Lightwater Valley

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Pennywise
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So... this is basically going to be an IP-based "There's Something in the Dungheap"?

:|
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meames
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On the face of it, yes, this is just a play area, but having seen the one already at Sundown, I can safely say this is so much more than the Dung Heap - the quality of the equipment is incredibly high and there is much more equipment. Our son played in here for a few hours yet in the Dung Heap he was bored within 15 minutes - it has a larger appeal.
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clayj
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Guess where i'll have to take my son when we are over at my parents in the summer lol

http://valleymania.co.uk/news/show_news.php?subaction=showfull&id=1362751560&archive=&template=VM_Main
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joelpagett
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Having recently visited Lightwater Valley for the first time I thought I would share some thoughts on the park. One thing I can highly commend is their friendly staff and customer service. The ride lineup was fully available that day to. My top 3 rides I loved were The Ultimate, even though I was wheeled out on a stretcher, Raptor Attack which is an awesomely themed little dark roller coaster and Whirlwind. I have never seen rides operate like they do at Lightwater Valley! Whirlwind was INSANE! we must have been on it for over 3 minutes and it was nuts! The same had to be said for Eagles Claw! They should teach Thorpe how to do it!

The park was clean and very well looked after but I can't help feeling they need a really big new WOW attraction to really boost the number! Here are some photos and the rest can be found on Flickr HERE

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Pennywise
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Nice report on a lovely park. :)

I should point out, however, that (besides Samurai being knackered) the superior ride operations and longer circuits at Lightwater Valley are entirely down to having less guests and shorter queues compared with the likes of Thorpe. Samurai gets 45-60 minute wait times as it is, so really can't afford to run for any longer, which is a shame.

Certainly a benefit to visiting smaller parks though. And, indeed, The Ultimate and Raptor Attack in particular are outstanding rides.
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themealgang
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I'm very fond of Lightwater Valley and agree completely with your points. The park is clean, the staff are friendly, and for a small park, the ride line up is good for a great day out. The Ultimate is obviously the star attraction and is incredibly underrated within the coaster community. However, Raptor Attack did also impress and typical of a ride of it's kind, was smooth as glass. Their flat rides are also run on very intense settings which made a pleasant change of scene compared to the likes of Thorpe.

A new, 'star' attraction would be nice. But, for it's sheer charm, appearance and excellent staffing and operation, Lightwater Valley gets the seal of approval from me!
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joelpagett
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I do agree totally that Lightwater Valley do not get any where near as busy but it is still fantastic to ride!
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MJNemesis
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Thanks for this little review. I plan to head up to Yorkshire during the summer to check out Lightwater Valley and Flamingo Land instead of the usual AT and TP.

Can I ask (if it's not personal), why you got wheeled out of The Ultimate? I know it was partly built by British Rail engineers so I'm hoping there are no delays due to signal failures or pheasants on the line!
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joelpagett
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MJNemesis wrote: Thanks for this little review. I plan to head up to Yorkshire during the summer to check out Lightwater Valley and Flamingo Land instead of the usual AT and TP.

Can I ask (if it's not personal), why you got wheeled out of The Ultimate? I know it was partly built by British Rail engineers so I'm hoping there are no delays due to signal failures or pheasants on the line!
It is a great little park and it is well worth heading over there, it is nice to do a different park! The Ultimate is awesome, its fast, long and full of thrills... BUT it is very old which means it is VERY rough, very rough in fact! I went on in 3 times and had bruises all over my legs! But its worth the pain :D
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melissa.race

Brilliant Report!

I went to Lightwater last weekend with a group of 10 other friends. And although the weather was dreary (typical English weather, drizzle and a bit cold), I had an awesome time. Went on the majority of the rides, there was only a 10 minute queue for The Ultimate - the queue didn't even take up half of the station, completely different story to 10 years ago! Yes, the ride is rough, I got bruises, but a good ride regardless!

Weirdly enough though, for the first time ever, I felt sick off a ride, and the culprit was a pirate ship... Not the one that goes upside down either!
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clayj
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DeanGaryCox
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Can't seem to find a topic, but seeing online recently about the losses the park has been having over past couple of years i'm determined to visit just in case the park takes a turn for the worse... just wondering if the park is worth me staying an extra night when visiting flamingoland to visit lightwater valley as well - i mean are the ultimate and raptor really that special?
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Luce
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I think Lightwater Valley is worth a visit and I've enjoyed all my visits there. The Ultimate is one of the craziest coasters I've been on and even though it's very rough, it's also pretty good. You just have to brace yourself for the mad section in the woods :) Raptor Attack is also a good ride and is certainly one of the park's best rides.

Aside from coasters, there's also their great flat rides, Whirlwind and Eagle's Claw which are definitely worth going on if you're a fan of spinning rides which I am.
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Morgan
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HB489
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Probably safe to assume the title is somewhat exaggerated. Further in the article it states the deer was "reportedly decapitated", with no source for said report, and no further mention of blood showering riders.

That's not to say it didn't happen, but I'd be surprised if it happened as the title suggests. Maybe some blood splatter on the track and carriage, and broken bones.
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Burniel
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Other news companies have reported this as well. I believe it did happen.
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Ryan.B
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Terrible news, didn't it happen in 1994 or sometime round there as well?
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Morgan
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Yeah, a similiar incident happened in '94
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Burniel
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What amuses me is that similar accidents have occurred in '94 and '04, and now '14. Coincidence? ;)
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NemesisRider
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It's a conspiracy!

In all seriousness, I think they do over exaggerate, when The Smiler hits a bird nobody mentions it too much...
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