Category: Europe

The ultimate experience in Lightwater Valley

itemprop="discussionURL"0

Lightwater Valley

The Yorkshire Park Lightwater Valley is one of the most interesting parks in England and at the latest since the interpretation of Katie’s Dreamland from the game Rollercoaster Tycoon also known to the younger generations, who are now all in their mid twenties. The park is run by Heritage Great Britain PLC, which is also responsible for marketing Land’s End, the furthest corner of Cornwall. Thus, the park is by no means conventional.

It all started with a fruit farm that had to cope with a drought in 1976, which led to the creation of a lake as a preventive measure. Since the lake had already attracted a number of people at that time, the opportunity was taken to create a landscape park and use the farm for tourism. Since the former owner of the park wanted to offer a little bit more, a roller coaster was to be built. But since his wife saw this idea as a disfigurement of the landscape, she said the appropriate words: “I’m not having a rollercoaster on the place, so you stop those idea or you better bury it”.

Raptor Attack

No sooner said than done and thus, in 1987, the small Schwarzkopf roller coaster Raptor Attack opened far out of sight of the visitors. And even though the ride is located in a hall, it really feels like being a few meters below the ground, because the tunnels that lead to and from the roller coaster really do go downhill for a few meters, until a staircase is waiting for you. Interestingly enough, there is water flowing in the ground in the queue, so that one really feels like being in a sewerage system and not in a mine as now indicated.

The ride in the suitably designed cars turns out to be very surprising, because not only the layout is different from the larger installations, but also the sound level of the ride. Interestingly, this track is hardly audible, even though it is installed indoors, and offers riding characteristics that you wouldn’t expect from such an old Schwarzkopf model. Therefore it can’t be compared to the roller coaster from Skyline Park or the travelling Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster of the showmen Vorlop, although it is the same kind of roller coaster except for the actual model. The animatronics during the ride are nice and well integrated into the forest of pillars of the ride, but even without them the ride is always worth the wait.

The Ultimate

It was Robert Staveley’s wife who suggested to make the second roller coaster of the park a little longer than originally planned, because first ideas were only to use the valleys of the forest further up in the terrain and bring interested passengers there via monorail. Due to the high costs proposed by companies from Germany and the USA, it was decided to let local companies do the job for a much lower price, one for the track and the other for the train. But both went bankrupt and British Rail engineers completed the project.

The Ultimate is the result of this work and truly the ultimate coaster in Great Britain. Hardly visible from the outside, you can catch a train every 7 minutes as it passes by. The ride, which starts quite harmlessly with a lifthill, continues at the same interval. The lifthill can be climbed in peace in order to do the magnificent first drop. On the following hills, which keep following the landscape, you are torn out of your seat a little bit until you slowly ascend towards the second lifthill and complete hills similar to those of a Wacky Worm, only much more pronounced. While the train is climbing the second lift you have enough time to think about the next part of the trip, because until now the trip was quite harmless. After a straight line at an airy height you face a rather steep drop towards the forest, where at its end the first sign of a curve is indicated. The following part is hard to put into words, because it’s pretty damn fast and swings from one side of the valley to the other at a good cross slope. It gets truly reckless on the hills of a clearing, where you do some interesting manoeuvres – still very fast, almost without any inclination. Shortly afterwards two helices in the shape of an eight follow, where you pass two tunnels, whereupon unfortunately the brake run is approaching.

The Ultimate offers an extraordinarily smooth ride during this travel distance that I – according to the reports of various enthusiasts – did not expect. Of course, the knee gets sometimes very familiar with the stupid bar holder, but this is due to the train design and not necessarily to the track itself. It has the one or other rather questionable transition, but it would be wrong to call it a wrong bend. Actually the ride is a little bit wilder because of all these characteristics, but in connection with the length of 1 1/2 miles this makes the ride look a lot better, so that one could only wish the ride would be a little longer. It is definitely the best roller coaster in Britain and therefore always justifies a visit to the beautiful county of Yorkshire.

