennis McNulty and Larry Bill, and built by Custom Coasters International, Inc. According to the RCDB, Megafobia is the fastest and tallest wooden coaster in the UK. Surprisingly though with a track length of 2956 feet it's only the UK's fifth longest woodie. Unlike Blackpool's Big Dipper, Megafobia is not an out-and-back coaster as the track crosses over a few times. Also, the wood is unpainted unlike the wooden coasters at Blackpool. Unfortunately, for some reason, an unexpected delay occurred at the start of the ERS. Thankfully, after two test runs, Megafobia was ready for us to ride around 09:15. Due to the delayed start, the ERS continued until around 10:10. During the ERS, I clocked up 8 goes, but forgot to log which rows I sat in. The train seemed to be running quite quickly around the track in the light rain. Altogether this was a great ERS on Megafobia; the perfect way to start the day at Oakwood, despite the weather.Free Time
When the ERS ended, members dispersed around the Park. This time it was not possible for the Club to have a baseball match early afternoon on two counts: 1) the front field had been planted with crops for an event later in the year, and there was no suitable alternative open space for ball games and 2) in any case, it would not be possible to play baseball in the rain. Therefore, once the morning ERS ended, there were no further communal activities planned as part of the trip itinerary until the dark ERS on Megafobia after closing time.The Creepy Crawler!
This roller coaster began operating at Oakwood as Flight of the Giant Peach in the Dahland attraction in 2017; according to the RCDB, it began operating under that name on 1 August 2017. At the start of the 2018 season it was renamed The Creepy Crawler! as part of the rethemed area Spooky Street. The giant peach, which riders walked through to access the ride in 2017, was redecorated as a Hallowe'en pumpkin as part of the 2018 retheming. The coaster itself (which is a Coffee Break
Around 10:40 the rain was getting heavier, and I felt like a coffee, so I went across to The Oak Tree. Unsurprisingly several other Mega-GLOW-Mania attendees were there too, all eagerly waiting to be served by the one person behind the counter. Around 11:00 it was my turn to order, I chose an Americano and sat down to enjoy it. Unfortunately, largely due to the weather, I stayed in considerably longer than I originally intended. Admittedly I spoke to Lucy Cosnett for a while after finishing my coffee, but even so, I didn't expect to still be in there until 12:00!Just after 12:00, I decided to put my rain gear back on, brave the rain and go on some more rides. At this stage I wondered whether riding in the rain would be a pleasure or a punishment! Having left The Oak Tree, I headed for Neverland. I tried to go on Tink's Flying School, but it had just closed due to the weather as I approached it. Nonetheless, I was able to ride the following:
Neverland Chase
A tractor ride in the Neverland area. I got into the tractor "Oak 3" which worked its way around the circuit and back to the station. Not a particularly exciting ride, but worth one go, just to say I'd been on it. This was my only go on this ride all day.Skull Rock
You will get wet (or possibly soaked) on this log flume whatever the weather. This formerly operated at Camelot Theme Park, and began operating within Neverland at Oakwood in 2013. It may seem odd that I would want to ride a log flume in the rain, but being as I was already wearing my wet weather gear, it made sense for me to ride Skull Rock. I got into a vacant log. The log sailed around the canal and up the lift hill, ready for the drop and mighty splash which followed. Having disembarked I had a second go. After I completed my second go, I left Skull Rock to go on something else.Oakwood Aerodrome
This Neverland ride features a set of planes on spokes, which go up and down around in a circle. Each plane is themed around a particular country, bearing a name and the applicable country name. I rode in plane number 6 Bronwen - Wales. Although it wasn't particularly thrilling, it was worth riding to say I'd been on it today. For now, I only had one go.The Streets of London Tour
This ride consists of miniature cars which resemble London taxis. In the station, I got into the back row of taxi 1. The cab followed a winding track around an enclosed part of Neverland. Along the way there are miniature replicas of various London sights, e.g. Nelson's Column. After one complete lap the taxi was back at the station, and that was the end of my ride. Undeniably this was a rather unexciting ride, but nonetheless worth riding once just to say I'd been on it. My one go now was my only go on this all day.Riding in the rain was rather unpleasant, to say the least. I had my cagoule hood up, which restricted my field of vision somewhat.
