Riding a rollercoaster 6,000 times – now that’s what I call dedication

Ryan Hackett, 61, wants to clock up 10,000 trips on the Megafobia wooden ride at Oakwood Theme Park, writes Chris Stevenson

Oakwood is the biggest theme park in Wales (Oakwood)

The story of Ryan Hackett, a rollercoaster enthusiast from Milford Haven, has caught my eye this week – he has just ridden the Megafobia wooden ride at Oakwood Theme Park for the 6,000th time.

Hackett, 61, has been riding the rollercoaster at the park in Narberth, Pembrokeshire, for more than 25 years and is eventually hoping to clock up 10,000 trips around the track.

I’m impressed with the dedication – although Hackett says he is never bored, telling the BBC: “It’s impossible to get off this ride without smiling.”

The last 1,000 rides have taken a “long, long” time he says and that Covid-19 “has a lot to answer for” when it comes to the delay – adding that he’d “missed the park dreadfully”.

In a report about his 5,000th ride – dated 2008 – Hackett said: “It’s a fantastic ride. Wood is alive, it moves and every single ride is different … It rides differently in the morning than it does in the afternoon when it’s warmed up. Whether it’s dry or wet – when it runs really fast – it’s always different.”

Having already clocked up thousands of miles and many hours around this particular rollercoaster track, with 400 rides a year across some periods and 21 rides in a day at least once, Hackett now says he is just delighted to be back in the park.

“It’s escape from reality, it’s two minutes of forgetting all your worries. You come here, ride this baby and enjoy.”

We have plenty of correspondence from readers about their favourite TV shows or things they have loved for years – but I would be very interested to know your favourite long-term pursuits. Is there a goal you are chasing?

Yours,

Chris Stevenson

Voices editor