Scotland's Best Value

Roller Coasters

Regarding the roller coasters that were present at Loudoun Castle Theme Park, there was the Gold Rush which was a Four Man Bob type roller coaster created by the German company Zierer. Next was the Rat which was designed by the steel company Maurer Sohne to be a Wild Mouse type roller coaster. Slytherin' served as the park's Jet 400 roller coaster and was the brainchild of German engineer Anton Schwarzkopf. Then there was Twist 'n' Shout for the park's looping roller coaster and also developed by Schwarzkopf. Finally, Wacky Worm was a ride for children as the park's junior roller coaster by I. E. Park.

Thrill Rides

For the thrill rides at Loudoun Castle Theme Park, the Barnstormer was a drop tower that was relocated from the former Pleasureland Southport Park. Next the Black Pearl served as a pirate ship ride for Loudoun Castle Theme Park. The Captains Wheel on the other hand functioned as an enterprise ride. With Chair-O-Planes rides, the park hosted the largest in the world called the Plough. As for the Crow's Nest, it was the park's troika ride. The HMS Flora McDougal offered its own thrills as a swinging ship ride. Then there was Logger's Leap which was the park's log flume. Lastly, the Milk Churn entertained riders as a round up ride.

Financial Trouble

However much Loudoun Castle Theme Park had to offer tourists and thrill seekers alike, the park ran into trouble with financial issues. From 1995, the park's attendance reached its highest point in 1997 with 225,000 visitors before dropping down in 2003 to 110,000. This was in contrast to expectations of the park's owners who overestimated the amount of visitors to the park for a smaller area like Scotland. Worse still, the inclusion of new rides to the park every year only resulted in more difficulty to provide payment. Furthermore, the size of the park also meant higher prices in maintenance, putting a strain on resources.

Death

A greater strain than money eventually came upon Loudoun Castle Theme Park in 2007 which threatened the park's image of being safe. It happened on July 15 of that year when one of the ride operators of the Rat, 18 year old Mark Blackwood, was performing maintenance. After pushing the roller coaster when it got stuck, Blackwood fell 80 feet before dying the next day in the hospital. The incident led to a two week trial where the park owners were found not guilty of failing to provide training for Blackwood. Nonetheless, there were rumors that the park might close after all due to the tragedy. 

Closure

As it turned out, Loudoun Castle Theme Park did close its gates in September 2010 as was discovered by the media. Even so, the reasoning given by the park's last owner Henk Bembom for the closing was not because of the death as it was over the park being "no longer economically viable." Local accounts also went on to imply how the park "never made a profit" during its years under Bembom. All the while, the only significant activity that surrounded the park since 2011 was either debates over certain rides being taken somewhere else or other rides simply laying there and collecting rust. 

Future

Two messages on the future of Loudoun Castle Theme Park have been uncovered online since 2010's proclamation that eventually operation at the park would come back. In 2013, there was an announcement that there was a potential redevelopment plan for the park as a golf site. Then in 2014, yet another announcement was made, saying that fixing the park was to begin in 2016 with reopening the park altogether in 2018. But either way, both possibilities equally reveal that nothing has been set in stone for the park or its castle yet as of this writing.