Lightwater Valley facts for kids

Lightwater Valley is a fun theme park in North Stainley, North Yorkshire, England. It's famous for having The Ultimate, which is Europe's longest roller coaster!

The park was started by Mr. Robert Staveley in 1969. Today, it is owned and run by Livingstone Leisure Ltd. They bought the park in 2017. Lightwater Valley has about 30 rides and welcomes around 500,000 visitors every year.

Discover Lightwater Valley

How the Park Started

The boating lake at Lightwater Valley theme park

Lightwater Valley began in 1969 as a small farm where people could pick their own fruit. The Staveley family had owned this land since 1516.

In 1976, there was a big drought. To help with future dry spells, the family dug a large lake. People loved the lake so much that the farm slowly turned into a tourist spot!

At first, there was an adventure playground, canoes, and even a circus. Later, they added a petting zoo, BMX bikes, and Go Karts. The park became known as a "country park" where you paid one price to enjoy most rides all day.

The real theme park started in 1987 with the Rat Ride. Robert Staveley wanted a thrill ride that was still good for families. His wife didn't want a roller coaster to spoil the country feel. So, Robert built the ride underground! It was designed to look like a sewer rat's home.

This ride became very popular. It almost doubled the number of visitors! This success led to more big rides. In 1988, they added the Soopa Loopa, a roller coaster with two loops.

Robert Staveley then convinced his wife to build an even bigger roller coaster. He wanted one that went down the valley. In 1990, they started building The Ultimate. It cost £5.2 million and was over 1.5 miles (2.4 km) long. When it opened in 1991, it was the world's longest roller coaster!

Through the 1990s, more rides were added. These included roller coasters like The Viper and The Ladybird. Water rides like Beaver Rapids and Splash Falls also opened.

New Owners and Changes

In the mid-1990s, Robert Staveley passed the park to his children. But in 1997, the park faced money problems after spending a lot on The Ultimate. So, it was sold to Queensborough Holdings for £5.2 million.

Queensborough Holdings also owned Pleasurewood Hills Theme Park. But they decided to sell Lightwater Valley less than a year later. In 2001, Ball Investments bought the park. They brought in new logos, mascots, and many new rides. These included The Treetop Twister and Black Widow's Web.

After some challenges in 2001, the park worked hard to improve. They added new themed areas like Skeleton Cove with five new rides. They also added family-friendly attractions like the Angry Birds Activity Park and Jurassic mini golf. Fun events like Frightwater Valley (for Halloween) also became very popular.

In 2017, Livingstone Leisure Ltd. bought the park. After this, the Lightwater Country Shopping Village closed. The Bird Of Prey Centre also closed at the end of 2018.

In 2021, the park decided to focus on younger families. They removed some older thrill rides and added new ones for smaller children. The Ultimate roller coaster was closed in 2020 and remained closed in 2021.

Rides and Fun

Lightwater Valley has over 30 rides and attractions. They have everything from thrilling rides like Splash Falls to gentle rides for kids like Dragon Boats. The park groups its attractions into three types: Roller Coasters, Rides & Attractions, and Children's Play. This helps visitors know what to expect and what height limits apply.

Ride Categories

Roller Coasters

Rides & Attractions

Children's Play Areas

Entertainment

All About The Ultimate

One of The Ultimate trains on the first lift hill.

The Ultimate roller coaster was designed by Robert Staveley, the park's founder. Building it started in 1990 and took 18 months. The wooden parts and station were built by the park's own team. The metal track was made by another company.

The project was so big that the companies helping went out of business! So, Staveley's team and engineers from British Rail finished the ride. They made sure the track could handle changes in temperature. The project was over a year late and cost more than planned.

Robert Staveley wanted to ride it first to make sure it was perfect. He rode in a train without any safety restraints, just using a rope!

The ride opened on July 17, 1991, with Frank Bruno (a famous boxer) there. It became the world's longest roller coaster at 1.5 miles (2.4 km) long. A ride on The Ultimate takes over 5 minutes! It cost £5.2 million to build.

The park didn't plan to break any records at first. But during construction, someone realized how long the track was. They checked the Guinness Book of Records and found out it was indeed the longest!

The Ultimate has two trains. They are now back to their original navy blue color. When the ride first opened, the trains had over-the-shoulder restraints. But in 1992, these were changed to lap bar restraints to make the ride more fun.

After it opened, some parts of the ride needed fixing. Wheels and other parts developed cracks and had to be replaced. Once, a wheel on a train car broke, but the train stopped safely with only minor injuries.

In 2016, Lightwater Valley celebrated 25 years of The Ultimate. However, the ride was closed in 2020 and remained closed in 2021.

Park Mascots

Lightwater Valley has had different mascots over the years. First, there was Woody the Bear. In 2001, three green alligator mascots called the Valligators (Harry, Sally, and Baby Al) were introduced. In 2017, new dinosaur mascots named Jester and Jasmine took their place.

Eco-Friendly Park

In 2015, Lightwater Valley saved about £130,000 a year by using eco-friendly energy. They installed new biomass boilers that produce clean energy. This helped the park stop using oil for heating. They also added solar panels in nearby fields. These panels provide up to 45% of the park's electricity!

Past Rides

Images for kids

• 

  Rides near the entrance of Lightwater Valley.

• 

  "Swan Lake Boats" in the boating lake of Lightwater Valley.

• 

  "Trauma Tower", a Moser Spring Ride.