Lightwater Valley near Ripon, UK, is today (Saturday 9th April) opening their doors for the 2011 season. It is quite possible that many people outside of theme park enthusiast groups and Northern England have never heard of this family theme park, but now we feel it’s time for everybody to sit up and listen.
Their new attraction for the 2011 season isn’t just a new ride, no sir-ree; it’s an entirely new themed area with five new rides! Skeleton Cove is the first properly themed area to grace the 175 acre park.
Nic and Ian visited Lightwater Valley last week and shared a cuppa with Ashley Young, the Marketing Manager. To understand the reasoning behind this sudden leap of faith into the theme and investment, we asked a few questions about the park in general. Don’t worry, we’ll get on to Skeleton Cove in a while.
.jpg)
CF – CoasterForce, LWV – Lightwater Valley (Ashely Young).
CF – Lightwater Valley are currently in the second year of a five year plan. Last year you gave us Raptor Attack (a dinosaur-themed indoors coaster) and this year is obviously Skeleton Cove. What can we expect from years three, four and five?
LWV – The five year plan is effectively a long term investment plan that places a firm emphasis on improving the customer experience and expanding our ride portfolio. We began with the re-theme of the Rat ride back in 2010 and I think there was quite a lot of resistance (from some enthusiast groups) about the change because many were extremely fond of the iconic Rat Ride. From our perspective, however, the Rat ride was installed in 1987, so we felt it was time to refresh and update the ride. I’ve seen on some forums people calling it the best dark ride in the UK, so we’re obviously chuffed to bits with that.
One of the criticisms that we’ve heard in the past is that we’re a ‘theme park without a theme’. The response we had to the Raptor Attack re-theme was so good, however, that we want to carry on down this path, hence the development of Skelton Cove for the 2011 season . Our focus is now firmly on the development of themed areas and the overall customer experience.
CF – Focussing on customer experience, would you consider adding some non-ride attractions such as playgrounds? Lightwater Valley has a country park feel to it; do you think something like that would suit the character of the park?
LWV – As you know, Lightwater Valley is primarily a family theme park that appeals to Mum, Dad and two kids. One of our main selling features is the countryside setting and our 175 acres of parkland; Mum and dad can sit by the lake having a picnic while the kids run off and enjoy the rides in a safe, secure and clean environment, so it’s certainly something we will look at going forwards.
CF – Where does The Ultimate (the longest coaster in Europe) fit in? We’ve heard rumours that you’re going to re-track it, extend it and so on. Where does it fit in with your five year plan?
LWV – At this stage, the rumours are just that.
CF – Next year is The Ultimate’s 21st Birthday. Will you be throwing it a party?
LWV – It’s certainly something that we’re looking into at this stage. It’s something that we must acknowledge. 21 years is a milestone for any ride and it’s as popular today as it was when we installed it in 1991.
CF – With the rebranding that Lightwater Valley appears to be undertaking, have you visited other parks for inspiration and tips?
LWV – As a theme park enthusiast myself, I visit a lot of other parks and attractions. Working for a park, however, I do tend to look at things very differently. Although I do look for tips and tend to analyse every aspect of other theme parks, here at Lightwater we want to be a unique brand in our own right. As I mentioned, we want to concentrate on giving excellent customer service and engaging in open, honest and friendly communication with our customers. I like to think that we’re a ‘park on a roll’ at the moment and hopefully we can maintain that impetus going forwards.
On that note, let’s move forwards and take a look at Skeleton Cove.
.jpg)
This visit took place before opening so some of the photos may appear bare. We’ll update this topic throughout the season when more photos become available.
In 2010, Scottish theme park Loudoun Castle closed. Lightwater Valley saw this as a good opportunity to expand their portfolio and the Skeleton Cove concept was born. The rides already had a pirate theme to them, so all Lightwater Valley needed to do was to expand on that theme and marry them in one area in the park.
The Flying Cutlass
The Flying Cutlass is a traditional swinging ship ride, manufactured by Huss. It’s a popular attraction for all of the family that swings at a 75 degree angle. A swinging ship already exists in the park – The Wave – but will not be open for the 2011 season and will be removed in the near future. When we asked why they didn’t relocate their existing swinging ship, we learnt that it was cheaper to buy and install a new one!
