Lightwater Valley - Wednesday 3rd August 2016 PTR

[Coaster]

PARK OPEN: 10am - 5:30pm
RIDES CLOSED: Flying Cutlass

 

Having not visited for a few years, I was eager to return to Lightwater Valley to see what had changed, and to get back on The Ultimate!

 

The day got off to a good start with a ride on Eagles Claw before the main park opened (10:30am), then straight onto Twister to dodge the queue followed by two rides on Raptor Attack (again before the queue built up) and then we made our way to The Ultimate.

 

The park is in a fairly good state aesthetically with grass well kept, and the countryside setting really adds to the overall feel of the park.  With that said, some of the rides looked in need of some TLC, particularly Twister which would benefit from a track repaint!
I was impressed with the themed audio around the park, this was an improvement on my last visit where there was (to my memory) not much audio at all.  It added a good level of atmosphere to several of the attractions, for example Eagle's Claw, The Ultimate and Raptor Attack (though this did have audio before).  The themed announcements were also very good.

 

I was saddened to find that the park now does a "front of queue" fastpass system, it doesn't need it and it's just a pain.  Disappointed to see that they've gone down that route.

 

I found that there isn't quite enough to entertain thrillseekers at the moment, the removal of Whirlwind has unfortunately left a gap in the lineup in terms of thrilling rides.

I was quite surprised to see Black Pearl open after the recent incident, and I have to confess I decided against going on.

 

For the benefit of anyone who hasn't visited Lightwater Valley, I'll review a few of the rides.

 

The Ultimate is raucous, intense, bumpy, boring (slowest lifthills ever!), and unique all in one ride.  It defies logic, but that's why I rate it so highly.  The second section is one of the most insane parts of any coaster, so needless to say it's the highlight for me.
I was also impressed to see the ride running two trains, however there were times when empty seats were left despite a queue - and too many queue jumpers!

 

Raptor Attack is also very enjoyable, for anyone who doesn't know, it's a roller coaster in the dark with dinosaur anamatronics as well as a very well themed queueline.  Unfortunately the ride was only running two cars, and they were only putting two people in each car (they are supposed to seat four), so I'd guess that throughput was less than 100pph which really isn't ideal for the park's second-most-popular ride.  With that said, it is still a brilliant dark ride/coaster.

 

I was disappointed when I heard that Whirlwind had been removed, and unfortunately Apollo doesn't provide the same thrills.  Basically, it's a chair-o-plane that takes place about 70 feet high.  I enjoyed the views but other than that I didn't find it thrilling in the slightest.

 

Eagle's Claw on the other hand is a brilliant flat ride - the ride cycle is long with several different parts, and it spins at different speeds meaning that everyone gets to face in all directions throughout the ride.  I have to say it's much better than Vortex at Thorpe.

 

Wild River Rapids is a rapids ride with two sections; it starts with a "water slide" (similar to Storm Surge at TP), and then has a more traditional rapids section.  It's great fun and a soaker if you're in the wrong seat!

RIDECOUNT:
The Ultimate x7
Raptor Attack x3
Eagle's Claw x2
Black Widow's Web x2
Falls of Terror x2 (Bumpy slide x1, freefall slide x1)
Wild River Rapids x1
Apollo x1
Twister x1
Ladybird x1
Little Dipper (Big Apple) x1
Barrel Kegs (Breakdance) x1
Trauma Tower (Mini drop tower) x1
Skate Karts x1
Eagle's Creek Farm x1
Car Ride x1
Lightwater Wheel x1
Train x1

 

TOTAL: 28

 

Highlights:
- Good to get back to Lightwater after a few years!
- The Ultimate and Raptor Attack are two fantastic coasters
- Nice countryside setting
- Great welcome from the entrance staff
- Park audio was fantastic

 

Lowlights:
- Low capacity on some rides
- Fastpass system in use
- Some rides look like they could do with some TLC
- Not really enough for thrillseekers at the moment

 

Photos

 

The Ultimate;

 

 

Raptor Attack;

 

 

 

Lightwater Wheel;

 

I was very surprised to see this open;

 

Nice countryside setting;

 

Thanks for reading