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Lightwater Valley

I would hope if Flambards gets into trouble someone buys it to just run the exhibitions only (and perhaps expand them) - it's the only reason I ever visit when I go to Cornwall.

LWV is dead. They are clearly clinging on what they can to survive. With Covid still impacting the industry I will be surprised if they make it through another year or two. Sad.
 
Shame to see another Yorkshire park seeminglly on the way out, after the loss of Pleasure Island fairly recently.

Don't think there is even a proper seaside amusement park on the Yorkshire coast either.

Looks like Mingoland is left to fly the flag.

Maybe there's a gap in the market for "The Yorkshire Resort".

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Coaster said:
Raptor Attack was a family coaster too, the removals make no sense under the "family friendly" umbrella they're classing them as. It's a clear cost cutting measure IMO and a sign that the park is on its last legs.
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In part this is cost cutting, but there's definite sense in removing them mainly thanks to the height restriction changes that were introduced at the start of last season. Raptor Attack is now a 1.3m ride, which is way too high for a park which does not cater very well for the teenage/thrill market. Likewise Apollo and Black Pearl are also 1.4m, insanely high for the majority of the park's current target market. There'd usually be efforts to replace them, but I doubt the funds are there to do so after the last year or so on top of their existing problems.

Knowing friends with younger kids who visited last year in the brief time it was open, they quickly found themselves bored as their kids were at that awkward height not being big enough to go on the 1.3/1.4 rides and the smaller rides being 'too kiddy'.

There's clearly an attempt by LWV here to concentrate on lower height limit rides moving forward. The rides are substantially cheaper in those age groups, and their existing ride hardware for the upper age groups was useless on account of the higher height limits and likely spiralling maintenance costs due to age.

But I have to agree with everyone else on this, it does seem like the park is on its last legs. If The Ultimate remains closed (which appears incredibly likely), and move to attracting lower age group families, they've instantly narrowed the age range window for those families to visit. With Gulliver's Valley down the road that's a couple of quid cheaper, and Flamingo Land not too far off with a considerably better offering, I don't think it's a gamble that'll pay off for them.
 
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A real shame to see this but looks like Lightwater is standing on broken legs. I've only been twice, once in 2010 and once in 2019, and have never really been a fan of the park. Raptor Attack was always pretty decent though.

The Ultimate is the only reason to visit the park really, and if it remains shut then I just don't see a future for the park. Even if they are going for a younger family market there are better options out there.
 
Can I just make a few points. First of all I'm so glad I visited in 2018 when the park was still doing ok and I'm soooo glad I did all the major rides including Raptor Attack, The Ultimate and Apollo ( which was surprisingly fun)! Next point is they seem to have some new rides coming in about 8 from what I've seen called Monkey Tower , Balloon Tower and a few other rides that will no doubt be kiddie rides. This may be slightly positive but remember American Adventure who did exactly what lightwater are doing and look where they are now! There's the future of The Ultimate in doubt and I'm hopefully going to Flamingo Land for the first time this year but I don't see any point in going to Lightwater Valley with the state it's in. And finally, I'm surprised no ones mentioned this but Raptor Attack is one of the LAST SCHWARZKOPF coasters left in the uk or was! That is just so sad to hear I'm genuinely gutted. Might post a photo on here of me riding skate karts when I was young if I can find it...
 
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Funcone said:
Isn't Cannonball Express the last permanent Schwarzkopf coaster in the UK? Or has it been removed?
https://rcdb.com/852.htm

I do agree though, a bit shame to lose another Schwarzkopf, and another dark coaster. Flamingo Land got rid of theirs, Thunder Mountain, several years ago. I do really like dark coasters.
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Cannonball Express is indeed still at Pleasurwood Hills. :)
 
Had my 2nd and last ever visit in 2017 and thankfully it was quiet (no shock there) so got plenty of re rides in in Ultimate, Eagles Claw and Raptor.

There's Zero left now to entice me back.

Another UK park soon gone. Such a shame what's happening to our parks whilst in countries in Europe like Germany, Holland, France, Belgium etc they are seeing more growth in many places.
 
Would imagine there will be some second hand market value for these rides.

Thorpe definitely need a less knackered Afterburner to replace Vortex in due course. Fantasy Island would also be a good fit.

Raptor Attack is a solid indoor layout and was still in good working condition as of 2019 so potentially an ideal budget buy for a park like Yarmouth, Pleasurewood Hills, Oakwood, Mingo...

Hopefully these rides get snapped up by UK competitors, improving their own ride line-up whilst delaying Lightwater's slow death a little longer.
 
