New attractions at Paultons Park

[owenstreet7]

I would be more inclined to say a retheme too but the fact that Paultons is hinting at an inversion coaster makes that tricky.

If you look at Lost kingdom and Tornado springs, they both have 2 thrill rides and supporting rides in an area, and I think having 4 thrill rides (cobra, magma, edge and rumoured coaster) is pushing it a bit as they are still a family-thrill park.

I don’t think edge will be retired yet as it’s not an old ride, but I can see it being relocated as they have done in they past with temple heights to make way for splash lagoon.

I think that could be a good shout considering the controversy that it's had in that location due to the noise and planning.

I'm quite inclined to say that whilst still retaining a balanced line up, there would be more than two thrill rides considering the size of the land especially if this is taking up the entire left side of the park outside of Lost Kingdom.

Sorry if this goes into a tangent but I had a bit of fun with this - For me, this is what I'd say is coming for the 2026 Development in my personal opinion.

1. Intamin Multi Launch Coaster with a 25m tall swing launch and at least 2 inversions. (Thrill 1.2-1.3m).
2. Intamin Flume Ride - Similar to Biberburg. Long Term Replacement for Raging River. (Family-Thrill 1m plus).
3. Mack Seastorm - Long Term Replacement for Dragon (Family 0.9m)
4. Mack Twist N Splash - Likely Replacement for Teacups (Family 0.9m)
5. Zamperla Endeavour - 48 seat variation (Thrill 1.2m)
6. Zamperla Nebulaz (Family Thrill 1m)
7. Zamperla Air Race 6.4 Variation (Thrill 1.2m)
8. Zamperla Barnyard (Family 0.8m)
9. Zamperla Aero Top Jet (Family, No Height Requirement).
10 Bertazzon Dodgems (Family Thrill 1-1.1m)

That would be in addition to
1. Rethemed Cobra (Family Thrill 1.1m)
2. Rethemed Magma (Family Thrill 1.1m)
3. Relocated Kontiki (Family 0.9m)
4. Relocated Viking Boats (Family No Height Requirement).
5. Relocated Pirate Ship (Family 0.9m)
6. Repositioned Edge (Thrill 1.2m)
7. Rethemed Sky Swinger (Family-Thrill 1m)

I personally believe this offers a balanced family thrill area which includes
1 New Thrill Coaster
1 Refurbished Family Thrill Coaster
1 Replacement Family Thrill Water Ride
2 new supporting thrill ride and 1 refurbished supporting thrill rides.
2 new family thrill rides alongside the existing 2 family thrill rides.
4 new family rides alongside 3 refurbished and relocated family rides

This would be 4 thrill rides, 6 family thrill rides and 7 family rides offering a balanced all ages area. The rides I have suggested offer something different to the existing park offering or are upgrades to existing rides which I anticipate will be valuable supporting rides to the new coaster which will be very popular and put the park on the map as an all ages park.

In total, this would be 17 rides with 10 new and 7 refurbished.

My definition of scale I used:
Family = 0.9m and under height requirement
Family Thrill = 1m to 1.1m
Thrill = 1.2m plus

With this, I know this is ambitious however I can see this potentially being likely with the scale of the area and the park's ambition.

This also allows the remaining 3 family rides in the right side area except for the Carousel (which will stay as is) and the Teacups (which will go at the end of 2025) to be relocated and integrated into the new area whilst their old area gets developed next and not long after.

This is just me speculating as a bit of fun and may not be right by a long shot however if it gets close, I'd be amazed.

 

[Quinn c]

I think that could be a good shout considering the controversy that it's had in that location due to the noise and planning.

I'm quite inclined to say that whilst still retaining a balanced line up, there would be more than two thrill rides considering the size of the land especially if this is taking up the entire left side of the park outside of Lost Kingdom.

Sorry if this goes into a tangent but I had a bit of fun with this - For me, this is what I'd say is coming for the 2026 Development in my personal opinion.

1. Intamin Multi Launch Coaster with a 25m tall swing launch and at least 2 inversions. (Thrill 1.2-1.3m).
2. Intamin Flume Ride - Similar to Biberburg. Long Term Replacement for Raging River. (Family-Thrill 1m plus).
3. Mack Seastorm - Long Term Replacement for Dragon (Family 0.9m)
4. Mack Twist N Splash - Likely Replacement for Teacups (Family 0.9m)
5. Zamperla Endeavour - 48 seat variation (Thrill 1.2m)
6. Zamperla Nebulaz (Family Thrill 1m)
7. Zamperla Air Race 6.4 Variation (Thrill 1.2m)
8. Zamperla Barnyard (Family 0.8m)
9. Zamperla Aero Top Jet (Family, No Height Requirement).
10 Bertazzon Dodgems (Family Thrill 1-1.1m)

