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Lightwater Valley - Future?

AidanCKY

AidanCKY

Mega Poster
Nitefly said:
Plus… the Ultimate was probably borderline unsafe from jankiness (so I hear).
Click to expand...

I think it would be if it wasnt inspected enough. I know they used to track walk it daily and if any damage was found they'd fix it. Apparently the ride used to be so violent it would crack the steel track, and it'd have to be welded. On some of the urbexers pictures you can see where they've welded cracks and welded plates in areas. If they didnt check it so often those could have become lethal.

I remember riding it as a child and a wheel flew off during the ride. Heard a tinkling sound of metal flying around and then saw a wheel come off and roll off at high speed into the trees. We told the ride ops and they shut it down immediately. This was in the late 90's.

Really sad to see this unique ride go. I rode it a lot over the years, it was one of our local parks so we'd go there a few times a year. I think the park must be winding down for being sold off, the way the parks been run makes no sense really. They're not investing anything, only taking stuff away.

Is disappointing to see a lot of enthusiasts say they didnt get round to going etc. Its people not bothering that makes parks die sadly.
 
P

Pierre

Strata Poster
I do fear for Lightwater valley with this news and their new direction. There isn’t much extra at Lightwater Valley that you can’t find at a local farm attraction for a fraction of the cost.

I do also fear this will have a knock on effect on Flamingo Land. Competition is good, Flamingo Land no longer has any realistic regional competition and their owners seem more focused on a long standing battle with a Scottish community about opening a resort up there. The lack of competition in FL’s immediate vicinity could see the investment drop off while they expand their market elsewhere.
 
S

sneakycoasters

Roller Poster
To be fair I think Flamingo Land stopped putting a ton of effort in quite some time ago. I'd say in the late 90's the two parks were basically in the same position. After Flamingo Land got Velocity and Kumali in, Lightwater stopped really being much competition.

Lightwater kept throwing up temporary fairground rides while Flamingo Land was installing permanent ones, and permanent buildings, expanding their holiday park etc.

Now that Flamingo Land built Sik, I dont see them putting much effort in for a long time, they don't need to. They've had the north east and Scotland as devoted visitors for a long time anyway.

It's quite depressing as I think there was always space for both parks to exist and survive together. I always thought Lightwater could have become some kind of mini-efteling, a more quirky and beautiful park with unique attractions, whilst Flamingo Land would have had the bigger budget rides albeit with the holiday park stuff and not as interesting of a place.

In an alternative universe I could have seen Lightwater getting The Ultimate rebuilt in a new form by a proper manufacturer, or sections replaced to smooth it out with new trains. A woodie down near where Soopa Loopa was. A mixture of family friendly dark and flat rides.

Right now the park has:
The Ultimate and its building SBNO.
Raptor Attacks building, queue, station and old gift shop boarded up and abandoned.
Whirlwinds concrete foundations sat empty and bare.
The area around where Widows Web used to be is littered with old concrete footings and stuff.
Toad Hole sat abandoned since 2005.
Lightwater Wheel foundations sat empty.
The wave pirate ship foundations/lake/waterfall sat empty.
The old go kart track partially built over with remains left.
Skate Kart track left as just a random bit of tarmac.
Hungry Harbours roof has fallen in ages ago and so it's all just closed up.

My guess is they're planning to separate the park from the area where the Ultimate is, to potentially sell off that land and redevelop it. Posh houses would be my guess.

 
rob666

rob666

Hyper Poster
So sad to see.
Spent many a happy hour reducing small children to tears on that ride!
"That really hurt...again, again".
Only me out of the (nearly) grown ups who would go round twice.
 
EDjanaika

EDjanaika

Mega Poster
TilenB

TilenB

Strata Poster
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:(
 
S

sneakycoasters

Roller Poster
Thanks for sharing my photo. Broke my heart seeing this. The lift was pulled over with everything in-situ, all of the signs etc. Even the heras fencing they'd put on the lift to stop urbex people climbing it - was left on there to be destroyed.

The park seems to be managed and operated by extreme penny pinchers who are happy to destroy the parks icon for a bit of scrap money.

EDjanaika said:
It looks like they're storing the carriages of the park's best ride inside the building that used to house the park's second best i think if that's Raptor Attack. Sad photos
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Yep that's where they are. Old Raptor Attack building also with all of its queue and themeing sat there but no coaster at the end of it.
 
rob666

rob666

Hyper Poster
The fake Tripeadvisor reviews are appalling.
Lots and lots of five start reviews over the last six months (park closed for most of it) from lots of people who have only done one or two reviews, ever.
Should be banned, blatant false reports.
 
Peet

Peet

Giga Poster
rob666 said:
The fake Tripeadvisor reviews are appalling.
Lots and lots of five start reviews over the last six months (park closed for most of it) from lots of people who have only done one or two reviews, ever.
Should be banned, blatant false reports.
Click to expand...
And yet it's still only at 3.5/5 😅
 
rob666

rob666

Hyper Poster
This is what they do.
'Mingo actually managed to get their reviews suspended some time ago, things got that bad for them.
Post covid closed ride rip offs and massive food queues, with no refunds and rude staff, all the usual!
Kept me chuckling for hours.
 
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