Lunch
Around 13:15 I felt like a light lunch, e.g. a baguette and coffee. Being as I was in Neverland, I initially went into The Little Darlings Café, only to be told they don't sell baguettes, and that I'd need to go to The Oak Tree for a baguette. Without further ado, I walked across to The Oak Tree, where I had a chicken and sweetcorn baguette and a black coffee for lunch. Once I had finished consuming my lunch, I remained in The Oak Tree longer than expected, again due to the wet weather! During this time, the wet weather made me wonder whether RCCGB members who were not attending this trip, for whatever reason, wished they were here, or were glad they weren't here. Around 14:15 I finally left The Oak Tree to brave some more rides in the rain.Tea Cups
This is a tea cup ride just outside the enclosed circus area of Oakwood, and is therefore self-explanatory. I fancied a go, so I got into one of the cups. The ride experience was what one would expect from a tea cup ride. For now, I only had one go.After leaving this ride, I put my rucksack in storage at the Box Office for much of the rest of the day. This was to save me carrying it around with me in the rain all afternoon and early evening, and furthermore I was contemplating going on some water rides. I kept my smartphone in my cagoule pocket, just in case I wanted to use it from time to time. However, I left my camera in the rucksack, as I knew I was unlikely to take any photos the rest of the afternoon; in the extremely unlikely scenario of wanting to take the odd picture, I could take them on my phone.
Drenched
Despite the wet weather, this boat ride was running. Furthermore, being as I already had my rain gear on, I thought I'd might as well ride it. This Intamin River Plunge opened in 2002 as Hydro, but was renamed Drenched in 2011. The boat left the station and climbed the lift hill. There was a noticeable pause at the top before the boat went around the u-bend and down the tall, steep drop. Upon landing there was a mighty splash. Finally, the boat went under the bridge and around a u-bend back to the station. This was my only go on Drenched all day.Coffee Break
Having left Drenched, I didn't bother standing on the bridge to watch the boat land on a later run. I now felt like another hot drink, so without further ado I went straight to The Oak Tree for an Americano. Once again, I stayed in considerably longer than expected after I had finished my coffee. Eventually I put my rain gear back on and went outside again to have a few more rides in the rain. I headed for Neverland, intending to have a few rides there.Journey to Neverland
An indoor walk-through attraction in Neverland. Unsurprisingly it's a one-way walk-through; visitors must enter through the way in and leave through the way out. Along the way there are open-fronted rooms which visitors can look into (but not actually go inside them), and some lighting effects. On the whole, this was worth walking through once, to see its interior, but I personally wouldn't class this as a ride. My one passage through this attraction now was my only walk through it all day.Skull Rock
Now for one of the proper rides in Neverland, the log flume which I had been on earlier in the day. Being as I was already wearing my wet weather gear, I thought I'd might as well have some more goes on this. I ended up having two goes. At the end of my second go I left Neverland to ride something somewhere else in the Park.Waterfall
Two giant slides descend from the top of a tower. You launch yourself at the top on a plastic tray; for this reason, some members call this the tea tray ride. The correct riding procedure is to grip the tray handles tightly and lean forwards. At the bottom of each slide you float across a shallow pool of water before hitting the run-out, which is a shallow uphill slope covered in artificial turf. Depending how you hit that shallow pool, you may get wet. Being as it was a rainy day, I was already wearing my wet weather gear anyway. I ended up having four goes as follows: left slide, right slide, left slide, right slide. N.B. references to the two slides (left and right) are as viewed at the top of the tower, i.e. with your back to the top of the stairs and facing the tops of the slides. Each time I managed to sail across the landing pool without keeling over, and thus continued to some extent across run-out. Thankfully I didn't have my rucksack on my back as it was in storage at the Box Office. Riding these slides with my rucksack on my back would have been much more difficult, particularly staying upright across the landing pools.Having left Waterfall, I walked past the entrance to Treetops roller coaster, but it was closed. Attendants were doing test runs to see if it could operate successfully on the wet track, but they were uncertain as to whether or not it would be able to reopen during the rest of the day.
Snake River Falls
A set of four water slides which you ride fully clothed in dinghies. The slides leave from the top of a tower. The staircase leading to the top is split into lanes, each one clearly indicated by an overhead sign at the bottom. Therefore, you have to decide which slide you want to queue for before you start climbing the stairs. Facing the slide entrances from the launch platform, from left to right they are as follows:Cobra: a closed tube slide with many twists and turns on the way down. The slide is enhanced by lighting effects.
