Lightwater Valley

Lightwater Valley Family Adventure Park sits in North Stainley, North Yorkshire, on land the Staveley family has owned since 1516. The park began in 1969 as a self-pick fruit farm beside a lake dug in 1976 to guard against drought. Early attractions included a miniature train, an adventure playground, a roller-skating rink, a BMX track, pitch-and-putt golf, a helter-skelter and a water chute. A shopping village opened as the site grew into a country park with fairground rides at the entrance. The family introduced pay-one-price, ride-all-day tickets except for a few extra attractions. The park became a theme park in 1987 with the underground Sewer Rat roller coaster, built inside a barn after Robert Staveley’s wife insisted it be out of sight. Its success led to the looping Soopa Loopa in 1988 and then The Ultimate, opened in 1991, which at over 2.4 kilometres long became Europe’s longest roller coaster. More coasters followed, including The Viper, The Batflyer and The Ladybird, alongside water rides like the Beaver Rapids log flume and Splash Falls. Financial pressures forced a sale in 1997, and ownership changed several times before the park refocused on younger families in 2021. Today the park has 39 rides and attractions grouped into areas such as Go Safari, Skeleton Cove and Eagles Creek. Newer additions include the Angry Birds Activity Park, Jurassic mini-golf and a vintage car rally. The park’s mascots have changed from Woody the Bear to the Valligators, then dinosaur characters Jester and Jasmine, and now Ebor the Dragon and Rex the Valleysaurus. Woodland glamping pods opened in 2024, and plans aim to provide attractions for all ages under the new owners.