Lightwater Valley

Amusement park in the United Kingdom


Lightwater Valley
Location
Ripon, North Yorkshire, England, UK
Status Operating
Opened 1969
Owner Brighton Pier Group
Website https://www.lightwatervalley.co.uk/

Lightwater Valley Family Adventure Park is a theme park located in Ripon, Yorkshire, England, UK.

The park was recreated in the original RollerCoaster Tycoon.

History

Lightwater Valley first opened as a farm in 1969. It was owned by Robert Staveley. The park was acquired in 1997 by Queensborough Holdings, who purchased Pleasurewood Hills the previous year.[1][2] In 2001, it was sold to Ball Investments, who employed Heritage Great Britain to operate it.[3]

In 2012, a new pirate-themed area called Skeleton Cove was opened with five new rides, representing an investment of £1.2 million.[4] For the 2015 season, the mini golf course was redeveloped and relaunched as Jurassic Adventure Golf.[5]

Lightwater Valley was sold in June 2017 to Livingstone Leisure, who also own Flambards Theme Park.[6]

The opening of the park was delayed in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Ultimate, Raptor Attack, and Apollo remained closed throughout the season. The park had stated that these rides will remain closed as it is aiming to focus on families for the remainder of the season.[7] On 1 February 2021, the park announced that it would continue to focus on families with young children and as a result Raptor Attack, Apollo, Eagle's Claw, Black Pearl, and Wild River Rapids will be removed.[8] The park did not publicly comment on The Ultimate, however, it responded to private messages by confirming that it would not operate in 2021.[9]

The park was sold to The Brighton Pier Group (owners of Brighton Palace Pier) in June 2021 for a sum of £5 million.[10]

The park was set to receive a major rebrand for the 2022 season, with a new logo, new mascot and name altercation to 'Lightwater Valley Family Adventure Park'. The 2022 season would see 2 new family-thrill rides and 3 further attractions, still focused around the Under 12s market. On top of this, the park are introducing an extensive new entertainment program and have completely overhauled the food & beverage line up, with multiple new outlets and vegan options.[11]

Roller coasters

=Planned

Name Manufacturer Type Opening Status
Rocket Unknown Unknown 2024 Planned

Present

Name Manufacturer Type Opened Status
Caterpillar D.P.V. Rides Kiddie 2003 Operating
Ladybird Zierer Kiddie 1993 Operating

Past

Name Manufacturer Type Opened Closed Fate
Batflyer Caripro Suspended 1996 2002 Relocated to World in Miniature
Grizzly Bear Pinfari Sit-Down 2004 2008 Travelling Netherlands
Raptor Attack Schwarzkopf Enclosed 1987 2019 Relocated to Cotaland
Soopa Loopa Soquet Sit-Down 1988 1994 Relocated to American Adventure Theme Park
The Ultimate Big Country Motioneering / Self-built Terrain July 17, 1991 2019 Demolished in 2023.[12]
Viper Schwarzkopf Sit-Down 1996 2001 Relocated to Loudoun Castle
Twister Reverchon Spinning Wild Mouse 2001 2019 Travelling UK

Attractions

Operating (27)

Name Manufacturer Type Opened
Animal Carnival Hampton Rides Roundabout 2007
Carousel John H. Rundle Carousel 2009
Clownaround Modern Products Roundabout 1995-96
Dodgems Kolmax-Plus Dodgems 2022
Dragon Boats Diamond Electronics Roundabout 2007
Dragon Drop Moser's Rides Junior Drop Tower 2004
Eagles Claw KMG Frisbee 2004
Eagles Creek Farm Metallbau Emmeln Track Ride 2013
Elephant Flight Kolmax-Plus Jets 2021
Flying Cutlass HUSS Pirate Ship 2011
Hot Air Balloons Güven Amusement Rides Factory Samba Balloon 2021
Human Cannonball Modern Products Junior Jets 1995-96
Jumping Kangaroos Güven Amusement Rides Factory Junior Jump & Smile 2021
Ladybug Modern Products Roundabout 1995-96
Lightwater Express Train Severn Lamb Miniature Railway 1979
Monkey Drop SBF Visa Group Junior Drop Tower 2021
Pirate Swinger Park Rides Lamborghini Junior Chair-O-Plane 2011
Powder Kegs HUSS Breakdance 2011
Savanna Express Zamperla Junior Railway 2021
Skull Rock Zamperla Sea Storm 2011
Skyrider Preston & Barbieri Waveswinger 2006
Space Pirates Modern Products Major Orbit 1999
Splash Falls WhiteWater West Dinghy Waterslides 1995
Tiki Raft Zamperla Junior Miami 2023
Twist and Turn Sonacase Scrambler 2022
Alice's Car Ride Metallbau Emmeln Track Ride 2015
Wave Rider Modern Products Junior Pirate Ship 2011

