The Ultimate at Lightwater Valley - Destroyed

[@theParkMayhem]

So much respect to you . I think the coaster enthusiasts are glad you managed to get this footage 😀 I never thought I would see the ultimate in this state. Unfortunately with the ultimate gone and all the big rides gone. I see no reason to actually visit lightwater valley

[@sneakycoasters]

Cheers, I knew it had to be documented at least for sure.

[@Amusementnational]

Neither. They deserve to go under the b*******

[@theParkMayhem]

@@Amusementnational I subscribed to you

[@descheers2217]

It would seem they're going down the kids avenue like American adventure did if so it won't be long before there's gonna be an abandoned theme park light water valley edition on here.

[@theParkMayhem]

@@descheers2217 yer lightwater valley is not in a good state . We definitely need new owners involved in te lightwater project

[@Vicky-m2k4k]

A beautifully sensitive, poignant and LASTING tribute: thank you. This is not just a roller coaster. Masses of memories of how we felt and who we were with on the day or days that we rode it are locked into its structure, so that when that structure comes crashing down, it feels like a personal attack on all our cherished experiences and memories. It's not just a relationship that we have with the coaster; it's a relationship with ourselves on the coaster, the memory of which we can revisit over and over in our minds ... until the coaster is destroyed. So, so lacking in imagination and empathy to destroy such an extraordinary visionary creation. I really feel for everyone who loved and feel the loss of the Ultimate and for Robert Staveley who imagined it and made it happen against the odds. I hope that in time, all that love it can revisit their internalised experience of it ... something that can't be touched or tainted. (I wrote something similar on Joe's Insanity post, but feel so strongly that I thought I'd write again.

[@sneakycoasters]

So very true, thanks for the comment. I feel the same way.

[@vickyNewForest]

Your deeply sensitive films are a reflection of how you feel and symbolic of so many others' kindred feelings. @@sneakycoasters

[@nigelkthomas9501]

An absolute completely totally unmitigated disaster! Lightwater Valley must’ve had a brain bypass to wilfully destroy their best ride!

[@SeanFlaharty]

Thank you for uploading. The edits from the past to current were well done! I only got to ride The Ultimate a couple times and that was back in 2002. I have always appreciated its place in roller coaster history, even though the ride wasn't exactly the smoothest thing to ride.

[@StamfordBridge]

Glad you got on it, Sean. The wooden wild mouse and The Ultimate were always at the top of my UK coaster to-ride list. Now I’ll never have the chance.

[@JamesW81]

​@@StamfordBridgeThere is still a front seat ride video on YT but obviously it's not the same as being on it.

[@gemma6907]

Absolutely gutted that this ride couldn’t be restored. Feel like it should have been restored as a piece of record breaking history. Glad I had riden it in its last season though.

[@tvwize]

The smell of the wood/oil in the station in the summer, can still smell it now. My mum use to work in lightwater and use to sneak us in the summer hollidays. Probably 50+ rides of the ultimate growing up. Thanks for documenting this. Might go at the weekend for an look around.

[@sneakycoasters]

No worries, has made it all feel worthwhile having so many people happy to see it documented. Yeah I remember the smell of it vividly too!

[@AlgoEX997]

Absolutely crushed. Cant believe I havent heard about this. Rode this, Toad Hole, the water slides and Sewer Rat many a time when I was growing up, don't think there's much left from those days now.

[@jayminyoel7911]

Usually, when a park closes a beloved ride it won’t stop the general public from coming. When you close every single non-kiddie ride including your flagship ride, however, you should not expect anyone to come to light water valley anymore.

[@theretrodalek7361]

I was hoping someone would document this. Whilst it's sad it's good to preserve the history even right to the end. To get that one last look and wave goodbye to the ultimate. Was the first ever coaster I rode years ago and loved it. So dear to my heart and I'm so sad to see it in this state and to see it go. If we'd just known it was going before it shut, i woulda made sure to ride it one last time. Asked the park if i could buy a piece of the ride but it was a generic response and effectively a no. Such a shame

[@sneakycoasters]

Glad I went out and documented it for everyone. It was emotional going this recent time and seeing bits of it missing. Such a legendary coaster. And they're getting it driven down to the scrap yard in ripon as fast as possible. :(

[@aviationdhuk]

I also emailed asking for a part of the ride and got the same response !! Anyone know which scrap yard the track sections are being sent off too?? They may be willing to chop a small track section off.

