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Megafobia (roller Coaster)
Megafobia was a wooden roller coaster located at Oakwood Theme Park, Pembrokeshire, Wales, United Kingdom. It opened on 30 April 1996 and was built by Custom Coasters International, who wanted a ride to showcase their company in Europe. Megafobia features a twister style layout. Megafobia was the first major attraction to be installed at Oakwood Theme Park (then Oakwood Leisure Park). Until the construction of Wicker Man commenced at Alton Towers in 2017, it was also the most recent wooden roller coaster to be built in the UK. On 30 April 2016 it celebrated 20 years at Oakwood. The standard speed of Megafobia is 48 mph. On 4 March 2025 it was announced that Oakwood Theme Park, and therefore Megafobia, would be closing indefinitely, with park owners Aspro Parks citing "challenges presented by the current business environment", and a decline in financial performance "making further investment unsustainable". Ride experience Out of the station, trains make a left turn and sma ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John Wardley
John Richard Wardley (born 6 June 1950) is a British developer for theme parks in the UK and Europe: an innovator of special effects, dark rides and roller coasters in the themed attraction industry. He is known for Nemesis at Alton Towers and other major roller coasters in the UK and Europe. Career Wardley started his career as an assistant stage manager at Windsor's Theatre Royal, then moved on to the film industry creating special effects, including several of the James Bond movies. He was later hired by the Tussauds Group due to his experience in designing animatronics and rides for amusement parks. His first project with Tussauds was the development of animatronics for the 'Royalty and Empire' exhibition at Windsor, Berkshire. After this he was employed by the Tussauds Group to transform the declining Chessington Zoo in London to become the Chessington World of Adventures theme park. There, Wardley oversaw the production of attractions including The Vampire suspended ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Twister Roller Coaster
A twister roller coaster is the generic name given to any roller coaster layout which tends to twist or interweave its track within itself several times. It is essentially the opposite of an out and back roller coaster, which is often a much simpler layout. Twister roller coasters often have the illusion of having small or tight clearances due to the track usually travelling through several support structures. This is known as a head chopper effect. Twister roller coasters were unheard of before the 1920s. John Miller is credited with inventing up-stop wheels and secure lap bar restraints, both which led roller coaster designers to create more extravagant and intertwined layouts. A good example of the difference between an out and back design and twister design is layouts of Apollo's Chariot and Raging Bull, two Bolliger & Mabillard designed hypercoaster A hypercoaster is a roller coaster with a height or drop measuring at least . The term was first coined by Arrow Dynam ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wooden Roller Coaster
A wooden roller coaster is a type of roller coaster classified by its wooden track, which consists of running rails made of flat steel strips mounted on laminated wood. The support structure is also typically made of wood, but may also be made of steel lattice or truss, which has no bearing on a wooden coaster's classification. The type of wood often selected in the construction of wooden coasters worldwide is southern yellow pine, which grows abundantly in the southern United States, due to its density and adherence to different forms of pressure treatment. Early wooden roller coaster designs of the 19th century featured a single set of wheels running on top of the track, which was common in scenic railway rides. John A. Miller introduced side friction coasters and later underfriction coasters in the early 20th century, which added additional sets of wheels running along multiple sides of the track to allow for more intense ride design with sharper turns and steeper ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Oakwood Theme Park
Oakwood Theme Park (formerly Oakwood Leisure Park, Oakwood Coaster Country and Oakwood Park) was a theme park located in Pembrokeshire, Wales. Oakwood opened in the late 1980s as a very small family park with BMXs, a wooden fort, a 3D-style cinema experience show, go-karts and a water chute ride. The park later incorporated four large thrill rides: Megafobia (1996), Vertigo (1997), Drenched (2002, as Hydro) and Speed (Oakwood), Speed (2006) which is a Gerstlauer Euro-Fighter roller coaster with a 97-degree drop. It was the first Euro-Fighter in the United Kingdom and was at that time the steepest roller coaster in the UK. The Custom Coasters International, CCI-built wooden roller coaster Megafobia was rated by enthusiasts soon after its installation as amongst the best in Europe. In 2016, it celebrated 20 years at Oakwood. On 4 March 2025, it was announced that the park would permanently cease operations after four decades. History Until March 2008, Oakwood Leisure Ltd. was ow ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pembrokeshire
Pembrokeshire ( ; ) is a Principal areas of Wales, county in the South West Wales, south-west of Wales. It is bordered by Carmarthenshire to the east, Ceredigion to the northeast, and otherwise by the sea. Haverfordwest is the largest town and administrative headquarters of Pembrokeshire County Council. The county is generally sparsely populated and rural, with an area of and a population of 123,400. After Haverfordwest, the largest settlements are Milford Haven (13,907), Pembroke Dock (9,753), and Pembroke, Pembrokeshire, Pembroke (7,552). St Davids (1,841) is a city, the smallest by population in the UK. Welsh language, Welsh is spoken by 17.2 percent of the population, and for Landsker Line, historic reasons is more widely spoken in the north of the county than in the south. Pembrokeshire's coast is its most dramatic geographic feature, created by the complex geology of the area. It is a varied landscape which includes high sea cliffs, wide sandy beaches, the large natural ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wales
Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic Sea to the south-west. , it had a population of 3.2 million. It has a total area of and over of Coastline of Wales, coastline. It is largely mountainous with its higher peaks in the north and central areas, including Snowdon (), its highest summit. The country lies within the Temperate climate, north temperate zone and has a changeable, Oceanic climate, maritime climate. Its capital and largest city is Cardiff. A distinct Culture of Wales, Welsh culture emerged among the Celtic Britons after the End of Roman rule in Britain, Roman withdrawal from Britain in the 5th century, and Wales was briefly united under Gruffudd ap Llywelyn in 1055. After over 200 years of war, the Conquest of Wales by Edward I, conquest of Wales by King Edward I o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The UK includes the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland, and most of List of islands of the United Kingdom, the smaller islands within the British Isles, covering . Northern Ireland shares Republic of Ireland–United Kingdom border, a land border with the Republic of Ireland; otherwise, the UK is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, the North Sea, the English Channel, the Celtic Sea and the Irish Sea. It maintains sovereignty over the British Overseas Territories, which are located across various oceans and seas globally. The UK had an estimated population of over 68.2 million people in 2023. The capital and largest city of both England and the UK is London. The cities o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Custom Coasters International
Custom Coasters International (CCI) was one of the premier wooden roller coaster manufacturers in the world and produced 34 wooden coasters in eleven years — more than any other company in recent times. It was located in West Chester, Ohio. History Custom Coasters Incorporated opened its doors on September 1, 1991. The company was founded by Denise Dinn-Larrick, the daughter of coaster designer Charles Dinn — founder of the Dinn Corporation, her brother Jeff Dinn and her husband Randy Larrick. The original designers for the company included freelance design engineers Mike Boodley and Bill Kelley of California. Larry Bill, formerly with Curtis D. Summers & Associates joined the design team in 1992. Initially the company promoted small, affordable, family coasters but eventually progressed to larger models known for their speed and intensity. Once the company started working with international clients the name was changed in November 1994 to Custom Coasters International. CCI ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wicker Man (roller Coaster)
Wicker Man is a wooden roller coaster at Alton Towers theme park in Staffordshire, United Kingdom. Manufactured by Great Coasters International, the £16-million ride opened to the public on 20 March 2018 following a three-day weather delay. It set several milestones among wooden coasters including the first to be built in the UK in 22 years and the first to incorporate fire. Initially codenamed "Secret Weapon 8", a traditional naming scheme for major upcoming projects at Alton Towers, its official name was revealed in January 2018. History In October 2015, The Flume was closed permanently, with an announcement made prior to the park reopening in 2016. Planning documents were submitted to Staffordshire Moorlands District Council on 23 April 2016. They documented the basic layout of the project, named "Secret Weapon 8" (SW8), and the surrounding area. The plans included retaining The Flume's former station building as a 'Smokehouse' restaurant, but this idea was dropped and the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alton Towers
Alton Towers Resort ( ) (often shortened to Alton Towers) is a theme park and resort complex in Staffordshire, England, near the village of Alton, Staffordshire, Alton. The park is operated by Merlin Entertainments, Merlin Entertainments Group and incorporates a theme park, water park, Miniature golf, mini golf and Hotel, hotel complex. Originally a private estate of the Earl of Shrewsbury, Earls of Shrewsbury, Alton Towers' grounds were opened to the public in 1860 to raise funds. In the 1970s, a few rides were added and some of the themed areas were developed. Inspired by Disneyland, it was transformed into a theme park in 1980 with the installation of its first roller coaster and several new rides. The park has many attractions such as Congo River Rapids (Alton Towers), Congo River Rapids, Nemesis Reborn, The Smiler and Wicker Man (roller coaster), Wicker Man. It operates a total of ten roller coasters and offers a range of accommodation and lodging options alongside the theme ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Aspro Parks
Aspro Parks (''Aspro Ocio Group'') is a Spanish leisure corporation that operates many water parks, amusement parks, aquariums as well as zoos, botanicals and dolphinariums across Europe. The company was founded in October 1991 in Spain, and is registered and headquartered in Madrid. It is best known for its Aqualand theme parks. Its major brands include Aqualand (waterparks), Marineland (aquatic zoo and dolphinarium) and Bluereef (aquariums). The group operates 68 leisure parks and attraction centers in Spain, the UK, France, Finland, Portugal, Switzerland, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, and Austria. For the year ended October 2012, the company generated EUR 154.05 million in operating revenue (annual growth of 1.9%) and achieved EUR 37.641 million in net profit (annual decline of 10%). It is owned by Luxembourg-based alternative investment firm Signet Investments S.A. List of parks See List of Aspro Parks attractions References External links * Amusement park com ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Gravity Group
The Gravity Group is a wooden roller coaster design firm based in Cincinnati, Ohio. The firm was founded in July 2002 by several members of the engineering team of the defunct Custom Coasters International following the latter's bankruptcy. The core group of designers and engineers at The Gravity Group have backgrounds in civil, structural, and mechanical engineering. Their experience comes from work on over 40 different wooden roller coasters around the world. Many of The Gravity Group's projects have been well-received by the amusement industry, including The Voyage, Hades 360, and Ravine Flyer II. Roller coaster projects The first coaster designed by The Gravity Group opened in 2005 as Hades at Mt. Olympus Water & Theme Park Resort in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin. It won Best New Ride of 2005 in '' Amusement Today'''s Golden Ticket Awards. The Gravity Group also designed The Voyage at Holiday World & Splashin' Safari in Santa Claus, Indiana, which opened in May 2006 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