Left open slide: a straight, open top slide. It starts with a downhill slope, followed by a much shallower (albeit wavy) gradient. Finally, there's a fairly steep drop before the run-out. The water is at its deepest just before reaching the run-out; depending how you land there you may get wet.
Right open slide: a straight, open top slide identical to the left open slide.
Python: a closed tube slide with many twists and turns on the way down. The slide is enhanced by lighting effects.
N.B. references to the two open slides: left and right are as viewed at the top of the tower, i.e. with your back to the top of the stairs and facing the tops of the slides.
On this occasion, Cobra was closed, but the other three slides were all operating. I enjoyed the three working slides twice each in the following order: left open slide, right open slide, Python, left open slide, right open slide, Python. Each time I waited at the top, I noticed Treetops was still having test runs without riders on board. Just before my last go on Python, I saw Wendy Adams Evans and Lucy Cosnett, just outside the landing area.
By now I had clocked up 13 water rides since putting my rucksack in storage at the Box Office. One may be surprised I wanted that many wet rides in the rain, but since I was already wearing my rain gear, and was wet from the rain anyway, it made sense to ride them.
Coffee Break
At 17:13 I returned to The Oak Tree for another much-needed Americano. Just like my earlier refreshment breaks, I remained in The Oak Tree for a good while after finishing my coffee. Around 18:00 I put my rain gear back on and went outside again to have some more rides in the rain. I went into Neverland, to have some more rides there.Oakwood Aerodrome
When I got to Neverland, I headed straight for the aeroplane ride Oakwood Aerodrome. Although a rather tame ride, and I had already been on it earlier in the day, I was keen to ride it again. This time I enjoyed two goes on it: plane number 6 Bronwen - Wales, followed by plane number 2 Helga - Germany. After I had completed my second go, I left Neverland to ride something elsewhere.Tea Cups
My next ride was the Tea Cups. The ride experience was just the same as when I rode it earlier in the day. Once again, I limited myself to just one go on this tea cup ride; in fact, this turned out to be my final go of the day on it.Pirate Ship
A run-of-the-mill swinging Pirate Ship, which is made by Huss Rides. This is set in a low-lying dip, and therefore riders have to go down a hill to reach it. This pirate ship looked bigger and seemed to produce larger, more exhilarating swings than the pirate ships I've been on at Paultons or the two Crealy parks. As expected, the most exciting moment was when the ship swung backwards sending me to the highest point. Although a fun ride, once was enough for me, I don't think my body could have stuck two goes straight off.Boating Lake
Pedalos on a lake. Just like last year, I approached these on my own, intending to ride one of the boats alone. As I approached the lake, I wondered whether or not the boats would be able to operate, due to the weather. Thankfully, an attendant was there, and riders were on the lake. Regardless of the number of individuals in the boat, riders are allowed to go around the island once only. When a boat became vacant, I got into one, and set off. I pedalled around the lake, staying to the right of the island all the way around. Pedalling around the lake was quite hard going, especially as I was riding alone. Having disembarked my legs felt a bit tired after all the pedalling. There's no way I could have had two goes straight off. Megafobia
Being as this wooden coaster is next-door to the Boating Lake, it made sense for me to ride this next. When I got to the entry platform, the ride was walk-on, presumably due to the wet weather. I got on the train and enjoyed an exciting journey around the wooden track. For me this was extra special, because it was my first ever time of riding Megafobia during free time in all the years I've attended Mega-GLOW-Mania (in all previous years I only rode it during the morning and evening ERSs). Having returned to the station and left the train, I recirculated to have a second go on Megafobia. After I had completed my second go, I headed for another ride.Bobsleigh
A toboggan run. You sit on a toboggan and are carried up a lift hill to the top of a steel track. At the top you set off downhill along the steel track (set in the hillside), around a series of U-bends, under gravity. To control your speed along the way, use your brake. You must slow down as you approach the station. Thus, with the lift hill, and going down the steel track, one could argue this is a coaster of a sort. Whenever I've visited Woodlands near Dartmouth on rainy days in the past, their Toboggan Run has been unable to operate. Fortunately, Oakwood has some wet weather toboggans, thereby allowing Bobsleigh continue operating in the rain. Even so, the station announcement warned that the track was wet and slippery, though I guessed that would be the case considering the wet weather all day. This was only my second time of riding this in wet conditions, having first done so during RCCGB Mega-GLOW-Mania 2014. Due to the wet, slippery track, I had to take extra care, braking regularly on the descent. Riding this in its wet condition felt somewhat different to riding this whenever the track has been dry. This was my only go on Bobsleigh all day.The Creepy Crawler!