Twister

Many other attractions of the park are less beautifully integrated into the landscape, for example the Reverchon Twister coaster shows itself across the main path shortly after leaving the forest. This spinning mouse is not necessarily the most beautiful of its kind, but it can show a really nice twist, which makes it one of the better representatives of its kind.

Wild River Rapids

Also from Reverchon you find the rafting Wild River Rapids, which to my surprise turned out really well and can get you quite wet. Compared to the Fabbri rafting rides featuring the same layout, this ride is quite convincing.

Ladybird

Directly across the street the Ladybird roller coaster makes its rounds. This is the medium sized ride from the Tivoli series of the manufacturer Zierer, which is known to be quite nice. The interesting thing about this ride was the fact that there are additional belts in the train, which should actually be used. This makes the ride a little bit more harmonic than the constant sliding back and forth in the car, as you could experience it for example at the Coccinelle of the Bellewaerde Park.

Black Pearl

In the still quite new pirate area of the park you can ride the Weber’s dream boat Black Pearl, besides a HUSS Pirat swinging ship and a break dance 4 from the same manufacturer, as well as some smaller rides from Zamperla. As with the other rides in this area, the ride came into the park through a purchase of the sadly closed Loudoun Castle theme park of Scotland.

Caterpillar

Located in the middle of the forest, there are several children’s rides, including a Big Apple roller coaster called Caterpillar, which makes you feel the bleakness of this type of roller coaster after a ride on the Ultimate. In former times, there must have been a larger Zamperla swing ship swinging in the forest, which now travels on the British fairs. On this side of the park, a holiday park is supposed to be built in the future, at least that’s what the park wishes for to remain successful. In fact, the location is ideal for this and the plans look good, so that one can only hope that they will realise it as well.

Trauma Tower

Near the Pub in the Wood you can visit the small free fall tower Trauma Tower by Moser or continue your tour. A Ferris wheel gives you a wonderful view over the landscape and the entrance area, where you can find a chain carousel, a classic English carousel and a variety of children’s rides. There is also the entrance to the Afterburner Eagle’s Claw.

Eagle’s Claw

Those who know park versions of the KMG rides know that they usually don’t ride as well as on the fairground. But here you get a good ride, which, like the related swing of the Flamingo Land, could elicit some forces and in the interim offers a small break only to then swing out again fully.

Eagles Creek Farm

Next door, things are a little quieter, as the Eagles Creek Farm, one of this year’s novelties, can be visited there. This is the former tractor train from Loudoun Castle, which was underlaid with a really nasty catchy tune and features some animal enclosures on the side of the ride.

Lightwater Valley Falconry and Angry Birds Activity Park

Other new attractions include the Lightwater Valley Falconry, where you can see a variety of different birds of prey, and the Angry Birds Activity Park, which will open soon. Along with the falconry there is the possibility to take a picture with one of the birds on your arm. A rather unique experience indeed.

Whirlwind, Falls of Terror and Black Widow’s Web

Lightwater Valley also offers a Mondial TopScan called Whirlwind, which had a long and good ride, the rubber dinghy slides Falls of Terror, which unfortunately follow a strict 2 person per boat rule and therefore could not be tested, and a HUSS Enterprise called Black Widow’s Web.

Pictures Lightwater Valley

Closing Words Lightwater Valley

If one should want to leave Lightwater Valley now, it is worthwhile to first have a look into one of the shops where the Fudge Factory has a branch. In Edinburgh I have already made contact with them, so I was pleased to be able to taste delicious fudge here in Lightwater Valley. Three slices in my luggage and half a fortune less in my wallet I went out of the park, which I remember positively. Lightwater Valley is a medium sized park with two really good roller coasters, which you really don’t expect in a park of this size. It has quite a lot of charm and can entertain you very well for some hours.

