Forbidden Valley
A battle rages at the heart of the Staffordshire countryside, in a valley covered with twisted tentacles, harsh rock faces, and scenes of devastation. Here the Phalanx face off against Nemesis Reborn and various war machines litter the area, surrounded by Nemesis 'blood' rivers, cascading into the vast lakes beneath the ride. Nemesis may have been subdued for a year, but now its pit is roaring back to life, ready for the beast's 30th anniversary in 2024.
At the entrance to Forbidden Valley, the Phalanx has recommissioned their research compound to show off their latest findings in Nemesis Sub-Terra, which some say may hold your worst nightmare: underground. And opposite swings The Blade, a fearsome pendulum that carves through its pit, surrounded by the area's quick service food and drinking offerings.
At the other end of the valley, away from the battleground, sleek and buildings rise up amidst the jagged landscape as you approach the futuristic Spaceport that houses Galactica, the park's flying coaster. This end of Forbidden Valley is dominated by the giant futuristic portal that projects the coaster into the atmosphere, with guests swooping through an oasis of exotic bushes and airy trees as they take flight. The spaceport of Galactica is set apart from the rest of the Valley, acting as a tranquil oasis, where guests can also enjoy a sit down meal in the Rollercoaster Restaurant.
Area History
Forbidden Valley started life in 1990 when the area near the Skyride turn station became home to the Thunder Looper, which remained the only attraction in the area for the first few years of its existence.
In honour of its first resident, in 1992, the area became known as Thunder Valley. At the same time the New Beast coaster was moved across the park from the Talbot Street area to the bottom of Thunder Valley, accompanied by The Beastie which took up residence by the area entrance.
But Thunder Valley's time in the park was short and in 1994 the once green and grassy hillside was transformed into deep ravines and gorges, with several tonnes of twisted steel being added to form Nemesis, Europe's first B&M inverted roller coaster. With this new addition, the area received a dramatic new theme to become Forbidden Valley, a post-apocalyptic wasteland, themed around the alien monster and the battle to keep it under control.
The Thunder Looper left the park for the 1997 season and The Beastie made its way across the park to Adventure Land. These were replaced by Ripsaw, a brand new Huss Topspin attraction, and The Blade, a re-theme for the park's Pirate Ship, which had been relocated from Fantasy World (now X-Sector) to make way for Oblivion.
At the end of the 1997 season, the park said farewell to the New Beast. This change left the bottom area of Forbidden Valley free for new development.
Sure enough, in 2002 the empty space had been transformed into a peaceful oasis, rife with greenery and smooth rolling terrain (quite the contrast to the rest of the area). Set in this landscape sat Air, the new multi-million pound flying coaster, on which guests could soar over the area while lying in a flying position.
2002 also saw Dynamo make the area entrance its home. This was an old ride which had moved and been re-themed several times in its life at Alton Towers. Sadly, this was to be its last home before it was disassembled and moved to the storage yard behind Duel in 2004.
The area once home to Dynamo was once again utilised in 2006 when the Lava Lump climbing wall moved from Ug Land to make room for Rita - Queen of Speed. It remained here until the area was cleared ready for the 2012 attraction, Nemesis: Sub-Terra. Sub-Terra would only operate for three seasons before it was shuttered in 2015.
2016 saw major changes occur in Forbidden Valley as Air was transformed into Galactica, the park's new VR Experience. The development saw the old Air shop transformed in a Rollercoaster Restaurant, with a new Galactica Store built alongside. 2016 also saw the removal of Ripsaw and the closure of neighbouring Refresh@Ripsaw as well as Fresh Fish and Chips, which had been shuttered since a fire early in the 2015 season.
Ripsaw was temporarily replaced by the already legendary Forbidden Sweep, whilst Fresh Fish and Chips was converted in the Coffee Lounge. Between 2021 and 2023, the old Ripsaw site was home to Funk'n'Fly, one of the temporary Retro Squad rides.
