Grove Land Leisure Park in St Clears, Carmarthenshire, cost £1 million to build and opened in 1994, transforming a working dairy farm into a family-friendly attraction. The park featured iconic rollercoasters such as Thunderbolt, Cyclone, and Cyber Space, along with a notorious slide that left riders with friction burns. It closed permanently in 2005.
A Dairy Farm Transformed into a Theme Park
John and Janet Williams converted 30 acres of their 210-acre Grove Farm into the leisure park. The family had run a pedigree Friesian dairy herd for four generations, and the park's mascot, Barmy Barny, reflected this heritage. The Williams family cited a desire to boost the local rural economy and share their passion for farming and leisure as motivations for the project.
Rides and Attractions
Grove Land offered a wide range of rides, including the Thunderbolt gravity rollercoaster, Cyclone, Cyber Space, the Dance Master waltzer, Rodeo Rider, Snake Slide, dodgems, go-karts, a pirate ship, laser clay pigeon shooting, and pedalo boats. The park also featured calf parades and animal showmanship, creating a 'country show ground atmosphere'.
Affordable Family Fun
Adult admission was £7.50, children's tickets £5.60, and all rides and shows were included in the entry price. Takeaways, burger bars, and picnic areas were available. The park was expected to attract 75,000 visitors in its first season and create up to 70 jobs initially, rising to 300 within three years.
Employee Memories
Jade Walsh, now 40, worked as a ride operator for two to three seasons from age 16. She recalled: "I worked a lot on the bumper boats and the pedalos... Mr Williams who ran it was lovely." She described the Thunderbolt rollercoaster: "Sometimes we would have to load it with sandbags if there was only a couple of kids in it. If it got stuck at the top, you'd have to climb up it, run across the tracks, push it, then get down to the bottom so you could stop it at the end. Health and safety wasn't a thing then, but I loved it!"
Visitor Recollections
Gemma Daniels, now 36, visited on school trips from Ysgol Llwyn Yr Eos in Aberystwyth. She said: "The ride that we all avoided was a slide, it was like a big dipper, and it was the first time I had ever seen a ride like that. I remember kids coming off it with friction burns! They had a protector mat but you would bounce off it, because it was really fast." She added: "If it was open now, it's a place I'd take my son to."
Closure and Aftermath
The park closed in 2005 after 11 years of operation. Its rides were sold off: Thunderbolt was moved to Loudoun Castle and Cyclone to Killarney Springs Family Park. In 2008, the site was listed for £3.3 million. By April 2014, Carmarthenshire Council approved plans for 32 holiday cottages, 26 accommodation units, and leisure amenities. The development eventually opened as a static caravan park in 2018. Twenty-one years after its closure, Grove Land remains a cherished memory for thousands.
