Lightwater Valley 2016

[darrenhosker]

Surprised it hasn't been mentioned already, but they have three new attractions for this year.

- Treetop Nets (Which was mentioned above) - Set high in the trees with giant trampolines, walkways, slides and tunnels made out of netting, suspended 9 metres off the ground. I believe this may be outside the park itself.

- Funkey Monkey Soft Play Area & Cafe in the old theatre building.

- Apollo, to replace the Whirlwind which was sold after 5 years at the park - This is a 25m (80ft) tall Star Flyer spinning swing tower ride from Funtime.

Nothing major but, it's something which is better than nothing. Not heard any mention of the Holiday Village that they kept submitting for approval, they finally got it and haven't mentioned it since.

 

[Martyn B]

That's a much better ride for Lightwater than Whirlwind ever was.

 

[owentaylor121]

Fantastic, a smaller model of a ride that's only a few miles down the road, with less theming...
Surely they could have gone for something else?

Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk

 

[Ian]

This makes me cry.

Not because of the new ride installations but because LWV seem to be squandering the opportunity they had a few years ago.

Remember when they bought a load of rides from Loudoun and make the super Pirates Cove area, Angry Birds play area and the lovely themed Raptor Attack? I really thought that was a turning point for them. They started to realise that nice things, nice areas and a dash of storyline made for a good park. It was moving away from just being The Ultimate with some rides in a field. They they sort of, err, stopped. Oakwood did a similar thing and now, at least it feels like, they are bumping along the road on four flat tyres.

None the less, new attractions are new attractions. I'm glad to see them there and hope it encourages more people to visit the park and spend their cash so LWV can reinvest in more cool things like they did several years ago.

 

[MouseAT]

This makes me cry.

Not because of the new ride installations but because LWV seem to be squandering the opportunity they had a few years ago.

Remember when they bought a load of rides from Loudoun and make the super Pirates Cove area, Angry Birds play area and the lovely themed Raptor Attack? I really thought that was a turning point for them. They started to realise that nice things, nice areas and a dash of storyline made for a good park.

Exactly this. There seemed to be progress in the right direction for a while, then a bunch of people seemed to leave, and now the park seems to be stuck with no clear direction.

None the less, new attractions are new attractions.

Except that the attractions sound like more random stuff for the very young visitors, instead of anything of note. The most significant attraction is an inferior replacement of one of the park's best rides, and at only 80ft in height is pretty poor for a Star Flyer.

[The star flyer is] a much better ride for Lightwater than Whirlwind ever was.

I disagree. Whirlwind was a fantastic thrill attraction that filled an important gap in the park's ride line-up, as it gave the older visitors a flagship thrill ride. With the park lacking when it comes to second tier thrill rides, they really needed a good replacement to ensure that the park can continue to appeal to the whole family. This certainly isn't it.

How many bets this is something they were able to pick up cheaply on the second hand market and thought "it'll do?"

 

[Temleh]

How many bets this is something they were able to pick up cheaply on the second hand market and thought "it'll do?"

It's on a one year loan from showman Alex Crow.

 

[MouseAT]

^ There we go. Why am I not surprised? Another half-assed stop gap from a park that has clearly stopped trying to make any sort of progress.

 

[Martyn B]

Ultimately, they have more than enough flat rides. So there's no harm in losing one to make way for a family tower ride. They had 3 thrilling flats; Whirlwind, Eagles Claw and Black Pearl. Out of them three Whirlwind was definitely the best option to leave. Not only would they still get a good amount of money for it, it was also just too intense for a park like Lightwater Valley. It was too fairgroundy, too spiny and spewy. At least it's replacement offers something different to what LWV have ever had.

They also got the Rapids on loan for one season, and then purchased them, so hopefully it's the same deal with this Waveswinger.

Anyone know where it's located?

 

[MouseAT]

They have many flat rides. They don't have many good flat rides, which for a park with a weak coaster line-up is something of a problem. I'm disappointed to see Whirlwind go, as it was a good ride, but at the end of the day I'd have been happy with a worthwhile replacement.

This really isn't. It's too small to be a decent Star Flyer, and I'd expect poor comparisons to be made with the park's excellent Wave Swinger and with the nearby Star Flyer at Flamingo Land.

 

[JoshC.]

I swear they announced / planned to get an immersive tunnel from Simworx for this year? Has that just fallen through now, or just been pushed back?