Located in Ripon, North Yorkshire, Lightwater Valley is one of the most popular theme parks in northern England. The park's most famous ride was The Ultimate, which was the longest roller coaster in the world when it opened in 1991. However, the parks has re-focused on rides and play areas for under 12s and The Ultimate remained closed in 2021 and may not re-open. A number of other rides have been retired and replaced by smaller rides and outdoor play areas.

Park History

Lightwater Valley first opened in 1969 as a fruit farm, evolving into a theme park with the debut of the Rat Ride (now renamed as Raptor Attack) in 1989. The debut of the 7,442-feet-long The Ultimate coaster put the park on the map, although further investments on a similar scale have not been forthcoming. After initially starting out in family ownership, the park has since changed hands twice, most recently to Heritage Great Britain PLC in 2001. The focus of the park in 2022 had changed to being an adventure playground for under 12s.