1990 was a rather quiet year for the UK theme park industry and many parks were in early development with the difference in class between many quite small. The big American parks were grabbing the headlines with their star studded attractions with the latest technology of the time. Overshadowed by this, the UK needed something unique, something that laid a landmark for the industry, something that was the ultimate of all rollercoasters.

An opportunity stared straight into the eyes of a man named Robert Staveley, owner of Lightwater Valley Theme Park. The park had a growing reputation, evolving from a small strawberry farm into a popular tourist attraction which included four quite impressive rides. Lightwater Valley was home to The Wave – which was and still is the UK’s largest pirate ship, Soopa Loopa – the UK’s only double looping rollercoaster at the time, Toad Hole – a water ride submerged in a hill and the Sewer Rat – which was the world’s only underground rollercoaster (in reality, it was the world’s only enclosed subterranean rollercoaster). As you will agree, at that time, such attractions were superb assets for any park. However, that didn’t seem quite enough for Mr. Staveley, he wanted something so unique, that the park would receive global attention and send out a signal of intent – we mean business!

This new ride needed to thrill passengers more than any other ride had done before. It needed to stay in touch with Lightwater Valley’s countryside feel. The ride needed to act as a catalyst for increased attendances whilst earning the park a tidy bit of profit. To do this, they needed a ride no other could beat! A world-wide phenomenon! Mr. Staveley could have simply installed another looping coaster straight from the shelf and hey presto, job done. But it was no longer acceptable to plonk a ride on that spare bit of land if you wanted to be taken seriously in the theme park industry, you needed something extra-special.

As an enthusiast, this rollercoaster sounded truly magnificent; surely Lightwater Valley had half a chance? Within this beautiful countryside park acres of land lay untouched by the wrath of a steel monster, its atmosphere absent of screaming passengers. Sounds like the setting for a horror story doesn’t it? How true that would turn out to be in the months ahead. Well, this is where our story starts.

A massive 44-acres was ear-marked and set aside for this new ride, something Mr. Staveley was keen to capitalise on and use to its maximum potential. Consultations began with different contractors who each offered what they thought were this new mega-coaster that would send Lightwater Valley’s reputation through the roof. It was not until a few weeks later when the chequebook was out and the contract signed from Big Country Motioneering. The ride was set, a terrain hugging rollercoaster with immense speed following on from two 100ft+ drops, designed by Big Country Motioneering and Mr. Staveley himself. Nowadays, something like this would seem rather stupid, for new mega-coasters you get in the professionals to design and construct, not the park manager and a company that had no credible experience in rollercoaster construction whatsoever. Whether this was a disaster waiting to happen or the deal of the decade, at that time, your guess was as good as anybody’s.

Before the track had even snuggled up to its new home, problems were springing up here, there and everywhere. Constructors were once greeted with warped steel due to glorious hot weather, having forgotten to leave an expansion gap resulting in a bunny hop somewhat 2ft up in the air. Or maybe the numerous occasions they had to walk the track to measure the ride to check their ‘foundations’ were alright – a process that continued for a few seasons after opening after claims the track was moving. Serious miss-calculations of speed resulted in the train hammering into the track causing damage which ate away at Mr. Staveley’s wallet. After completion of the ride it was also found out that the trains for the rollercoaster were simply not long enough for it to make it around the track the way it was originally intended. This resulted in the trains being extended to twice the length as originally planned to ensure such problems would never face the park again. It was quite evident Big County Motioneering had not done their homework. Mr. Staveley had no alternative but to dismiss them, delaying the opening of the ride by months. Enter, British Rail. You would have thought Mr. Staveley had learnt a lesson by hiring people who clearly had no idea, yet he still pursued in agreeing a deal with the men behind your transport system across the country today.

