Lightwater Valley

[herbinator]

I'm going to alton hopefully next week and we are getting to the park early, staying for the night and driving back late evening. This gives most of a day to kill and I was considering lightwater valley as the filler.

1) Is the park good and if so, is it possible to get from alton in the morning to lightwater valley and still get most of the day riding.

2) After a day at alton will LV seem like a fair only with the ultimate.

Any help would great, Thanks

 

[T0M]

It will take you around two hours to get to Lightwater from Alton Towers.

Lightwater will seem very small, limited and unthemed in comparison to Alton, but The Ultimate and Raptor Attack would not be out of place at Alton Towers - they are unique and absolutely thrilling and exciting experiences. They are worth the entrance fee alone. Eagle's Claw is (now) the best flat, but most of their attractions are worth a go.

It's a great value day out and is a fine example of a park thriving on limited resources and visitor numbers. I look forward to your feedback on The Ultimate and Raptor Attack (I assume this will be your first visit?)

 

[herbinator]

Thanks! Yea it would be my first time; although at the moment it is looking like a trip that will happen early next year.

Are there any similar parks that can be done in a half day that are closer to alton but still worth the effort and entrance fee?

 

[T0M]

I believe Drayton Manor is the closest but I have never been. I would highly recommend Lightwater Valley though.

 

[Ian]

1) Is the park good and if so, is it possible to get from alton in the morning to lightwater valley and still get most of the day riding.

Alton Towers to Lightwater Valley by car is about a 2 1/2 hour drive. I'd dread to think how long that would be by public transport.

Aside from t'Ultimate, there isn't much else at Lightwater Valley worth re-riding (except for the Skate Karts!). That's not to say that the other rides are crap, it's just a lot of what most established enthusiasts would have seen and done before; pirate ship, water slides, sickly spinning coaster etc.

The park can easily be done in a few hours on a quiet day. You may find it boring on your own but if you can mess about with a couple of mates/family, you shoudl be able to stretch it out all day.

As it's your first visit, you'll enjoy the openness and "county park" feel to it, but after you've been on t'Ultimate, the rest of the rides may feel a tad lacklustre.

2) After a day at alton will LV seem like a fair only with the ulimate.

LOL, without even going to the park, you already have the preconception that LWV is just t'Ultimate. In many ways, it is. In other ways, it's not. I'd suggest going because it's always good to go to new parks, but you are right to think it won't match up to Alton. And to be fair, not much else does in the UK, so they are quite incomparable.

Are there any similar parks that can be done in a half day that are closer to alton but still worth the effort and entrance fee?

As Tom Green said, Drayton Manor is nearby. As you're near Alton, then I'd choose DMP over LWV. It makes sense travelling wise and DMP compliments Alton Towers more so than LWV.

Save LWV for when you visit Flamingoland.

 

[T0M]

An enclosed dinosaur-themed roller coaster is unique in this country if not the world, so I think it's certainly worth a trip to LWV for The Ultimate AND Raptor Attack. They're breathtaking rides.

 

[Ollie]

It's worth going for Raptor Attacks queue.

 

[slappy mcguire]

Aside from t'Ultimate, there isn't much else at Lightwater Valley worth re-riding (except for the Skate Karts!). That's not to say that the other rides are crap, it's just a lot of what most established enthusiasts would have seen and done before; pirate ship, water slides, sickly spinning coaster etc.

The park can easily be done in a few hours on a quiet day. You may find it boring on your own but if you can mess about with a couple of mates/family, you should be able to stretch it out all day.

As it's your first visit, you'll enjoy the openness and "county park" feel to it, but after you've been on t'Ultimate, the rest of the rides may feel a tad lacklustre.

Just out of curiosity, what (bearing finances in mind) do you think would be LWV's quickest fixes to this? LWV tend to be a park that listen to the enthusiast community, and it may be worth the great and the good of this site giving some decent suggestions to the park, via this thread...

 

[Ian]

Tough question, slappy, I'll have a crack at answering although it may be a bit of a ramble. :lol:

I think they need to join the park together in some manner. At the moment, it's too bitty.

There's a lovely area near t'Ultimate, Raptor Attack and the "castle" toilets. The wooded area near the pub/drop tower is also quite atmospheric. The swinging ship is also in gorgeous setting.

All of these areas are found on the outer extremes of the park. The rest of the park, the bulky bit in the middle (which should be the heart of the park) is a field with a few rides plonked down on a large slab of concrete. It's soulless.

Looking at a couple of other parks, the central area is essential. It acts as a crossroads in the park and sets the scene. Thorpe has Amity Cove, Flamingoland has the Seaside Adventure area, Chessington has Market Square and Drayton has the area around the arcades.

It's the same reason why I think Camelot doesn't work well. There's the brilliantly themed area, with a another bit of a park tacked on at the far end.

Going back to LWV, the extremities of the park are really nice, they should be left alone (perhaps smarten them up a bit). By creating a central hub with shops, arcades, food places, game stalls, benches, even a ruddy fountain, I feel it would join the park up. Maybe relocate the crazy golf near the go-karts, add in a massive adventure playground, a circus...just do something that could help tie it together. What about re-diverting the pathway that runs from the entrance plaza towards Twister towards the centre of the park?

Don't get me wrong, even though I recommended Drayton to herbinator over LWV, I do think LWV is taking very tiny steps in the right direction. Their marketing has kicked up a gear and the re-theme of Rat are examples of this. With limited cash resources, I wouldn't exactly know how to improve the park but by bringing it closer together yet maintaining each areas individuality, the park could unlock it's potential.

 

[slappy mcguire]

In a nutshell theming and ambience over new rides?

 

[Ian]

I wouldn't say theming as such, more joining the dots together. Make the park less linear and feel like it's together.

 

[Martyn B]

Although the Ultimate is a truely unique, amazing coaster, I'd still go for Drayton over Lightwater anyday. Drayton is a MUCH better day out, and the clue is there, 'DAY OUT'. Lightwater is just a good couple of hours, where as you can easily spend all day at Drayton, with the Zoo and the rides that you just want to keep going on, like Apocalypse, Maelstrom, Rapids...

Even the rides that aren't that great, like G-Force, Shockwave, Stormforce 10, Exclaibur, Pirates adventure... they're all custom built, and pretty unique to the UK. Where as Lightwater is full of 'off the shelf' models that you've probably already been on elsewhere.

But its entirely upto you. Lightwater is worth it for the Ultimate alone, but Drayton would be a much better day out.

Like Ian said, I'd do Lightwater with Flamingoland, you may even enjoy Lightwater a bit more having been to Flamingoland the day before, rather than Alton

 

[slappy mcguire]

I actually prefer Drayton to Lightwater; Both parks have massive potential, but Drayton realises more of it; The landscape at Lightwater aches for a decent ride line up, but Ultimate and Raptor Attack aside, as Martyn says, there is nothing that really makes the park stand out. While Decent, the Eagles claw is an experience that can be had at most parks these days, as can the Wave, and Falls of Mild Fear.

The twister and Rapids are something that you could do at a travelling fair, and frankly look like they are part of one. The rest of the rides are a ragtag collection of fairground efforts, and are completely underused anyway.

As Ian said, a hub with some manor of food and souvenir outlets, with an ambience and feeling of being the start of an adventure, would be nice, even just a more logical arrangement of the rides would help. In his 'G-Force' interview Ash, the marketing manager alluded to the park no longer willing to be the theme park without a theme...

...we'll see.