February 1, 20214 yr comment_272524 If Ultimate remains closed then there's very little attraction to the park for anyone over the age of 10, especially with Mingo as a valid option.
February 1, 20214 yr comment_272528 Lightwater have confirmed that The Ultimate will not operate during 2021, but will remain at the park SBNO.
February 1, 20214 yr comment_272529 A very disappointing and poor move from the park IMO. Whilst I understand the ride is (likely) high maintenance and getting on with age, by keeping it closed for the forseable future (if not forever) substantially reduces the appeal of the place. Not just for park enthusiasts but families and tourists all-round, who have much less of a reason to go there. The park’s recent moves seem to shadow those from the American Adventure, which shut forever in 2007 as a result of their “so called” young family marketing backfiring.
February 2, 20214 yr comment_272530 Nice knowing you Lightwater Valley. I never visited, probably should have.
February 6, 20214 yr comment_272547 My previous post was wrong. The future of this park has never been brighter.
June 18, 20214 yr comment_273822 Triple Post alert. Lightwater Valley has been purchased by the Brighton pier group for 5 million pounds.
June 19, 20214 yr comment_273842 Fingers crossed the Ultimate may actually again one day and the park has a future compared to Livingston Leisure running the place into the ground!
November 15, 20213 yr comment_274862 On 1/30/2021 at 2:35 PM, JoshC. said: I've been contemplating a visit to Lightwater this year, but honestly it's harder to justify it with those closures. The uncertainty over Ultimate is also somewhat worrying, though I guess the fact it hasn't been removed from the website yet is something to cling to. A shame, but not wholly surprising if we're being honest. One can only hope they still have a market and enough visitation to keep them going in the short term. I've been toying with the idea of getting my backside up to LWV but with no raptor attack and Ultimate's future in the balance. I think I procrastinated too much.
November 16, 20213 yr comment_274871 I live 45 minutes away from it and haven't bothered going. Even with family in Ripon. That's how pointless going is right now.
November 16, 20213 yr comment_274874 Until the Ultimate (ever) reopens, there is probably no point. Went a couple years ago and the park was mediocre at best, bar The Ultimate, Eagles Claw and Raptor. Pity they removed the latter, because it was honestly a hidden gem IMO.
January 17, 20223 yr comment_275557 Promisingly, Lightwater Valley was singled out by Brighton Pier Group as having performed “ahead of expectations” in 2021: https://riderater.co.uk/9522/lightwater-valley-ahead-of-expectations/ No specific figures were given, but the group singled out Lightwater Valley as a star performer in their recent results reveal, where the group also revealed that their total sales were expected to be £22.7million, which is up by 177% on the same period in 2020 and even up 31% compared to pre-COVID levels in 2019. Promising stuff, no? While it may not be the future that some desire, I do think Lightwater could have a promising future ahead of it within the next few years as they forge their new path of appealing to the under-10s!
January 18, 20223 yr comment_275562 19 hours ago, Matt N said: Promising stuff, no? While it may not be the future that some desire, I do think Lightwater could have a promising future ahead of it within the next few years as they forge their new path of appealing to the under-10s! That's the key here. If the park is doing well, and better than expected even, with this new market and direction, they may as well continue with it. To me, it's a nail in the coffin of T'Ultimate, which is already something that's going to be costly to re-open, and against the park's current direction. Just wish the park would confirm it at this point. But obviously good to see any park performing well, especially at this time.
October 15, 20222 yr comment_282204 The Ultimate now leaving the park and Raptor Attack gone. Definitely missed an opportunity to get up to LWV.
January 11, 20232 yr comment_289735 The king is dead: https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/people/yorkshires-most-famous-rollercoaster-the-ultimate-at-lightwater-valley-once-longest-in-world-to-be-dismantled-3982243 Shame, but they were on a lose lose situation with it clearly. Certainly an unique loss to the UK industry but it wasn't well known for being good.
January 11, 20232 yr comment_289737 Appropriate. Or is this considered spam? Agree that it was a lose-lose situation.
January 11, 20232 yr comment_289738 One of my biggest regrets of not getting into theme parks any earlier in my life is the fact that I never got the chance to ride this beast. Other than the roughness, The Ultimate's length and speed looked incredible! It's a shame that no other park will want it, because I really do feel it's a massive loss to the theme park industry.
January 11, 20232 yr comment_289739 The thing is with The Ultimate was did it have the reputation because it was good or in spite of itself? The lift hills took FOREVER. The first half was dull as anything. The second half in the woodland was complete madness. It really was poorly designed and constructed. Lived off bashing knees in for years. And for being an unique experience within the UK. But it really wasn't an incredible ride.
January 11, 20232 yr comment_289745 5 hours ago, Benin said: The king is dead: https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/people/yorkshires-most-famous-rollercoaster-the-ultimate-at-lightwater-valley-once-longest-in-world-to-be-dismantled-3982243 Shame, but they were on a lose lose situation with it clearly. Certainly an unique loss to the UK industry but it wasn't well known for being good. Along with the Loggers Leap destruction, Nemesis track being scrapped and now this, it's been a really eventful closed season. I can't help feeling a little sad. And old. But mostly sad.
January 11, 20232 yr comment_289748 I guess the difference between the first two is that at least worthy replacements are on the way for those. Now back to The Ultimate. I experienced the attraction twice in 2019 in my first (and probably last) visit to the place. It was a unique ride, in both pacing and location but certainly not with its faults. It was rough, bumpy and what must’ve been the world’s slowest lift hills. The park was almost deserted then (bar a few school trips). Its demise and planned demolition is no surprise at all, because it was seemingly reaching the end of its serviceable life without a substantial hardware upgrade, which could’ve happened I guess. Had funds been there. Covid like many things maybe fastracked this by a few years. A new woodlands development is certainly an inferior replacement.
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