That would be in addition to
1. Rethemed Cobra (Family Thrill 1.1m)
2. Rethemed Magma (Family Thrill 1.1m)
3. Relocated Kontiki (Family 0.9m)
4. Relocated Viking Boats (Family No Height Requirement).
5. Relocated Pirate Ship (Family 0.9m)
6. Repositioned Edge (Thrill 1.2m)
7. Rethemed Sky Swinger (Family-Thrill 1m)

I personally believe this offers a balanced family thrill area which includes
1 New Thrill Coaster
1 Refurbished Family Thrill Coaster
1 Replacement Family Thrill Water Ride
2 new supporting thrill ride and 1 refurbished supporting thrill rides.
2 new family thrill rides alongside the existing 2 family thrill rides.
4 new family rides alongside 3 refurbished and relocated family rides

This would be 4 thrill rides, 6 family thrill rides and 7 family rides offering a balanced all ages area. The rides I have suggested offer something different to the existing park offering or are upgrades to existing rides which I anticipate will be valuable supporting rides to the new coaster which will be very popular and put the park on the map as an all ages park.

In total, this would be 17 rides with 10 new and 7 refurbished.

My definition of scale I used:
Family = 0.9m and under height requirement
Family Thrill = 1m to 1.1m
Thrill = 1.2m plus

With this, I know this is ambitious however I can see this potentially being likely with the scale of the area and the park's ambition.

This also allows the remaining 3 family rides in the right side area except for the Carousel (which will stay as is) and the Teacups (which will go at the end of 2025) to be relocated and integrated into the new area whilst their old area gets developed next and not long after.

This is just me speculating as a bit of fun and may not be right by a long shot however if it gets close, I'd be amazed.

It’s interesting you remembering the teacups etc on the other side of the park and I think moving those/making replacements is smart as that makes a space for expansion beyond 2026 in that area.

Personally, my plan would be:
-retheme cobra and magma to vikings land
-new thrill coaster to be gci titan track/gravity group timberliner woodie using area beside and in front of cobra
-Intamin log flume behind cobra/go karts area (something like Valhalla at bpb?)
-rethemed pirate ship, teacups, kontiki and mabye sky swinger as the supporting flat rides
-a playground (not what I want but Paultons love playgrounds so certain they’ll put one in)

I think the more rides they reuse the more money available for the thrill ride and theming, which we know they are good at.

 

[roomraider]

10 new rides? 10? When was the last time that happened even after a big chain park with multiple times the resources? They aren't made of money.

Personally I think a couple of rethemes of existing rides with at best a new log flume and family coaster is what we are looking at there.

 

[roomraider]

I think that could be a good shout considering the controversy that it's had in that location due to the noise and planning.

I'm quite inclined to say that whilst still retaining a balanced line up, there would be more than two thrill rides considering the size of the land especially if this is taking up the entire left side of the park outside of Lost Kingdom.

Sorry if this goes into a tangent but I had a bit of fun with this - For me, this is what I'd say is coming for the 2026 Development in my personal opinion.

1. Intamin Multi Launch Coaster with a 25m tall swing launch and at least 2 inversions. (Thrill 1.2-1.3m).
2. Intamin Flume Ride - Similar to Biberburg. Long Term Replacement for Raging River. (Family-Thrill 1m plus).
3. Mack Seastorm - Long Term Replacement for Dragon (Family 0.9m)
4. Mack Twist N Splash - Likely Replacement for Teacups (Family 0.9m)
5. Zamperla Endeavour - 48 seat variation (Thrill 1.2m)
6. Zamperla Nebulaz (Family Thrill 1m)
7. Zamperla Air Race 6.4 Variation (Thrill 1.2m)
8. Zamperla Barnyard (Family 0.8m)
9. Zamperla Aero Top Jet (Family, No Height Requirement).
10 Bertazzon Dodgems (Family Thrill 1-1.1m)

That would be in addition to
1. Rethemed Cobra (Family Thrill 1.1m)
2. Rethemed Magma (Family Thrill 1.1m)
3. Relocated Kontiki (Family 0.9m)
4. Relocated Viking Boats (Family No Height Requirement).
5. Relocated Pirate Ship (Family 0.9m)
6. Repositioned Edge (Thrill 1.2m)
7. Rethemed Sky Swinger (Family-Thrill 1m)

I personally believe this offers a balanced family thrill area which includes
1 New Thrill Coaster
1 Refurbished Family Thrill Coaster
1 Replacement Family Thrill Water Ride
2 new supporting thrill ride and 1 refurbished supporting thrill rides.
2 new family thrill rides alongside the existing 2 family thrill rides.
4 new family rides alongside 3 refurbished and relocated family rides

This would be 4 thrill rides, 6 family thrill rides and 7 family rides offering a balanced all ages area. The rides I have suggested offer something different to the existing park offering or are upgrades to existing rides which I anticipate will be valuable supporting rides to the new coaster which will be very popular and put the park on the map as an all ages park.