I don't see where all the Raptor Attack love is coming from. On my visits it was slow and felt like it was struggling to get around it's layout. I'll miss the spelling mistakes in the queue and the caves though
 
D4n said:
Would imagine there will be some second hand market value for these rides.

Thorpe definitely need a less knackered Afterburner to replace Vortex in due course. Fantasy Island would also be a good fit.
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Am I right in thinking that Vortex is now the only operating Afterburner in the UK?
 
Brean Leisure Park (well, they call themselves Brean Theme Park now; hmm...) have one called Wipeout. I imagine there might also be some on the fair circuit, though Freak Outs are probably more likely for that.

The news from Lightwater just keeps getting worse doesn't it? It's so sad to think that 10 or so years back they had the Ultimate, Raptor Attack, Twister, Eagle's Claw (apostrophe optional as per Lightwater English), Whirlwind, Black Widow's Web, Black Pearl and Wild River Rapids, and even then there wasn't really enough to fill a day. OK, not all of those were much cop, but they were all worth riding. Now only one of them is left and that's probably run its last ever insane, vicious circuit as well. :cry:
 
Apollo will probably be loaned out to another park out there tbh, Wild River Rapids probably the same! Eagles Claw should be sold to maybe a park like Fantasy Island or Adventure Island tbh! Black Pearl will probably go to another small park in the uk but the one that's clearly hit home is Raptor Attack. I rode it in 2018 and it was running really well so hopefully it can get sold to a park like oakwood but I wouldn't be surprised if this park closed over the next 5 years!
 
Pleasure Beach Valhalla said:
Apollo will probably be loaned out to another park out there tbh, Wild River Rapids probably the same! Eagles Claw should be sold to maybe a park like Fantasy Island or Adventure Island tbh! Black Pearl will probably go to another small park in the uk but the one that's clearly hit home is Raptor Attack. I rode it in 2018 and it was running really well so hopefully it can get sold to a park like oakwood but I wouldn't be surprised if this park closed over the next 5 years!
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Even if Raptor Attack gets sold it most likely will be an ordinary outdoor ride as opposed to an indoor coaster. That makes me sad as the the fact it was in a dark building and had unique queue and exit paths was what made it a great coaster. As for the show building, I wonder what the park will do with it?
 
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If they were turning the place into a first class family park you could kind of understand but I think we know that won't be the case. It will crappy 2nd hand and 3rd hand family rides which belong on travelling fairs they will be getting at best.

Just need to close the place and get it over with. They won't even break even again.
 
I think the situation with Lightwater Valley over recent years, and of course compounded by the pandemic, says more about the landscape in the UK than anything else.

Whilst tiny to small parks abroad can get hold of government/EU money to boost their offering (Vulcania's new coaster for 2021, Le Pal's new coaster, Futuroscope's Objectif Mars, OK Corral's new coaster, Tatzmania's new Gerstlauer) - here, the majority of small parks are on their knees. There's been accidents, pandemics, austerity - the list goes on. Local government has no money available to support them in order to boost tourism in the regions, and the businesses themselves have nothing.

Very sad times - but there are systematic problems in the UK that has caused the mass loss of smaller parks over recent years.
 
To be fair, Futuroscope got 1.9 million visitor in 2019:
https://blooloop.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/tea-report-2019.pdf

Your point stands though, it's a really tough climate for the UK parks. Perhaps particularly so for the smaller ones, although Drayton Manor went into administration last year, and Blackpool Pleasure Beach has been downsizing. What we don't seem to have much of in the UK are mid-sized parks that get between 400,000 visitor a year a million. There seems to be quite a big jump from the small parks to the big parks.
 
Funcone said:
To be fair, Futuroscope got 1.9 million visitor in 2019:
https://blooloop.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/tea-report-2019.pdf

Your point stands though, it's a really tough climate for the UK parks. Perhaps particularly so for the smaller ones, although Drayton Manor went into administration last year, and Blackpool Pleasure Beach has been downsizing. What we don't seem to have much of in the UK are mid-sized parks that get between 400,000 visitor a year a million. There seems to be quite a big jump from the small parks to the big parks.
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I know, I almost didn't mention Futuroscope because I knew someone would state that ;) - thanks :D - in fact, I shouldn't have as it's a much larger entity. That said, investment into Futuroscope is absolutely coming in from regional government and the EU's Regional Development Funds.

But, more widely - it's a crazy situation we're in in the UK. I am sure the Yorkshire Tourist Board wouldn't want to see attractions going to the wire like this - but assumedly, there's no investment pots or grants they can tap into.
 
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