Another of our Yorkshire holiday trips was a visit to Lightwater Valley Theme Park, once again courtesy of Tesco Clubcard vouchers.
Two things
made an impression on our arrival at the park – the lovely countryside setting
and the amazing animatronic dinosaurs at the entrance.
On entering
the park properly, the first area that we came to was filled with fairground
rides, although we soon realised our favourite of these (the dodgems) was
missing. What did grab our attention was the birds of prey centre, which we
thoroughly enjoyed. Containing many species of owls and other birds, and even a
small snake section, this made for interesting viewing and a change from the
rides.
A wide
selection of rides are on offer at the park, a good number that are suitable
for younger children, as well as some more daring thrill rides. The park
setting is great for picnics and the little train that runs round the park is a
good way to view what’s on offer.
The Lightwater swan rescue begins! |
One of the
more traditional attractions available is the pedalo ride, little boats in the shape of swans. We
fancied a relaxing trip across the lake, so we climbed aboard. The boats hold
four people and are operated by a steering wheel as opposed to a tiller. This
should have been straightforward, but unfortunately we were assigned a boat
that malfunctioned.
A short way
into our ride the steering would no longer allow for a right turn. “Never
mind”, we thought, “We’ll just do a circuit bearing left.”
But no! It
then refused to go in even a straight line (having jammed) and would only send
us round in small circles. As we started to drift into the bank, we waved at
the attendants on shore – who promptly ignored us!
For some
time we debated how best to remedy our situation, until finally another family
came along and offered to tow us in. This was not as easy as it sounds, as both
boats kept drifting, but after a concerted effort, we made it back to dock –
some 40 minutes after setting out!
The young
girls managing the ride were still oblivious to our plight, and looked blankly
when we tried to explain. However, we eventually managed to persuade them to
contact maintenance and left it in their hands.
Looking
back we found the situation slightly comical, but at the time it was extremely
annoying!
Our saviours! |
Apart from
this blip, we quite enjoyed our day; Lightwater Valley is a bit different from
other theme parks that we have visited.