.jpg)
Powder Kegs
This ride is known as a “breakdance” because of the manner in which it operates. Riders sit in barrel shaped cars which are situated on a circular platform. The circular platform then spins. As the platform spins, it rotates around a larger outer circle creating a ride full of centrifugal force. If the car is weighted correctly, the spin can be incredibly forceful.
.jpg)
Nic pointed out that Huss Breakdance rides are less prevalent than they used to be and this will bring a traditional thrill to a whole new generation. Ashley said that news of a breakdance coming to Lightwater Valley has been well received by many enthusiasts.
Skull Rock
Skull Rock is easily recognisable because it has a skull rock in the centre of the ride. This is a Zamperla regatta ride. A regatta ride is similar to doing donuts in your car over equally spaced speed bumps. As the boats move in circular fashion, they move up and down creating an impression of sailing on a choppy sea.
.jpg)
.jpg)
Pirate Swings
One for the youngsters; A popular chair-o-plane ride. We didn’t focus too much on these as we won’t be able to ride them!
.jpg)
.jpg)
The Black Pearl
Undoubtedly the signature ride in Skeleton Cove and certainly the most imposing. The Black Pearl is an inverting pirate ship. Like a normal pirate ship, the ride swings back and forth, but eventually goes all the way around, a bit like swinging a bucket of water in a vertical motion.
.jpg)
I personally felt that the ride’s backdrop was a bit too “fairground”. Although it has a good splash of colour, I think it’s a bit too bright for a pirate themed area. This won’t affect the ride experience though.
.jpg)
Skeleton Cove is situated on the site of the old go-karts. The park decided to get rid of the go-karts due to rising fuel costs, and to increase capacity. Although the go-karts were fairly popular, the through-put was abysmal. The go-kart track is partly used as pathways throughout the new area. By adding five new rides, it should, no, it will, improve the visitor experience.
Skeleton Cove is Lightwater Valley’s first fully themed area and despite not having access to vast sums of money, the team have created an immersive area with plenty of detail. The staff who we met – Ash Young and Paul Walker, the Operations Manager – are theme park enthusiasts, and their collective attention to detail is evident throughout the area. Most of the theme has been sourced from within the park, some has been bought in and they’ve even built some themselves from scratch.
We’ll start with the “geeky” stuff. Firstly, there are no plastic bins here! Rubbish bins are old barrels!
.jpg)
Supporting walls have been constructed using old railway sleepers, which give the area a proper pirate look.
.jpg)
Other fences are constructed with rope.
.jpg)
The control booth huts have been built from scratch and have a deliberate weathered appearance.
.jpg)
There are little finishing touches that you may not find unless you look closely. For example, there’s a parrot on top of one of the masts (again, masts are another example of high-class theme).
.jpg)
Nic spotted a decaying hand amongst the barrels creating the impression that somebody is buried there.
.jpg)
It’s these little touches where we could really appreciate the enjoyment that they’ve had whilst creating this area. Paul also told us that even more features will be added throughout the year. It almost feels as if the project will never end for them. It’s a labour of love for them. The pride in the project is evident throughout.
There are a couple of bolder theming examples in Skeleton Cove. The main entrance (located near the Black Widow’s Web enterprise ride) features a large skeleton archway which leads towards a shingled area complete with discarded barrels and a warning sign.
.jpg)
.jpg)
The jewel in the Cove’s crown is the shipwreck scene. Again, the detail is effective. Aside from the broken ship, mast, lifebelts and barrels of rum, a treasure chest lies on the floor with coins loosely scattered around.
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
The coins were a nice touch; they were hard to spot against the stones, so it was rewarding to see them. In a way, I hope that it encourages members of the public to chuck their loose change towards the chest, so the theme is naturally built upon. They could give the proceeds to a local charity at the end of the season.
.jpg)
Here are a few general themeing images. I'm not entirely sure what Easter Island statues have to do with pirates. Perhaps it's a nod towards British explorer James Cook who visited the island in 1774. Cook was a Yorkshireman, after all!
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
Finally, the food marquee near Skeleton Cove has been refurbished to fit in with the theme. The interior walls have piratical murals which have been painted by a local college. The food served in the marquee remains unchanged.