However, faults were ironed out and the red ribbon was ready for cutting. And so The Ultimate was born – a name chosen by the public following a competition on BBC Radio One, would the ride live up to its name? The sun rose up on July 17th 1991 and the smell of anticipation was in the air at Lightwater Valley. The park even managed to grab a real coup in persuading Frank Bruno to open the ride, the event was media frenzy, just what Mr. Staveley ordered; media attention! As Frank Bruno waved to the cameras as he climbed the lift hill and down over the top, everyone waited for his return. Alas, nearly 6 minutes later he returned and described the experience as “more frightening than fighting Mike Tyson!” Lightwater Valley had managed to frighten one of Britain’s hardest men and succeeded in constructing the world’s longest rollercoaster! Surely it was job done?

For one man, it wasn’t. Mr. Robert Staveley had been setback an astonishing £5.2 million, money the guy didn’t really have. It was a heavy price the park would pay years later as he attempted to cut his losses. However, it didn’t stop there. The beast was built, yet it needed taming. Further track replacements were carried out to remove the rather dangerous banking arrangements and the OTSR’s were cut out and replaced by new sleek lap bars following a lot of customer complaints and minor injuries. Robert went bust and finally offloaded the park years later to his children. After reading this, you may wonder whether the ride was really worth it and perhaps it was a better option to settle for second best.

Now we move on to present day and we’re standing in Lightwater Valley. Technology has certainly moved on, and records have been smashed time and time again, so how does The Ultimate compare to recent additions?

The first thing that has to be said is that there are few rides in the world that look as "at home" as The Ultimate. Sitting snug at the back of the park and towering above guests, the ride looks like it could go to no other park, it belongs in the countryside. Whereas rides like The Big One revel in their imposing industrial presence, The Ultimate’s natural look blends in with the surroundings, and provides a perfect backdrop for this most picturesque of parks.

Despite how painful and awful the ride may sound in the few paragraphs above, I have to say, The Ultimate is quite surprisingly impressive and fun. I’ve never left the station without having such an adrenaline rush that I then even force myself to go queue and experience it all over again as it seems to take away the memory of the pain suffered just minutes ago. Compared to most modern rollercoasters, The Ultimate delivers heaps of excitement and thrills without the need of inversions and other fancy elements.

On Big Country Motioneering’s and Mr. Staveley’s part, well they did deliver something unique even still to this very day. However, the amount of severe errors throughout the ride drags its reputation down, particularly to those fussy enthusiasts. On the other hand, I don’t think I’ve ever seen an unhappy person step off The Ultimate, because it does what it aims to do; give you a ride that you will never forget! For a rollercoaster that has many flaws, the public still regard as one the most exciting and their favourite rollercoasters in the UK.

It is obvious Lightwater Valley is proud of the ride and credit to them. The Ultimate is a prime example of how smaller parks stand a fighting chance against those full of sponsored rides and boast an impressive portfolio of big name manufacturer products. Whereas many parks let their coasters fall into disrepair, it is quite evident Lightwater Valley want to preserve The Ultimate for as long as it can possibly live. It makes a pleasant change to see a park take pride in their assets rather than a shortcut to big money before it becomes ‘just another rocket coaster’.

Being Europe’s Longest Rollercoaster is a huge title for any park and a nice way to remember how massive achievement it really was. Not many UK’s park have the space or intentions to build long rollercoasters, many just focusing on height and speed, giving The Ultimate a huge advantage over others, a record that many will find difficult to beat. However, this could be a case of the ‘test of time’, as I mentioned earlier the track is now ageing and the constant force it takes is becoming a cause for concern for maintenance and perhaps in a few years, it could leave management no alternative but to close the ride. And sadly, the park isn’t in a financial position to replace it with such counterpart.

Ironically, The Ultimate was planned as the catalyst of the park’s success, in bringing it to new levels and increased profits, sadly that plan backfired. The park would be dragged down with the weight of debt taking Mr. Staveley with it, therefore ending the parks trend to install unique attractions. For years after, we had to settle for ‘off-the-shelf’ attractions, causing attendance numbers to drop as corporate parks took over. Whilst The Ultimate remains open, there will always be life in that little country park.