MDS
M&D's is a Scottish amusement park beside Strathclyde Country Park in Motherwell, offering rides, family attractions, entertainment, food and accommodation.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
M&D's is an amusement park in Motherwell, North Lanarkshire, Scotland, located beside Strathclyde Park. Its offer combines fairground and theme-park rides with indoor attractions, family entertainment, hospitality and seasonal activities. The site has historically included roller coasters, thrill rides, children's rides, a water attraction, an amusement arcade, a theatre, a miniature-golf course, indoor soft play and Amazonia, an indoor tropical house featuring exotic animals. The park's operating model has been closely associated with travelling showmen Matthew and Douglas Taylor, whose ride inventory has included attractions that can be moved between fairs and fixed-site operations. This has given M&D's a changing collection of rides rather than a completely static lineup. Its signature attractions have included the Runaway Mine Train and the Big Apple junior coaster, while other rides have entered, left or been replaced over time as equipment was refurbished, sold, relocated or brought in for particular seasons. The park has also developed non-ride facilities intended to broaden its appeal beyond roller-coaster visitors. Amazonia is presented as an indoor rainforest-style attraction with animals including poison dart frogs, tarantulas and pythons. Other facilities have included the Gamezone arcade, Krazy Congo soft play, Devil's Island miniature golf, the Cosmic Bowl bowling venue, a theatre and the Alona Hotel, with associated restaurant and bar facilities. These attractions support visits in less favourable weather and help position M&D's as a broader family leisure destination. M&D's has experienced several operational and safety incidents involving rides, including stoppages and evacuations on the Tornado and Tsunami roller coasters and incidents involving the White Water log flume. The most serious reported event occurred in June 2016, when the Tsunami coaster derailed and injured ten people. The ride was subsequently removed from operation and formally closed in 2017. The park's attraction portfolio has continued to change, with older rides such as Tornado, Space Coaster, Mad Mouse and the first Big Apple leaving the site, while newer or replacement rides have been introduced. In 2018, North Lanarkshire Council approved an expansion proposal submitted by the park. M&D's later entered administration on 23 April 2020 during a period of severe disruption for leisure businesses. On 22 June 2020, the park was purchased, allowing the brand and site to continue under new ownership. Publicly available reference material does not establish a definitive current corporate parent, owner, financial profile or complete present-day attraction inventory. The park remains principally a regional Scottish leisure and tourism brand rather than an international theme-park chain.
History
M&D's developed as a fixed amusement and family-leisure venue at Motherwell beside Strathclyde Park. Its identity has been shaped by a mixture of permanent park infrastructure and travelling rides associated with operators Matthew and Douglas Taylor. This structure allowed the attraction lineup to evolve continually: rides could be refurbished, replaced, sold to other parks or brought in for particular seasons. The park's attractions have included multiple generations of roller coasters. The Runaway Mine Train originally used spinning cars and a tyre-propelled lift before receiving a conventional fixed train and chain lift before 2007. The Big Apple junior coaster provided a smaller-scale introduction to roller coasters for children. Larger former attractions included Tornado, a Pinfari coaster with more than a kilometre of track and two vertical loops, and Tsunami, described as Scotland's only inverted roller coaster. Space Coaster, previously known as Cobra and Express, was later sold to Oakwood Theme Park. Other former rides included Kamikaze, The Bomber Mark 2, Giant Condor, Mad Mouse, Magic Carpet, Fast & Furious, White Water and the first Big Apple. M&D's progressively broadened its business beyond outdoor rides. Amazonia became a prominent indoor attraction styled as a tropical rainforest, with exotic animals such as poison dart frogs, tarantulas and pythons. The wider site has also contained Cosmic Bowl, Gamezone, Krazy Congo, Devil's Island, a theatre, seasonal entertainment and the Alona Hotel. These facilities made the destination less dependent on individual rides and provided alternatives for younger visitors and for poor weather. The park's history has also included a series of ride stoppages and accidents. High winds triggered the safety systems on Tornado in June 2009, leaving six people stranded. In July 2011, nine riders were trapped on Tsunami after a mechanical failure and required rescue. A 2013 White Water incident seriously injured a teenage girl whose leg became trapped between parts of the ride structure. In August 2015, three people were injured when the log flume slipped on its track, and later that month riders had to walk down after another stoppage. Tornado was also evacuated after becoming stuck in March 2016. The most serious event occurred on 26 June 2016, when Tsunami derailed and injured ten people. The coaster was not returned to service and was formally closed in February 2017. In 2018, North Lanarkshire Council approved an expansion proposal from M&D's. The business subsequently entered administration on 23 April 2020. The park was purchased on 22 June 2020, although the available reference material does not specify the purchaser or provide a complete account of the post-acquisition corporate structure. The attraction portfolio continued to change after the purchase. Tornado was sold in November 2020 to Parc d'Attractions Marseillan-Plage, the first Big Apple was removed in 2021 and relocated to Web Adventure Park, and seasonal or replacement rides were introduced. Air Raid, manufactured by Tivoli Manufacturing, was introduced at M&D's in 2024 after having operated elsewhere under the name Spinjam. M&D's is therefore best understood as a changing regional amusement-park operation whose offer combines rides, indoor attractions, entertainment and hospitality.