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
If you look back over the years at Lightwater Valley, Skeleton Cove is quite uncharacteristic for the park. The retheme of Raptor Attack (which will also be added upon… :wink
was definitely the stepping stone to what is shaping up to be a prosperous future for Lightwater Valley. After several seasons of apparent under-investment, this latest addition is an exciting step in the right direction to becoming a “theme park” and not just a field with a few rides. On a relatively small budget, but with lot of imagination, ambition and dedication, Lightwater Valley has managed to create an area suitable for everybody to enjoy. Set sail for Yorkshire right now!
Their new attraction for the 2011 season isn’t just a new ride, no sir-ree; it’s an entirely new themed area with five new rides! Skeleton Cove is the first properly themed area to grace the 175 acre park.
Nic and Ian visited Lightwater Valley last week and shared a cuppa with Ashley Young, the Marketing Manager. To understand the reasoning behind this sudden leap of faith into the theme and investment, we asked a few questions about the park in general. Don’t worry, we’ll get on to Skeleton Cove in a while.
CF – CoasterForce, LWV – Lightwater Valley (Ashely Young).
CF – Lightwater Valley are currently in the second year of a five year plan. Last year you gave us Raptor Attack (a dinosaur-themed indoors coaster) and this year is obviously Skeleton Cove. What can we expect from years three, four and five?
LWV – The five year plan is effectively a long term investment plan that places a firm emphasis on improving the customer experience and expanding our ride portfolio. We began with the re-theme of the Rat ride back in 2010 and I think there was quite a lot of resistance (from some enthusiast groups) about the change because many were extremely fond of the iconic Rat Ride. From our perspective, however, the Rat ride was installed in 1987, so we felt it was time to refresh and update the ride. I’ve seen on some forums people calling it the best dark ride in the UK, so we’re obviously chuffed to bits with that.
One of the criticisms that we’ve heard in the past is that we’re a ‘theme park without a theme’. The response we had to the Raptor Attack re-theme was so good, however, that we want to carry on down this path, hence the development of Skelton Cove for the 2011 season . Our focus is now firmly on the development of themed areas and the overall customer experience.
CF – Focussing on customer experience, would you consider adding some non-ride attractions such as playgrounds? Lightwater Valley has a country park feel to it; do you think something like that would suit the character of the park?
LWV – As you know, Lightwater Valley is primarily a family theme park that appeals to Mum, Dad and two kids. One of our main selling features is the countryside setting and our 175 acres of parkland; Mum and dad can sit by the lake having a picnic while the kids run off and enjoy the rides in a safe, secure and clean environment, so it’s certainly something we will look at going forwards.
CF – Where does The Ultimate (the longest coaster in Europe) fit in? We’ve heard rumours that you’re going to re-track it, extend it and so on. Where does it fit in with your five year plan?
LWV – At this stage, the rumours are just that.
CF – Next year is The Ultimate’s 21st Birthday. Will you be throwing it a party?
LWV – It’s certainly something that we’re looking into at this stage. It’s something that we must acknowledge. 21 years is a milestone for any ride and it’s as popular today as it was when we installed it in 1991.
CF – With the rebranding that Lightwater Valley appears to be undertaking, have you visited other parks for inspiration and tips?
LWV – As a theme park enthusiast myself, I visit a lot of other parks and attractions. Working for a park, however, I do tend to look at things very differently. Although I do look for tips and tend to analyse every aspect of other theme parks, here at Lightwater we want to be a unique brand in our own right. As I mentioned, we want to concentrate on giving excellent customer service and engaging in open, honest and friendly communication with our customers. I like to think that we’re a ‘park on a roll’ at the moment and hopefully we can maintain that impetus going forwards.
On that note, let’s move forwards and take a look at Skeleton Cove.
This visit took place before opening so some of the photos may appear bare. We’ll update this topic throughout the season when more photos become available.
In 2010, Scottish theme park Loudoun Castle closed. Lightwater Valley saw this as a good opportunity to expand their portfolio and the Skeleton Cove concept was born. The rides already had a pirate theme to them, so all Lightwater Valley needed to do was to expand on that theme and marry them in one area in the park.
The Flying Cutlass
The Flying Cutlass is a traditional swinging ship ride, manufactured by Huss. It’s a popular attraction for all of the family that swings at a 75 degree angle. A swinging ship already exists in the park – The Wave – but will not be open for the 2011 season and will be removed in the near future. When we asked why they didn’t relocate their existing swinging ship, we learnt that it was cheaper to buy and install a new one!