So far, I had only been on this steel coaster once just after the morning ERS ended, so I felt time was long overdue for me to ride it again. When it was my turn to ride, I sat in the back row. Just like when I rode it in the morning, it was a rapid journey around a twisty, undulating track, with a few bumps along the way, and all over too soon for my liking. I limited myself to just one go, which turned out to be my final go of the day on this coaster.At this point I was unsure what to do next. Momentarily I considered collecting my rucksack from the Box Office, as I was near there, but after a moment's thought, I wanted to fit in another ride or two. I walked across to Neverland to go on something there.
Oakwood Aerodrome
When I got to Neverland, Oakwood Aerodrome was still running, so I decided to ride that, even though I'd already been on it earlier. This time I got into plane number 1 Winston - United Kingdom, and the ride experience was just like my earlier goes on Oakwood Aerodrome. This was my final go of the day on Oakwood Aerodrome, and also my final ride anywhere in the Park during normal opening time.After that, I left Neverland for the final time, and walked across to the Box Office to collect my rucksack. Without further ado, my next stop was Woody's Burger Bar to get something to eat.
Evening Dinner
At 20:30 I got to Woody's Burger Bar. Once there, I ordered a large double burger meal, which included large fries and a large drink (I chose Sprite). Since it was raining, I sat in the indoor seating area to consume my burger and fries. It was really busy in that indoor seating area, presumably because no-one wanted to sit outside in the rain, but I managed to get a seat.After Dark
ColourFest
The ColourFest UV Paint Party was billed to run from 21:00 to 21:20 as part of the After Dark event. Visitors could buy UV powder paint packs from the Megafobia shop to throw at others in the designated area towards the bottom of the hill in front of the stage. The coloured powder was intended to glow under the ultra violet lighting in the designated area. For this reason, I deliberately took an old grey T-shirt and pair of old grey jogging bottoms with me. I was already wearing an old cagoule and a soiled sweatshirt (both of which I wasn't too concerned about getting paint powder on), but was wearing a T-shirt, shorts and leggings I didn't want to have paint powder on. I went to a nearby toilet to change the T-shirt I'd worn all day for my old grey T-shirt, and my shorts for my old grey jogging bottoms, before putting the soiled sweatshirt and old cagoule back on. Hereafter I went around without my leggings over my old jogging bottoms (I was willing to let them get wet in the rain). Despite all that, for several reasons I didn't want to take part in the UV powder fight, and I definitely didn't want other people (whether RCCGB Mega-GLOW-Mania 2018 attendees or the general public) throwing UV powder at me. Without further ado, I hurried across to The Oak Tree.Coffee Break
I got to The Oak Tree at 21:00, intending to have my final coffee of the day. There was still time for me to have one, however I had to wait a few minutes to get served. When it was my turn, I bought an Americano, and sat down to enjoy it. At least this was somewhere I knew there was no risk of being hit by UV paint powder. I utilised this time to activate some thin glow sticks (which I had brought with me this time) and chain them together to form a loop. Soon after 21:30 I left The Oak Tree for the final time, and walked back to the top of the hill in front of the stage.KaraOAKe
A new addition to the After Dark programme for 2018, this followed on shortly after the ColourFest UV Paint Party officially ended. A lady was on the stage, singing some pop songs, and visitors could sing along with her. The KaraOAKe session was already well under way when I got to the top of the hill (I think I missed at least half of it). Some might have thought I would have wanted to sing along to the last few songs, but I just stood at the top of the hill and listened to them. One song in the line-up, which was being performed whilst I was there, was "This Is Me" from the movie "The Greatest Showman".Firework Display