 

What is your opinion about Lightwater Valley?  Just write it in the comment field below the report or visit our social media channels:

 

          

Lightwater Valley

Flamingo Land

itemprop="discussionURL"1


Theme Park:Flamingo Land (since 1974)
Flamingo Park Zoo (1968 - 1973)
The Yorkshire Zoological Gardens
(1957 - 1967)
Part of the Resort
Flamingo Land Resort
Address:Kirby Misperton
YO17 6UX
Malton
http://www.flamingoland.co.uk
Operated by:Fam. Gibb

AnimalsFlamingo Land in the small village of Kirby Misperton near Malton, North Yorkshire is one of the largest theme parks in the UK. The animal and amusement park is open all year round – although the rides themselves are only operated seasonally – and has a  long history.

Founded in 1959, the park is home to a large number of family-friendly rides and roller coasters, including the suspended coaster Kumali and the crazy roller coaster Mumbo Jumbo. The park covers a very large area, which is especially evident in the zoo with its extremely large animal enclosures.

Fun Fact #1: In the course of time the park could already show some treasures, among them the only mobile Shuttle Loop roller coaster by the manufacturer Schwarzkopf and the notorious Dreier Looping by the same company.

Fun Fact #2: Thanks to a rain poncho that got tangled up between the wheels and the track, the roller coaster Mumbo Jumbo came to a halt overhead. Interestingly enough, nobody was hurt.  

Fun Fact #3: The Flamingo Land is currently planning a branch in Scarborough. The Flamingo Land Coast will be built on the site of the run-down Futurist Theatre.

 
 
 

Highlights of the Animal and Theme Park

 



Cliff Hanger

 

Cliff Hanger

The Tower of Power

 


Hero

 

Hero

A compact flying coaster

 


Kumali

 

Kumali

A very different SLC

 


Lost River Ride

 

Lost River Ride

The Shoot the Chute along a very large animal enclosure

 


 

Mischief Mansion

A very cute Ghost Train

 


Mumbo Jumbo

 

Mumbo Jumbo

Europe’s first El Loco

 


 

Sik

Feel the power of 10

 


Velocity

 

Velocity

The great Motorbike Coaster

 



 
 

Past Highlight of the Animal and Theme Park

 




Sky Flyer

 

Sky Flyer

One of the originals

 



Flamingo Land

Unusual perspectives in a strange park

itemprop="discussionURL"0

Flamingo Land

The Flamingo Land Zoo and Amusement Park in Yorkshire, England is one of the most interesting amusement parks in the United Kingdom. It has long been on the must-do list of many amusement park enthusiasts with its main attractions, most notably the suspended looping coaster Kumali, but is the amusement park the most interesting part of the park?

In fact, Flamingo Land is a very strange park with a really bizarre charm. Its choice of attractions in the past has always been interesting, among others there were rides like the infamous Flight Trainer by Intamin, a Waikiki Wave by Vekoma or the transportable Shuttle Loop by Schwarzkopf. Since then, the rides have always changed, but the atmosphere of Flamingo Land has always remained the same.

Dino Stone Park

Now, however, it seems to have been recognized that this approach was not always the best one, so they have now started to expand their theme areas and make them more compact. The newly built Dino Stone Park, which was still under construction at the time of the visit, is definitely a step in the right direction. Here you can find two of this year’s three novelties, of which the Magic Bikes by Zamperla have already opened. The Junior Twister Coaster Twistosaurus, made by the same manufacturer, was not yet built. However, it was intended to extend the range of children’s coasters in the park in a logical way.

Splash Battle

In the neighbouring Splosh! theme area, the focus is entirely on the wet element and the theme of flying. The main attraction in this area is the Splash Battle from Preston & Barbieri, which can also be found in the Dutch theme park Walibi Holland and the French park Walibi Sud Ouest. As always, the cannons are more or less useless as they don’t work. If you didn’t get wet enough by all the water effects, the huge water playground right next door can help.

Flip Flop

If you are looking for a way to dry out, the best place to do so is definitely the Fabbri Top Swing Flip Flop. Even though it hardly differs externally from similar installations from various other manufacturers, the ride is definitely something special. With an incredible acceleration the gondola swings up and tries to catapult its passengers out of their seats in the best possible way. You won’t find so much airtime anywhere else, which is why one or two rides are absolutely inevitable for every amusement park enthusiast!