[@overbanked]

RIP The Ultimate and RIP Lightwater Valley (for all intents and purposes)

[@JamesW81]

I don't think it will be long. I'd say destroying this absolute icon will be the last nail in the coffin.

[@alexjones4553]

Breaks my heart this video, my first big rollercoaster at my local park, I must have ridden it over 100 times and for an iconic ride to end up like this is so sad, rip the ultimate

[@JulianDale94]

Damn it! RIP. This was one of the weirdest, if not the weirdest coaster in the country. The way it used the terrain was so cool, although it would've been better off in Japan with those slow lift hills

[@TheConsettonian1987]

So sad and that song called Prelude to Earthrise is what is used for the River Caves at Blackpool

[@sneakycoasters]

Yeah, always loved that song.

[@BAKU2K2]

R.I.P. to another bucket list coaster that I've never got to ride. :'-(

[@MarkFendy-sw7hn]

Roller Coaster Tycoon forever it is for me! Thank you so much God Bless You Sir Chris Sawyer for creating Roller Coaster Tycoon since things aren't what they're used to be anymore!

[@xygomorphic44]

This is sadder to me than any breakup I've been through

[@Splitscreen83]

Fantastic editing. Thank you for sharing 😎👍

[@nathan83699]

Absolutely disgusting with light Valley, after standing but not operating its finally getting removed! Not even a chance for people to have one last ride and I'm surprised you managed to get inside the station.

[@sneakycoasters]

Where there's a will there's a way! Yeah it is so disappointing what they've done.

[@nathan83699]

@@sneakycoasters Have you managed to go back to see if they have demolished anymore?

[@madaboutdanks4207]

Loved this best rollercoaster in the uk in its day

[@waverleigh6646]

Always going to be so thankful that i actually went in the Ultimate's last season and got to ride it, had no idea that would've been the last time. Awful to see it in this state.

[@atnanahi]

Brutally murdered is more like it. Thanks for sharing this with us.

[@richalderson6069]

Haunting video. Well done!

[@RidesUK]

Beautiful video, brilliantly edited, amazing shots. It's so sad that the Ultimate is no more. Thanks for uploading this. 👌👌

[@20PhantoM07]

Cool thanks man enjoyed that didn’t know much about this place only heard of it blast few weeks, I would of loved that coaster.

[@AWalkInTheNE]

this is so selfish of brighton pier group to do this, not even an auction for us superfans to own a peice of the ride, todays society all goes down to money, if it doesnt make enough money than its gone, thats the sad truth of society today and Brighton pier group is just one of these evil company's

[@Raven1015]

I was literally just evicted from my apartment today... but this... THIS.... This destroyed me... Think it's time to sleep now...

[@MatthewWilkinson]

Love the music from River Caves, any tips how to get closer with my drone ❤️

[@sneakycoasters]

What's the range on it?

[@danlightfoot6592]

Without actually going inside ;-) Triplins Lane, Kirkby Road or the A6108.

[@MatthewWilkinson]

@@sneakycoasters pretty far but rather be closer ;)

[@jameswatkins3375]

Thank you so much for documenting this 😊

[@sneakycoasters]

You're welcome - Nobody else was and I just couldn't stop myself from going and documenting it. I have a lot of photos and a lot of video. It's a shame the park couldn't care less.

[@jameswatkins3375]

@@sneakycoasters Yeh Brighton Pier Group are disgusting.

[@pendremacherald6758]

Just like what happened in the 60s. BR tried, and now all that is left is abandoned. I’ve only been to Britain twice and had no chance to ride this either time.

[@Thrills_And_Chills_WQAQ]

This is some of, the most beautiful, and most sorrow footage I’ve ever seen. Massive props to you, and may I use this in a video with credit?

[@sneakycoasters]

Sure.

[@Danny-204]

So glad I managed to ride this as a kid, more so that I live in sussex and this is in the north, not exactly a local park to me, RIP 🎢

[@Thelightning1out]

Hopefully a new long coaster take this spot

[@sneakycoasters]

Extremely unlikely

[@Thelightning1out]

@@sneakycoastersfair point

[@whoknew2273]

I will miss the bruises and aches damn you RIP Ultimate 😌

[@LasVegas68]

This is like going to a funeral....😢

[@sneakycoasters]

Yeah :( Rest in peace ol' girl.

[@RERTOxCRAFT]

Nooooo that was on my bucket list this year!