Closed

Name Manufacturer Type Opened Closed Fate
Apollo AK Rides Star Flyer 2016 2020 Travelling UK
Beaver Rapids Reverchon Log Flume 2000 2002 Relocated to Vidámpark
Black Pearl Weber Ranger 2011 2020 Unknown
Black Widow's Web HUSS Enterprise 2001 2017 Scrapped
Buffalo Express Zamperla Junior Railway Unknown 2016 Stored
Carousel Savage Carousel 2000 2007 Travelling UK
Chair-O-Plane Unknown Chair-O-Plane c.1983 1993 Relocated to Ocean Beach Pleasure Park
Chair-O-Plane Unknown Chair-O-Plane 1996 1998 Relocated to Pleasurewood Hills
Disco Rider Maxwell Ark/Speedway 1992 1994 Relocated to Fantasy Island
Thunderdome Maxwell Waltzer 2017 2021 Travelling
Dodgems Supercar Dodgems 2007 2013 Scrapped
Dodgems Supercar Dodgems 2020 2020 Travelling UK
Flying Camels I.E. Park Jets 2007 2016 Scrapped
Flying Nellies Kolmax-Plus Jets 2017 2017 Relocated to Primrose Valley Holiday Park
Gallopers Savage Carousel 1981 1990s Travelling UK
Go Karts Formula K Go-Karts 1980s 2010 Scrapped
Heatwave Schwarzkopf Chair-O-Plane 1998 2004 Relocated to Loudoun Castle
Helter Skelter Supercar Helter Skelter 1994 1990s Travelling UK
Hornet's Nest Chance Rides Chaos 2008 2009 Scrapped
Lightwater Wheel Technical Park Ferris Wheel 2008 2016 Relocated to Bayside Fun Park
Mexican Hat A.R.M. Trabant/Satellite 1994 2005 Relocated to Seaburn Fun Park
Octopus Bennett Twist 1996 2003 Scrapped
Octopus A.R.M. Polyp 2005 2006 Travelling UK
Shake It K.T. Enterprises Miami 2003 2003 Relocated to Primrose Valley Holiday Park
Toad Hole Self-built Water Chute 1982 2006 Scrapped
Vintage Cars Supercar Track Ride 1980s 2010 Relocated to Needles Landmark Attraction
Voyager C.A.H. Ranger 1999 1999 Travelling in Poland
Waltzer R.J. Lakin Waltzer 1991 1991 Relocated to Wonderland
Waltzer Maxwell Waltzer 1999 or earlier 2003 Travelling UK
Wave Zamperla Pirate Ship 1990 2010 Sold & stored (UK)
Whirlwind Mondial Top Scan 2010 2010 Travelling UK
Whirlwind Mondial Top Scan 2011 2015 Travelling UK
Wild River Rapids Reverchon River Rapids 2009 2020 Relocated to Fantasy Island


References

  1. "Queensborough in the black after 13 years". The Independent.
  2. "All the fun of the fair..." The Guardian.
  3. Hill, Nick (15 June 2017). "Sale completed of North Yorkshire theme park Lightwater Valley". BDaily News. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  4. Godfrey, Ron. "Lightwater Valley invests £1.2 million in Skeleton Cove". The Press. Retrieved 6 April 2020.
  5. "New at Lightwater Valley". ThemeParks-UK. Retrieved 6 April 2020.
  6. "Livingstone Leisure Acquires North Yorkshire Theme Park". InterPark. Retrieved 6 April 2020.
  7. "We are reopening!". Lightwater Valley.
  8. "Lightwater Valley set to broaden offering for young families in 2021". Lightwater Valley. 1 February 2021. Archived from the original on 1 February 2021. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  9. Keller, Mark (6 February 2021). "Lightwater Valley: Europas längste Achterbahn bleibt 2021 geschlossen". Parkerlebnis.de. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
  10. "Lightwater Valley sold to Brighton Pier Group". Ride Rater. 2021-06-17. Retrieved 2021-06-17.
  11. https://www.lightwatervalley.co.uk/. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  12. https://twitter.com/merlins_bearduk/status/1622032270931394565. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)

External links