Thirty-five years after it first captured the imagination of thrill-seekers, rollercoaster enthusiasts and families, nostalgia remains strong for one of North Yorkshire's most famous attractions.
Former visitors have shared memories of The Ultimate since the record-breaking ride was dismantled in 2023, mourning its loss as a one-of-a-kind coaster.
The Ultimate stretched 7,442 feet (2,268 metres) and lasted more than seven minutes, carrying up to 38 riders through 44 acres of woodland.
The ride beat The Beast at Kings Island in Ohio by 300 metres to become the world’s longest rollercoaster.
The Ultimate was built to boost Lightwater Valley’s visitor numbers and challenge rival Alton Towers, which attracted 2.5 million people a year.
(Image: Lightwater Valley)
At the time, Lightwater Valley was averaging half a million visitors annually.
Then-owner Robert Staveley, father of former Newcastle United owner Amanda Staveley, devised The Ultimate and first designed it with Big County Motioneering.
British Rail then took over construction alongside the park's staff. Construction cost £5.2 million and lasted 18 months, with the ride officially opening on July 17, 1991.
The Ultimate quickly won over enthusiasts and casual visitors, and appeared in the 1992 Guinness Book of World Records as the world’s longest coaster.
The Ultimate held the record for nine years, until Nagashima Spa Land’s Steel Dragon 2000 opened in Japan, but it remains Europe’s longest ever rollercoaster.
20 years after it opened, the iconic rollercoaster remained the park's most popular attraction, with then-manager Mark Bainbridge predicting it would stay that way for "some time to come."
The Ultimate ran for the last time in 2019, remaining closed after the Covid-19 pandemic halted the theme-park industry and Lightwater Valley was sold to Brighton Pier Group for around £5 million in 2021.
The new owners acknowledged The Ultimate’s “iconic” status and insisted it was “not dead in the water”, despite the need for investment and improvements.
Brighton Pier Group reversed course in January 2023 and confirmed the Ultimate would be dismantled.
The owners said the ride would require investment to meet acceptable safety standards, while the park was being reimagined as a family-oriented attraction after being renamed to Lightwater Valley Family Adventure Park the previous year.
By April 2023, visitors found that only the original station building remained.
Since then, former riders have shared fond memories of The Ultimate and their disappointment at its closure.
One commenter wrote on social media: "The Ultimate was a fantastic coaster, the fact it tried to fling you out your seat [sic] going through the woods during the 2nd section was brilliant.
"No other coaster like it.
"Wish I could have ridden it one more time before it got demolished in 2023."
Another wrote: "This was definitely 'the one that got away' for me."
One other said: "Shouldn’t have got rid of it; that’s what made Lightwater Valley"
Lightwater Valley Family Adventure Park was sold to Nottingham-based company Mellors Group in 2026, who vowed to put the theme park "back on the map," and expand their visitor base to include guests of all ages.