In total, this would be 17 rides with 10 new and 7 refurbished.

My definition of scale I used:
Family = 0.9m and under height requirement
Family Thrill = 1m to 1.1m
Thrill = 1.2m plus

With this, I know this is ambitious however I can see this potentially being likely with the scale of the area and the park's ambition.

This also allows the remaining 3 family rides in the right side area except for the Carousel (which will stay as is) and the Teacups (which will go at the end of 2025) to be relocated and integrated into the new area whilst their old area gets developed next and not long after.

This is just me speculating as a bit of fun and may not be right by a long shot however if it gets close, I'd be amazed.

10 new rides? 10? When was the last time that happened even after a big chain park with multiple times the resources? They aren't made of money.

Personally I think a couple of rethemes of existing rides with at best a new log flume and family coaster is what we are looking at there.

 

[owenstreet7]

10 new rides? 10? When was the last time that happened even after a big chain park with multiple times the resources? They aren't made of money.

Personally I think a couple of rethemes of existing rides with at best a new log flume and family coaster is what we are looking at there.

I do admit that it is very ambitious however it could very well happen at close to that scale with it being the first major area development in years and a very large possible area, it is a remote possibility.

With manufacturers like Zamperla, bulk deals have happened in the past (there was one at Dreamland Margate a few years back) and it wouldn't surprise me if part of this was a bulk deal from at least one manufacturer.

It’s interesting you remembering the teacups etc on the other side of the park and I think moving those/making replacements is smart as that makes a space for expansion beyond 2026 in that area.

With the majority of those rides on the right side of the park being Pirate and Viking themed, it makes a lot of sense to move them and integrate them within the new area.

I didn't think about playgrounds as much as the development is next to a playground and splashpad which could be updated or integrated into the area or they could do something slightly different by doing an adventure trail instead which could work for all ages.

 

[Tertiary]

In terms of height, I'm definitely thinking around 30m/100ft. The length of the area is very like a Mack Mega Lite (specifically Alpina Blitz), both north-south and east-west. Something like Juvelen is also a similar footprint.

I suspect there will be at least two rides somewhat intertwined. For some reason I keep imagining a GCI hybrid with Titan Track. If it had two or three launches, that could explain how the area available seems much bigger than the likely height of the coaster.

Talking about ride height, is there no height limit on rides like at Towers, considering it's in the New Forest?

 

[CineramaMax]

Paultons are extremely limited by how tall they can build, as confirmed by Lawrence Mancey at the fan event earlier this season. I'd expect the highest they can go would be around the 75'ft/80'ft mark like Magma is. They honestly won't even need to build a coaster as tall as that anyway. There have been rumours of an Intamin Hot Racer for the UK for a fair few months. Mahuka is approximately 65'ft and has a 1.2m height restriction, making a Hot Racer ideal for Paultons' demographic.

 

[Tertiary]

Paultons are extremely limited by how tall they can build, as confirmed by Lawrence Mancey at the fan event earlier this season. I'd expect the highest they can go would be around the 75'ft/80'ft mark like Magma is. They honestly won't even need to build a coaster as tall as that anyway. There have been rumours of an Intamin Hot Racer for the UK for a fair few months. Mahuka is approximately 65'ft and has a 1.2m height restriction, making a Hot Racer ideal for Paultons' demographic.

A ride like Formula would be good as the bridge to a thrill coaster -- around 80ft in height, not too long, a few smooth inversions, snappy launch but not too intense

 

[Peet]

Did they definitely hint at a *roller coaster* with an inversion? I remember a hint at something going upside down but not necessarily a coaster, could be a top spin or something.
I'm still holding out hope for a small GG wooden coaster. Add a new gen top spin plus a filler or two, retheme existing rides, and they will have a fantastic area to compliment Lost Kingdom, Tornado Springs and PPW.

 

[Bowser]

I'm not sure what the obsession with enthusiasts is for Hot Racers in major theme parks, surely they're an absolute throughput nightmare and only suited to much smaller parks?

They also mean people have to ride alone which seems very unsuitable for a family park.

In terms of Cobra and Edge, personally i'd be happy for both of them to go but i'd imagine they won't want to ditch two rides off the bat. Edge seems like an easier re-theme.

 

[JoshC.]