[@TPtyla]

I've never been on it but the video made my cry a lot

[@creeds00]

A coaster like that couldn't be built in North America. Imagine a herd of white tail deer leaping over the train as it's passing through. Or a moose decides that it wants that bit of track as the carts are barreling down on it.

[@davidanderson1639]

Well, a deer did actually wander into the path of the ultimate once……& was decapitated. The resulting impact showered the first few rows of riders in bits of deer & the ride closed for about 30-40mins whilst it was washed down 😂😂😂

[@sneakycoasters]

There was a tall fence all the way around the ride area, but yeah sometimes a deer would end up losing in a battle against The Ultimate.

[@clairecraig980]

Absolutely gutted, it's no more. There destroying this park can see it being closed in a few year. We wdnt 2 3 times a year won't be back now

[@derekpurcell937]

Sad to see it go

[@ThemeParksAndAttractions]

Nice footage 👍

[@willlister9825]

I'll give LWV a few years before it is gone. Sadly too many theme parks are trying to appeal to just one market - the young family! Loved Camelot as it was more than just a theme park... Hopefully Flamingo Land will continue, but it's a fair old price to get in! Evan Gullivers are removing most of their 'moderate' rides...

[@Lamby1010]

Rusting and overgrown already 😮, hope the turn this in to a scare attraction.

[@Spookysloth478]

I'm crying 😢 😭 this is so upsetting to see I went on this years ago with my perent and can't believe they took it away from us.

[@fragglenum]

So sad 😞. When the ride died so did the park.

[@Benthetrainkid]

Shame on you Lightwater Valley for tearing down the longest coaster in Europe

[@arcadealchemist]

Everything is devolving in to ash to make way for a new paradigm

[@PADDYSHORRORCHANNEL]

A very British icon 🇬🇧

[@jeroenbeverdam1868]

i would want to ride it.

[@robtyman4281]

This all seems like a metaphor for the UK right now - 'Gone off the rails', and slowly decaying.

[@liamcollinson5695]

For how long it was they could of converted it into a launch coaster

[@davidanderson1639]

Can we all just admit that the section between drops 1 & 2 was terrible!! 😂 The ride was long over due some serious work & had never been close to its glory of when it first opened for sometime. I rode it several times in the first few years of it operating & the park was never going to be able to keep up with what it’s competitors were doing.

[@sneakycoasters]

The ride had some terrible bits definitely. It's just sad to see something so unique go. Would have been good for a company to come in and reprofile some of it, but I think the current owners of the park's long term strategy is to run the place on a shoestring budget, and The Ultimate would never be able to run on that basis. Have you got any stories about the early days? I've noticed on older ride footage the ending was slightly different - the last rise into the station was a curved hill rather than a lift hill.

[@kels2robyn]

i got to ride it 😛

[@craigf7313]

I wonder what the real reason for destroying the main attraction was? They claimed it was to aim the park at young children but I find it wreaks of bullshi# I went in 2021.Never again. The park is a shell of what it used to be. Very sad.

[@sitcorocket]

Ridiculous state of affairs...

[@sizzlermark1286]

Very sad to watch... But it's progress sadly.... Things come and go... Flat rides and even coasters... But they're our memories and we can bore our kids or nieces and nephews about them.... Try telling a sixteen year old about the Corkscrew and what it did for Coaster culture in the UK and even explain where it was....

[@sneakycoasters]

True, but the park has nothing else. Progress is fine when the rest of the park has other assets. The Ultimate was their only permanent ride bar Eagles Claw. Everything else is a travelling ride. The Ultimate gave the park their fame. It was iconic. To just throw it in a scrap yard is completely short sighted and idiotic.

[@treecutter1806]

Made by British rail what you expect 😂

[@MatthewWilkinson]

Gutted

[@joshomasprime2474]

Yes no more

[@DisneyMarkUK]

The ending 😓

[@sneakycoasters]

It made me sad that the ride still seemed alive. It had a generator hooked up, it had lights and the CCTV still worked. Alas, its generator was used purely to push the trains out of the station to their demise.

[@DisneyMarkUK]

@@sneakycoasters Tragic :(

[@plagueplays]

e wow

[@HumanStateOfEmergency]

💔

[@rob235ioa1]

good riddance to the worst coaster ever made

[@sneakycoasters]

Far from it.

[@NickyMitchell85]

It’ll be dearly missed, that rollercoaster 🎢 will be..

[@Youlosewewin]

So sad it should of been saved