lightwater valley (Lightwater Valley)

Member Name: clairebear1984

Product:	Lightwater Valley
Date:	30/06/09 (275 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: cheap and great fun

Disadvantages: walking a lot and feature of 2009 rapids rarely works

Lightwater valley is situtated in ripon north yorkshire and it is voted as britains best value theme park. I decided to visit lightwater valley due to having some vouchers that entitled up to 6 people to enter the park for just £11.95 each. My daughter is only 3 so i was happy to do the travelling as it was only around an hour to get there from newcastle.

The prices:
Over 1.3m in height - £17.95
Under 1.3m in height - £15.45
Under 1.0m in height - free
Elderly/disabled and carers - £8.95
Family ticket for 3 - £46.50
Family ticket for 4 - £62.00
Family ticket for 5 - £77.50
Family ticket for 6 - £93.00
Family ticket for 7 - £108.50
Family ticket for 8 - £124.00

The prices written above are correct when paying upon arrival to the park. It is cheaper to purchase tickets from the lightwater valley website, however i tend not to do this incase the weather isnt to good on the booked dates.

The arrival:

Lightwater valley is definatly pretty easy to find and once you have arrived you will be advised on parking bays. Once parked you can pass a very nice gift shop and a small garden center before you enter into the paying desks. Once you pay the required amount you will recieve a map of the park as well as a discounts voucher which enables you to visit lightwater valley next time for £11.95 for up to 6 people. You will also receive vouchers for coffee and hats and different bits and bobs like that.

Toilets:

There are plenty of toilet areas around the park and many accompany for a baby changing area. I found the toilets to be cleaner in some sections than others, especially the toilets based in the log cabin parts as they were full of creepy crawlies and daddy long legs. Apart from that the toilets seem regulaly cleaned and acceptably fresh.

The park:

One thing that would be classed as a negitive regarding lightwater valley would be that i feel you do have to do a lot of walking to come across certain rides,they seem to be spaced out quite a bit and in some areas you will see one or two rides alone and have to go in the trees to find them. On a sunny day i quite enjoyed the little tour to be honest but it isnt really ideal for little legs eager to find the next ride. I kept thinking how much of a shame it was that all of the grassed areas were going to waste and the park could be so much better with a few more rides or stalls.

The stalls and games:

Normally when you visit a theme park you expect to find lots of different stalls enticing you to hook a duck or darts but lightwater valley doesnt have too many of these. I think on one point this is a good thing as whenever children see them, they want to have a go for a huge toy that seems impossible to win and by the end u have spent a fortune and got a crappy little teddy u could have bought for a pound. When visiting i did see one hook the duck, hook the ring on the bottle and a hook the bag which i nearly fainted when i seen it was a fiver to hook one.

Tidy:

Upon walking round the park i seen that there were plenty bin areas and no rubbish was to be seen on the floors. It appeared very clean and well kept.

The rides:

There is a good selection of rides at lightwater valley for all ages and some of these are:

The carousel:

Obviously a main attraction for smaller children. The carousel is a good size with a large amount of horses and carridges to ride. The ride goes slow enough for small children, although they will be measured at the start to see if they are able to sit on a horse unattended or in the carridge.

Ladybug rides:

This ride is very slow and ideal for toddlers. It is basically 4 ladybugs that go round in a circle very slowly.

Mini ferris wheel:

Again this ride is great for the smaller children, it does seem to go quite high but the children are caged in and the speed is a little better for them to enjoy without being scared.

Teacups:

These spin around and are basically as boring to use as they are to watch but again the kids seem to like them and thats all that matters.

The caterpillar coaster:

Lightwater valleys smallest coaster. The speed is rather slow except for a small hill that speeds up a little. The track isnt very high and is suitable for toddlers.

The ladybird:

This is a faster coaster than the caterpillar as it has one hill where the speed is pretty fast and you do get shoved around a bit. I know it is for children but i actually enjoyed this myself as my daughter wouldnt come on.

The flying camels:

This ride has enough space to fit in 2 children. It spins around and a lever on the ride enables the child to take the camel higher if they wish.

Go-karts:

I loved these. Although the track isnt very long i did enjoy driving round anyways. It had been so long since i had used a go-kart. I like this ride as it is great for all ages too,i will advise that you cannot go on these alone it must be 2 people per kart. I would also advise that once arriving at the park to que up for these asap as the ques are very long all day and not so bad when first arriving.

Falls of terror:

All i can say is oh my god. I was terrified. There are 3 slides to the falls of terror one, two and three. One is a very steep high drop. Two is 2 smaller steep drops and three is a spiralled dark slide with a smaller steep drop. I first went on number two and honestly thought i was going to wet myself. It litterally took my breath away. I did however enjoy number three. I felt a little silly when i seen the kids going on number one time after time and i couldnt brave it. On this ride you travel down the slides in a dingy, again 2 at a time only.

Wild river rapids:

This is a new ride for 2009 although from what i have heard from staff, it seems to be very temperemental and broke more that it works. Luckily i did get to have a go of this. Basically up to four people fit in a boat and travel slowly round the course and up a small hill. The ride itself isnt exciting really but i like the splashes and not knowing who is about to get wet. I ended up drenched after a few goes on this so good job it was sunny to dry me off.

The sewer rat:

Unfortunately i wasnt brave enough to go on this as apparantly you enter a dark space on a roller coaster and it is that dark you cant see the drops. I am a bit too nervous for this so only heard from a man who had been on it.

The twister:

This ride is kind of half rollercoaster half walzer. You sit in a seat that looks like a walzer and spin as you go round a rollercoaster track,the coaster is fairly high but not too bad and the ques dont seem to be too bad for here neither.

The ultimate:

Of course this is the longest rollercoaster in europe. There are 2 trains altogether a red and a blue as it takes so long to get around the track as it takes about 6 minutes. It has 2 steep drops and pushes you from side to side a lot. This is the highlight of lightwater valley and that is why you will probably have to wait around an hour if not more to ride.

The eagles claw:

This ride is basically a giant yellow claw that swings from side to side to reach great heights.

These are just some of the different rides available at lightwater valley. I think altogether there are around 40 different ones.

Opening times:

The park opens at 10.00 but you wont be able to go on any rides till 10.30. its worth getting there for 10 though if possible to que up for a ride you wish to go on.

Extras:

Throughout the day you will see two lightwater crocs walking round, a pink and a green one and they are more than happy to greet the kids and take a picture with them. There is also a section near the falls of terror ride where you can get a photo taken with one of three owls on you arm. The photos are reasonable at nearly 4 quid but you actually pay to hold the bird and can actually take your own photos too. Many of the rides also take your pictures and you can buy them for about a fiver and see yourself in action.
There are also bird of pray shows throughout the day but you do have to pay for these.

Outside the park is also a mini golf game but you do have to pay for this. There are also some shops selling a wide range of clothes and things but i cant comment on them as i have never been in them.

Overall:

I would have to say that price wise you cant go wrong with lightwater valley but i must admit i do prefer flamingland, there isnt as much walking there plus is has a zoo and many more rides. If using a money off voucher for lightwater valley then it is definately worth the trip. I think to be honest it is all about preference as many friends do actually prefer lightwater valley to flamingoland.In my opinion it is without a doubt worth a try and the kids love it.

Summary: would defo recommend