At 21:49 there was a seamless transition into the firework display. The singer performed "Firework" (Katy Perry) as the final song of KaraOAKe, and simultaneously the first few fireworks were let off. Once the stage singer finished performing "Firework", the stage lights went out and the main part of the firework display began. During the few minutes which followed, there was a multitude of fountains and rockets in a variety of colours, accompanied by music (which wasn't part of KaraOAKe). When the display ended, an announcement was made "Thank you for visiting Oakwood Theme Park. We wish you a safe journey home and hope to see you again soon." in Welsh followed by English. After that announcement the Park was officially closed and it was time for the public to leave. However, for Mega-GLOW-Mania trip attendees. the best was yet to come.Megafobia Dark ERS
As the public left, members headed for Megafobia. I walked down the path towards Megafobia, passing Moon Landing and Bobsleigh exit along the way. Everyone was waiting at the Megafobia entrance for the ERS to start. Some members had participated in the ColourFest UV Paint Party, and were now intending to ride Megafobia with paint powder all over their hair and clothes. Since I was now likely to get some of their second-hand UV powder on me during the ERS (even if the rain had already dampened it down and/or washed some away), I deliberately wore an old sweatshirt (which was already slightly stained anyway), and an old pair of grey jogging bottoms. Furthermore, the blue cagoule I had been wearing all day in the rain was an old one anyway (the tape on some of the seams had peeled away through wear over time), so I wasn't overly concerned about getting paint powder on that either. However, my leggings were in my rucksack; I thought it was better to let my old grey jogging bottoms get wet in the rain rather than risk getting paint powder on my leggings. Many members were wearing or holding glow sticks, some had something with flashing lights and some were wearing hi-vis clothing. Around my neck was the loop of thin glow sticks I had activated and assembled earlier. Although that was a slight improvement on last year, when I didn't have any glow sticks, one member said I needed to do better.At 22:03, the Club was given the signal to proceed beyond the entrance. As members headed towards the entry platform, the music began, thereby officially signalling the start of the one-hour dark ERS on Megafobia. When I got to the entry platform, Mark and Margo already had their disco lights set up at one end of the exit platform. During this ERS I enjoyed 8 goes. Just like the morning ERS, I forgot to log which row I sat in each time, but anyway, I sat next to Brian on my second go and Ryan Hackett on my fourth go.
As usual, party music accompanied the one-hour dark ERS. The selection of song snippets included "Ride on Time" (Black Box), Dr. Beat (Miami Sound Machine), "I.O.U." (Freeez), "The Model" (Kraftwerk) and "Jailhouse Rock" (Elvis Presley), which I don't recall being in the mix in previous years. There were also some song clips that have been present since I started attending Mega-GLOW-Mania, including "YMCA" (Village People), "The Locomotion" (Kylie Minogue) and "Can-Can" (Bad Manners). However, at the end of my third go there was no music. For some mysterious reason the sound had gone off, as had Mark's disco lights, but the station lights (and lights elsewhere in the Park) were still on, and Megafobia was still able to run. A trip switch had blown, cutting off Nev's sound system and Mark's disco lights. Someone reset a trip switch, the music worked for a few seconds before cutting out again. A little later the trip switch was reset again, and the music played successfully for the rest of the ERS, but Mark's disco lights were not used again. In fact, from around mid-way through the ERS, Mark packed away his disco lights and put them in his car.
The final four songs, played in full, were:
"Dancing Lasha Tumbai" - Verka Serduchka
"(Is This The Way To) Amarillo" - Tony Christie
"Always Look on the Bright Side of Life" - Monty Python
"Theme from New York, New York" - Frank Sinatra
Finally, the Warner Brothers cartoon "That's all folks" marked the end of the music mix, and ERS.
My final go on Megafobia was its very last run of the day, during the final song "Theme from New York, New York". The rain was very heavy, and hammering down during this particular run. As the train climbed the lift hill, I felt I might have been wiser to have not had this go! Once the train had cleared the top of the lift hill, I kept my hood up and eyes closed most of the rest of the way to the pre-station stoppage point.
