Beloved UK theme park with 2.5 million annual visitors is abandoned | UK | Travel

There was a time when a much-loved UK theme park with a giant 300-metre roller-coaster welcomed 2.5 million visitors every year.

But after 29 years in business, it closed its doors forever and was abandoned as precious memories of its heyday faded away.

Camelot Theme Park in Lancashire became immensely popular after opening in 1983 and spanning 140 acres. Inspired by King Arthur’s Camelot, thousands of guests were welcomed to the iconic white castle gateway to immerse themselves in the pseudo-medieval theme park owned by Park Hall Leisure.

Along with the exciting rides and attractions, there were also jousting demonstrations for a trip back in time. Some of the memorable attractions included Whirlwind, Excalibur, Gauntlet, Dragon Heights, Pendragon’s Plunge, The Galleon, and Formula-K Go-Karts.

But Camelot’s most legendary ride was The Knightmare, a massive 300-foot roller coaster that opened in 2006. It reportedly cost a whopping £3 million to build and quickly became a favorite with fans eager to experience the hair-raising twists and turns, including a nearly vertical bend dubbed the ‘psycho drop’.

The theme park was also home to the Twister log flume and three notable water slides. There was also a large caterpillar roller-coaster coaster that ran the entire length and width of the park, which many may remember.

By the late 1980s, Camelot had been purchased by Granada and was in its heyday, hosting 2.5 million visitors a year. But the glory days began to fade in 1995, when visitor numbers dropped to around 500,000 a year.

The theme park was later sold to Prime Resorts Limited, which introduced new rides such as Excalibur 2, Whirlwind and Knightmare. However, visitor numbers continued to decline. By 2000 they were hosting 400,000 people a year, but by 2009 this number had dropped to less than 300,000.

Unfortunately, the once thriving park closed permanently in 2012 and many attractions were sold to venues across Europe. Yet much of the medieval theme park remains abandoned to this day, including the famous Knightmare ride, with its graffiti-covered buildings, rusting roller coasters and spooky remnants of once fun-filled days.

Urban explorer Matthew Holmes visited the abandoned site in 2017 and explained: “I went to the theme park when I was 13 and most adults had gone there too. I thought let’s go and see what’s there.”

“I walked in and suddenly all these memories from my childhood came back to me. It was so sad walking around, so worn out. All that excitement and fun is replaced by emptiness. Time is frozen. All those trips are still there.”

There had been previous plans to demolish the theme park, but this was left untouched. Plans were recently outlined to demolish the theme park and build a 350-home village, but this has not yet been confirmed.

It remains abandoned for now and occasionally hosts strange events, such as a live-action zombie horror experience. Still, the fond memories of Camelot will live on in one way or another.

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