Britain’s roller coaster, which was the longest in the world for 10 years, is being demolished as the theme park turns its back on adrenaline junkies
- The Ultimate opened in 1991 and was the longest in the world at 7,442 feet
- In 2001 it was surpassed by the 2,500 meter long Japanese roller coaster Steel Dragon
- Ride has been closed since 2019 and is now set to be dismantled, park confirms
- Lightwater Valley Theme Park is now being reimagined as a family-friendly place
A British roller coaster that was the world’s longest for 10 years is being demolished as the theme park turns its back on adrenaline junkies.
It remained the longest until 2001, when it was surpassed by the 8,133-foot Steel Dragon roller coaster in Japan.
The ride has been closed since 2019 and is now set to be dismantled, Brighton Pier Group PLC, which owns Lightwater Valley, confirmed on Tuesday (January 10).
When The Ultimate (pictured) opened in 1991, the 107-foot steel roller coaster at Lightwater Valley Theme Park near Ripon, North Yorkshire was the world’s longest at 7,442 feet
It remained the longest until 2001, when it was surpassed in Japan by the 2,533 m long roller coaster “Steel Dragon” (pictured).
Anne Accord, chief executive of Brighton Pier Group, acknowledged the iconic ride’s “nostalgic” status and said the theme park is being reimagined as a family-friendly place, rather than to cater to adrenaline junkies as before.
Accord said in a statement: “We’ve put a lot of time and effort into the future of The Ultimate. The ride has been out of service for several years and the process of assessing the feasibility of bringing it back into service has been lengthy.
“We are aware of its nostalgic status and that many of our visitors have fond memories of riding the Ultimate Coaster.
“Nevertheless, given the investment required to bring it to acceptable safety standards and the reconception of Lightwater Valley as a family-oriented adventure park, we have decided to permanently close and remove The Ultimate from the park.
The ride has been closed since 2019 and is now set to be dismantled, Brighton Pier Group PLC, which owns Lightwater Valley, confirmed on Tuesday (January 10)
Anne Accord, chief executive of Brighton Pier Group, acknowledged the iconic ride’s “nostalgic” status and said the theme park is being reimagined as a family-friendly place, rather than to cater to adrenaline junkies as before
There is no information as to whether the ride would be relocated or not
“We look forward to welcoming everyone to the revamped Lightwater Valley as it evolves and develops into Northern England’s premier family adventure destination.”
There is no information as to whether the ride would be relocated or not.
Lightwater Valley’s decision to transform their theme park into a more family-friendly venture comes nearly four years after a then six-year-old fell from a Twister ride at the park in May 2019.
He fell 15 feet to 30 feet while his mother “screamed hysterically,” witnesses said at the time.
Just three months later, in August 2019, the boy had to undergo emergency brain surgery.