Altogether another hair-raising ERS, definitely the grand finale of the day, despite the rain! The ride seemed considerably faster and rougher than during the morning ERS. Riding Megafobia in the dark was totally different to in the morning; it wasn't possible to see where we were going or the surrounding countryside, however lights in other areas of the Park could be seen. That coupled with use of glow sticks etc. on the ride, plus the party music (and disco lights to begin with) in the station added to the fun; no wonder this has been called "the best ERS of them all". It's a pity Mark needed to cease using the disco lights fairly early in the ERS, but at least the music was able to continue for the rest of the session.
Summary of my day in order of activity
Morning ERS: Megafobia 8
After ERS
The Creepy Crawler! 1
Americano at The Oak Tree
Neverland Chase 1
Skull Rock 2
Oakwood Aerodrome 1
The Streets of London Tour 1
Lunch at The Oak Tree
Tea Cups 1
Drenched 1
Americano at The Oak Tree
Journey to Neverland 1
Skull Rock 2
Waterfall left slide, right slide, left slide, right slide
Snake River Falls: left open slide, right open slide, Python, left open slide, right open slide, Python
Americano at The Oak Tree
Oakwood Aerodrome 2
Tea Cups 1
Pirate Ship 1
Boating Lake 1
Megafobia 2
Bobsleigh 1
The Creepy Crawler! 1
Oakwood Aerodrome 1
Evening meal at Woody's Burger Bar
Americano at The Oak Tree
Firework display
Dark ERS: Megafobia 8
Cumulative Summary of My Rides (ERSs and Freetime Combined)
| Ride | Total |
| Boating Lake | 1 |
| Bobsleigh | 1 |
| Drenched | 1 |
| Journey to Neverland | 1 |
| Megafobia | 18 |
| Neverland Chase | 1 |
| Oakwood Aerodrome | 4 |
| Pirate Ship | 1 |
| Skull Rock | 4 |
| Snake River Falls: left open slide | 2 |
| Snake River Falls: Python | 2 |
| Snake River Falls: right open slide | 2 |
| Tea Cups | 2 |
| The Creepy Crawler! | 2 |
| The Streets of London Tour | 1 |
| Waterfall left slide | 2 |
| Waterfall right slide | 2 |
| TOTAL | 47 |
Rest of Saturday
When the ERS ended Nev gave a short speech before everyone returned to the car park. Once he had finished, I told him that, after much thought, I'd made the final decision to give Heatherton a miss again this year. Mark and Margo were giving me a lift back to my hotel, so I walked with them back to their car which was parked nearby. On the way, Mark reckoned his extension lead, through which his disco lights were connected, had got wet (presumably due to the rain), and that's what tripped the switch. As we were heading out of Oakwood in the car, the rain was extremely heavy. Clearly the dark ERS had ended just in time as the really heavy rain began. I got the impression the heavy rain would continue well into the night, possibly accompanied by a thunderstorm. After our final goodbyes outside the hotel car park I was back in my room around quarter to midnight, somewhat wet and dead tired.Outro
Highlights
Morning ERS on Megafobia before Oakwood opened to the public.Dark ERS on Megafobia before Oakwood after closing time.
High ride count, during the ERSs and free time.
Lowlights
Rain all day and all evening.Spending an undesirable amount of time in The Oak Tree during refreshment breaks.
One of the Snake River Falls slides (Cobra) was closed.
Summing Up
Altogether another coaster crazy day at Oakwood, though it's a pity the rain all day and all evening spoilt the day somewhat. Even though I was wearing rain gear, riding and walking around the Park generally in the rain was somewhat unpleasant. I spent an undesirable amount of time in The Oak Tree, having coffees at various times of the day, and spent considerably longer in there each time than I would have done when having refreshment breaks anywhere on a dry day. Much to my disappointment, out of of the Park's six coasters, I only rode Megafobia and The Creepy Crawler! Looking on the bright side, the Park was rather quiet for an August Saturday, so I had a high ride count during normal opening time alone (not counting the morning and evening ERSs), despite spending a lot of time in The Oak Tree, as most of the rides that I approached were walk-on or had very short queues. More importantly, at least the Management kept the Park open until 22:00, and had the full After Dark programme as scheduled, and our dark ERS followed as planned. It could have been worse, with the evening opening and ERS cancelled due to severe weather. Many thanks to Andy Hine for organising the trip, the staff for operating Megafobia before opening and after closing, and to Mark and Margo Lewis for providing the dark ERS disco lighting and for giving me lifts to and from Oakwood.Back to the top
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