Zooom

Dry spun you can now board three flying machines, of which the blue painted Zooom stands out the most, because it blocks the view of the truly beautiful Sky Flyer. The ride characteristics of this roller coaster are certainly not good and unfortunately reflect the competence of the manufacturer Zamperla in the manufacture of children’s roller coasters. The swing during the ride is not worth mentioning, which is why the ride is not convincing compared to Turbulencia of the Parque de Atracciones de Madrid. The rather ugly appearance of this layout is not a benefit for the whole thing and a ride duration of 4 laps is even less.

Sky Flyer

On the other hand, the trip on the Sky Flyer could actually take a little longer, as the former ride from the Drayton Manor Theme Park in Tamworth is definitely worth it. The ride itself is great fun and offers a really balanced ride sequence.

The Lost Kingdom themed area in Flamingo Land can be considered the most interesting theme area of the park, as it leads over to the zoo and features two roller coasters, Mumbo Jumbo and Kumali, as well as the Lost River Ride.

Kumali

Since the construction of Kumali at the latest, the eyes are directed towards Yorkshire, because this Suspended Looping Coaster by Vekoma was only the second installation of this type with a different layout within Europe, apart from the two installations located in Isla Magica in Spain and Gardaland in Italy featuring a bonus helix to the otherwise standard layout.

The ride on Kumali begins with the climbing of the lifthill, whereupon a downward sloping curve initiates the first descent of the ride. Where this part of the track is still quite close to a standard SLC, everything following is different. After a longer curve, the first ascent follows immediately and at the same time the first inversion of the layout, a loop. This loop is then run through in exactly the way it should be, i.e. with a good amount of pressure and at high speed. After its curvy exit a Cobra Roll follows, which is quite nice to ride. Shortly thereafter you are thrown around in a ZeroG roll in a very interesting way, whereupon a steep turn follows, which leads you into the braking section of the layout.

Kumali is an interesting roller coaster whose ride comfort leaves little room for complaints. So, it rides quite well, but to be honest the ride is not very exciting. Due to the rather rare rides on the day of visit, the ride might not have shown its full potential, which is why even the standard layout is more convincing to me, as long as the ride performs as good as for example Infusion at Pleasure Beach Blackpool.

Mumbo Jumbo

The neighboring roller coaster Mumbo Jumbo is literally a bit strange. Climbing the steep and fast lift, it goes much too fast into a curve combination without any cross slope. Shortly after that, it changes into a rather steep 112° drop, which set a world record until the 1° steeper El Loco Coaster from Fraispertuis City opened. This drop, as impressive as the facts may sound, is disappointing all along the line. As soon as the drop is initiated, it is already over. The sensation it gives is not comparable to that of a Gerstlauer Eurofighter, all of which show more pronounced forces and come out much higher. With a small sideways turn the ride continues immediately up to the first block brake.

A curve follows, which should be used in many roller coasters, as the outwardly sloping track section is quite impressive on wooden coasters made by GCI as well as on this one. Unfortunately, this part of the track is quickly over and a seemingly conventional curve follows which gets more and more sloped towards the end and turns into an upside-down section. The hangtime feeling is very distinct and you are more than happy to fall towards the ground in a half loop shortly after, where you reach the lowest point of the ride for the first time. However, the ride is not over yet and a further ascent with a hardly regulating block brake follows. This is followed by the last traditional curve, which ends in a downhill heartlineroll – actually the most interesting element of the ride. A trivial U-turn in the form of an Immelmann turn follows, whereupon the ride soon ends.

Although the ride looks interesting from the outside and is undoubtedly interesting from the inside, this type of coaster is not what many people praise it for. Compared to its predecessor, the Screaming Squirrels, the El Loco series by S&S is hitting the nerve of the time and has been established quite a few times, but in my opinion the ride itself could be a little crazier or wilder. There were no repeat rides worth mentioning – but this was also due to the long waiting time thanks to the single car operation.