Powder Kegs
This ride is known as a “breakdance” because of the manner in which it operates. Riders sit in barrel shaped cars which are situated on a circular platform. The circular platform then spins. As the platform spins, it rotates around a larger outer circle creating a ride full of centrifugal force. If the car is weighted correctly, the spin can be incredibly forceful.
Nic pointed out that Huss Breakdance rides are less prevalent than they used to be and this will bring a traditional thrill to a whole new generation. Ashley said that news of a breakdance coming to Lightwater Valley has been well received by many enthusiasts.
Skull Rock
Skull Rock is easily recognisable because it has a skull rock in the centre of the ride. This is a Zamperla regatta ride. A regatta ride is similar to doing donuts in your car over equally spaced speed bumps. As the boats move in circular fashion, they move up and down creating an impression of sailing on a choppy sea.
Pirate Swings
One for the youngsters; A popular chair-o-plane ride. We didn’t focus too much on these as we won’t be able to ride them!
The Black Pearl
Undoubtedly the signature ride in Skeleton Cove and certainly the most imposing. The Black Pearl is an inverting pirate ship. Like a normal pirate ship, the ride swings back and forth, but eventually goes all the way around, a bit like swinging a bucket of water in a vertical motion.
I personally felt that the ride’s backdrop was a bit too “fairground”. Although it has a good splash of colour, I think it’s a bit too bright for a pirate themed area. This won’t affect the ride experience though.
Skeleton Cove is situated on the site of the old go-karts. The park decided to get rid of the go-karts due to rising fuel costs, and to increase capacity. Although the go-karts were fairly popular, the through-put was abysmal. The go-kart track is partly used as pathways throughout the new area. By adding five new rides, it should, no, it will, improve the visitor experience.
Skeleton Cove is Lightwater Valley’s first fully themed area and despite not having access to vast sums of money, the team have created an immersive area with plenty of detail. The staff who we met – Ash Young and Paul Walker, the Operations Manager – are theme park enthusiasts, and their collective attention to detail is evident throughout the area. Most of the theme has been sourced from within the park, some has been bought in and they’ve even built some themselves from scratch.
We’ll start with the “geeky” stuff. Firstly, there are no plastic bins here! Rubbish bins are old barrels!
Supporting walls have been constructed using old railway sleepers, which give the area a proper pirate look.
Other fences are constructed with rope.
The control booth huts have been built from scratch and have a deliberate weathered appearance.
There are little finishing touches that you may not find unless you look closely. For example, there’s a parrot on top of one of the masts (again, masts are another example of high-class theme).
Nic spotted a decaying hand amongst the barrels creating the impression that somebody is buried there.
It’s these little touches where we could really appreciate the enjoyment that they’ve had whilst creating this area. Paul also told us that even more features will be added throughout the year. It almost feels as if the project will never end for them. It’s a labour of love for them. The pride in the project is evident throughout.
There are a couple of bolder theming examples in Skeleton Cove. The main entrance (located near the Black Widow’s Web enterprise ride) features a large skeleton archway which leads towards a shingled area complete with discarded barrels and a warning sign.
The jewel in the Cove’s crown is the shipwreck scene. Again, the detail is effective. Aside from the broken ship, mast, lifebelts and barrels of rum, a treasure chest lies on the floor with coins loosely scattered around.
The coins were a nice touch; they were hard to spot against the stones, so it was rewarding to see them. In a way, I hope that it encourages members of the public to chuck their loose change towards the chest, so the theme is naturally built upon. They could give the proceeds to a local charity at the end of the season.
Here are a few general themeing images. I'm not entirely sure what Easter Island statues have to do with pirates. Perhaps it's a nod towards British explorer James Cook who visited the island in 1774. Cook was a Yorkshireman, after all!
Finally, the food marquee near Skeleton Cove has been refurbished to fit in with the theme. The interior walls have piratical murals which have been painted by a local college. The food served in the marquee remains unchanged.
If you look back over the years at Lightwater Valley, Skeleton Cove is quite uncharacteristic for the park. The retheme of Raptor Attack (which will also be added upon… :wink
was definitely the stepping stone to what is shaping up to be a prosperous future for Lightwater Valley. After several seasons of apparent under-investment, this latest addition is an exciting step in the right direction to becoming a “theme park” and not just a field with a few rides. On a relatively small budget, but with lot of imagination, ambition and dedication, Lightwater Valley has managed to create an area suitable for everybody to enjoy. Set sail for Yorkshire right now!