I'm not sure what the obsession with enthusiasts is for Hot Racers in major theme parks, surely they're an absolute throughput nightmare and only suited to much smaller parks?

The fact of the matter is, in terms of attendance, Paultons is not a major UK park. A ride like Mahuka has a theoretical throughput of 600pph, which is comparable to Flight of the Pterosaur. From my experience of it, the queue actually moves pretty well too.

They also mean people have to ride alone which seems very unsuitable for a family park.

I think it's perfect. It gives the opportunity for independence for the ones which are just hitting 1.2m, and for the slightly older ones (who are, say, 1.3m), it gives them that extra thrill and adds to the line up.


In saying that, I don't think we'll see them go for a Hot Racer (though I'd love to see it). The park are looking at investing in a large new area, retheming multiple rides, likely with a new coaster, and with the need for a new water ride. I can see them doing what they did with Tornado Springs / Storm Chaser and investing in an off the shelf model of a coaster which has been built a couple of times before. It makes next-to-no difference to park guests have a cloned model of a coaster, but reduces costs. And the park have further form: basically all of their coasters are stock layouts of rides which have been built before.

The park state they invested £12m in Tornado Springs, but with spiralling costs in the industry, £12m won't get them as much in this current climate. So they'll have to spend more to hit the same quality. Mix that with needing a water ride to replace their flume (ideally), and this is already a HUGE outlay.

I can still see the park investing in an inverting coaster, but I think those hoping for some big custom coaster are maybe setting themselves up for a bit of disappointment.

 

[Themeparknewbie01]

I can still see the park investing in an inverting coaster, but I think those hoping for some big custom coaster are maybe setting themselves up for a bit

This!!!! I honestly think us enthusiasts forget that Parks don't build rides for us... they build them for the 99% of visitors who are actually non-enthusiasts.

For those guests who maybe don't go to many Parks, a custom coaster means nothing. Paultons could build a powered mine train ride (they won't as viking themed etc) and the majority of their market will not have experienced one before.

They wil build within their budget something which just nudges up the thrill from what they have already to ensure the public visit again and then maybe pick up a few new visitors. It's why I am not setting my hopes too high; but will totally appreciate that what they do will be superbly themed and a great fit for a Park which 100% knows its audience.

 

[Bowser]

The fact of the matter is, in terms of attendance, Paultons is not a major UK park.

I don't know what the barometer is but pre Covid they were achieving over 1 million visitors a year and presumably it is now higher following the investments made. That makes them comparable to Drayton, Flamingo and even Chessington, especially as they're a park that is actively growing.

 

[Themeparknewbie01]

Considering Paultons do zero discounts or '2for1' and their season ticket price is high, i would suggest to still achieve 1million annually makes them a major player... especially considering their location.

If merlin knocked out every discount and pushed their annual pass prices to what paultons do, I doubt their attendance figures would be anywhere near as high as they declare.

 

[Coastiesaurus]

Considering Paultons do zero discounts or '2for1' and their season ticket price is high, i would suggest to still achieve 1million annually makes them a major player... especially considering their location.

If merlin knocked out every discount and pushed their annual pass prices to what paultons do, I doubt their attendance figures would be anywhere near as high as they declare.

Yes, as I posted upthread I was there Monday and it was heaving, despite the weather which was not ideal. Which considering the high price tag on day tickets and season pass tells you something about the standard they are providing to their customers.

I was also really impressed that they extended the opening hours until 18:00 for some of the rollercoasters and announced this via their app. In total we (as a 2 parent, 1 child family) did 21 rides through the day, as well as having lunch in the brilliant route 83 diner and letting my son spend 20 mins in the peppa pig soft play AND having a lengthy look at the animals on display as well. It’s consistently a great day out

 

[Quinn c]

Yes, as I posted upthread I was there Monday and it was heaving, despite the weather which was not ideal. Which considering the high price tag on day tickets and season pass tells you something about the standard they are providing to their customers.

I was also really impressed that they extended the opening hours until 18:00 for some of the rollercoasters and announced this via their app. In total we (as a 2 parent, 1 child family) did 21 rides through the day, as well as having lunch in the brilliant route 83 diner and letting my son spend 20 mins in the peppa pig soft play AND having a lengthy look at the animals on display as well. It’s consistently a great day out

That’s the great thing about the park, they actually seem to care about customer satisfaction consistently instead of profit as you can see the money spent around the park

 

[Bowser]

That’s the great thing about the park, they actually seem to care about customer satisfaction consistently instead of profit as you can see the money spent around the park

That's what makes it a great park for me. You don't need to purchase fast track to have a good day. You don't need to go in with military preparation. You can just turn up and wander about at your leisure, knowing you'll get on all the rides (and they'll all likely be working too).