Lost River Ride

With warm temperatures, which were really not available on the day of the visit, the Lost River Ride is certainly one of the most interesting rides of the Flamingo Land theme park. Like the Zambezi boat ride at the Erlebnis-Zoo Hannover or the Jungle Mission in the Belgian Bellewaerde Park, the ride passes some enclosures, yet offers a longer stop in the block brake at the very generous savannah, where you might even see a giraffe running after an ostrich.

Shortly after that the boat climbs up by cable lift, which is quite unusual. After a rather boring straight line in a building – where I was actually surprised not to drive through an aviary – the big drop follows, which is quite striking from the outside. Although I have ridden every spillwater – or Shoot the Chutes – that I have come across, it has never happened to me to get completely soaked on one side and then again on the other side shortly afterwards.

The Zoo

Dripping wet it is now time to go to the zoo area of the amusement park, which I can really recommend to everybody. All animals have a lot of space here, also the visibility of the enclosures is mostly only possible from above or by passing them in a boat, for example the lions’ enclosure within the Lost River Ride. Days before I thought the enclosures in Bellewaerde Park were bigger than all the ones I had seen so far, but I was taught better. If a friend of the amusement park culture would not always be drawn to the other areas, one could easily spend the whole day here. On the other hand, a cable car and the Peoplemoover, a monorail with a cow train, connect the two ends of the park.

Mischief Mansion

The Muddy Duck Farm, like the Children’s Planet area, are two smaller areas in Flamingo Land that are dedicated primarily to younger children. They are the only ones who can have fun on the Go Gator, or enjoy the original and beautifully designed theme ride Mischief Mansion, and the accompanying interactive walkthrough Little Monsters Exploratorium.

Cliff Hanger

In the beautifully designed Seaside Adventure themed area, on the other side of Flamingo Land theme park, you can take a ride on the S&S Combo Tower Cliff Hanger in addition to several children’s rides. Since I only had the honour to ride some space shots, which were rather meagre, my expectations for the ride on the Cliff Hanger were really low; the abnormally pronounced airtime at the shot up as well as at the shot down could convince me of the opposite pretty fast. An absolutely ingenious tower!

The last themed area of the park and the area around the entrance is called Metropolis. The area around the Launched Coaster Velocity is quite uniformly designed, but there is still enough demand for one or two makeovers in the rest of the area. So the area with the bicycle track, the baloon race and the small children’s roller coaster Runaway Train is really not a beauty.

Hero

In order to upgrade the rear area Metropolis a little bit, the Volare Hero has been chosen as the third novelty this year. It remains to be seen whether it was the right decision to trade in the mouse from Maurer Söhne. In England the planned system is at least a novelty, which may well cause a stir.

Velocity

The last roller coaster and at the same time the best of the Flamingo Land amusement park is the motorcycle roller coaster Velocity by Vekoma, which outshines the prototype from the Dutch theme park Toverland in fact every point with ease. The ride characteristics of this ride are simply outstanding. The launch pulls neatly and the following curves are ridden with just the right amount of speed, resulting in quite pronounced forces, which are also noticeable on the hill towards the end of the ride even in the negative range.

Whoever has ridden Velocity must actually be surprised that there are still very few motorbike coasters out there. The riding characteristics of the English model are sublime in every respect, and the ride through the winding track is rather nice, so that one could only wish to find a copy of this design more often in Europe.

Pictures Flamingo Land

Conclusion Flamingo Land

The Flamingo Land is a great animal and leisure park. Unfortunately the park tends to not present its numerous and actually good rides very well. One can only hope that in the future a good presentation will be part of the amusement park’s standard – in some places the park is already surprisingly well presented. With the park’s spacious zoo you have at least one good reason to visit the park, which is greatly rounded off by the amusement park visit.

 

What is your opinion about Flamingo Land?  Just write it in the comment field below the report or visit our social media channels:

 

          

Flamingo Land