- 2024
Air Raid introduced
[1]The Tivoli Manufacturing thrill ride Air Raid was introduced at M&D's.
- 2020
Administration and purchase
[1]M&D's entered administration in April and was purchased in June.
- 2018
Expansion proposal approved
[1]North Lanarkshire Council approved an expansion proposal from M&D's.
- 2017
Tsunami formally closes
[1]The Tsunami roller coaster was formally closed after the 2016 derailment.
- 2016
Tsunami derailment
[1]The Tsunami coaster derailed on 26 June, injuring ten people.
- 2011
Tsunami rescue
[1]Nine people were rescued after a mechanical failure left the Tsunami riders stranded for approximately eight hours.
- 2009
Tornado evacuation during high winds
[1]Six people were stranded on Tornado after high winds activated the coaster's safety systems.
- 2005
Kamikaze closes
[1]The Kamikaze Ranger ride was removed from operation at the park.
Products and positioning
A regional Scottish family-entertainment destination combining amusement-park rides, indoor attractions, seasonal fairground experiences, hospitality and leisure facilities.
Roller coaster
Runaway Mine Train
A principal family roller coaster at M&D's. Before 2007, it used spinning cars and a tyre-propelled lift; those features were replaced by a fixed train and conventional chain lift. The train was later repainted from grey to red during winter maintenance.
Junior roller coaster
Big Apple
A children's roller coaster designed as an introductory ride for younger visitors. The current attraction is distinguished from an earlier Big Apple coaster that was removed in 2021 and relocated to Web Adventure Park.
Indoor animal and tropical-house attraction
Amazonia
An indoor rainforest-themed attraction described as Scotland's only indoor rainforest. It houses exotic animals including poison dart frogs, tarantulas and pythons, providing an all-weather experience alongside the outdoor rides.
Thrill ride · 2024
Air Raid
A spinning thrill ride manufactured by Tivoli Manufacturing. It was introduced at M&D's in 2024 after spending the 2022 season at Alton Towers under the name Spinjam.
Water slide
Moby's Revenge
A three-lane dinghy water slide with different slide profiles, including a steep straight chute, a shallower dipping lane and a spiral course.
Amusement arcade
Gamezone
A large indoor arcade containing more than 150 games, including contemporary arcade machines and other amusement equipment.
Indoor soft play
Krazy Congo
An indoor soft-play attraction aimed primarily at younger children and intended to provide a weather-independent family activity.
Miniature golf
Devil's Island
An 18-hole miniature-golf course incorporating water features and cave-like sections.
Hotel and hospitality
Alona Hotel
The on-site hotel associated with the M&D's destination. It has included a glasshouse restaurant and bar and an atrium overlooking Strathclyde Loch.
Former roller coaster
Tornado
A large former Pinfari roller coaster with more than one kilometre of track, two vertical loops and speeds above 80 km/h. A corkscrew was removed after the 2005 season. The ride was sold in November 2020 to Parc d'Attractions Marseillan-Plage.
Former inverted roller coaster
Tsunami
A Pinfari inverted roller coaster described as Scotland's only attraction of its type. It derailed in June 2016, injuring ten people, and was formally closed in February 2017.
Brand decisions
2020
Administration and acquisitionOtherBackground
The park entered administration on 23 April 2020.
Action taken
M&D's was purchased on 22 June 2020.
Aftermath
The purchase preserved the operation of the site and brand, but the available reference does not identify the purchaser or provide financial terms.
2018
Expansion proposalStrategyBackground
M&D's sought to expand the amusement-park and leisure offering at its Motherwell site.
Action taken
North Lanarkshire Council approved the park's expansion proposal.
Aftermath
The available reference does not specify the full scope or eventual completion status of the approved expansion.
2017
Permanent withdrawal of TsunamiOtherBackground
The Tsunami coaster derailed in June 2016 and injured ten people.
Action taken
The attraction was formally closed and removed from the operating lineup in February 2017.
Aftermath
Tsunami remained a former attraction and was not listed among the park's operating rides in the reference material.
Recent events
- 2020
M&D's enters administration[1]
Bankruptcy
M&D's entered administration on 23 April 2020, during a period when the attractions and hospitality sector faced major operating disruption.
- 2020
M&D's is purchased after administration[1]
M&A
The park was purchased on 22 June 2020, enabling the M&D's site and brand to continue after the administration process.
- 2018
North Lanarkshire Council approves M&D's expansion proposal[1]
Other
The council approved an expansion proposal submitted by the Motherwell amusement park.
- 2016
Tsunami roller coaster derails[1]
Other
The Tsunami roller coaster derailed on 26 June 2016, injuring eight children and two adults. The ride was later permanently withdrawn from the park.
- 2011
Ride incidents lead to rescues and evacuations[1]
Other
Nine people were rescued from the Tsunami coaster after a mechanical failure left them stranded high above the ground for several hours.
Sources2 sources
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