Lightwater Valley will reopen to visitors next month - but some rides will remain closed

Theme park bosses have confirmed the North Yorkshire site will reopen to visitors next month and will initially be operating with reduced capacity.

All visitors will need to pre-book ticked online so the park can manage numbers to ensure social distancing guideline are maintained.

Staff are also introducing a series of additional cleaning and hygiene measures on site and queue markers are in place to help visitors keep a safe distance apart.

While the majority of rides will be reopening on Saturday, July 18, these will be suited to a younger family audience – with rides such as The Ultimate, Raptor Attack and Apollo remaining closed.

Entertainment and activities in the show barn will not take place this summer and indoor play areas will also remain closed.

Queue markings will be put in place for all rides and outlets, as well as some separation on the rides themselves.

“We’re delighted to be able to start welcoming visitors back but we also know how crucial it is that they feel safe,” said General Manager Colin Bowes

“We’ve allowed ourselves a little extra time to ensure everything is fully in place for opening on the 18th and we’re confident we’ve been able to accommodate a range of protective measures without compromising the visitor experience

“For this summer to help us manage visitor numbers and keep everyone safe, we are focusing on running the rides and parts of the Park which are more suited to a younger family audience.”

Visitors will be encouraged to leave plenty of space around their vehicles in the car park and additional cleaning stations have been installed around the park.

A number of catering facilities will be open, as well as the gift shop, and visitors will need to use contactless card payments whenever possible.

Any visitor who has a temperature, or is showing any other signs of coronavirus, will be asked to stay at home and Lightwater Valley will re-schedule their visit for a future date.

For more details on how to book click here.

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

In order for us to continue to provide high quality and trusted local news on this free-to-read site, I am asking you to also please purchase a copy of our newspaper.

Our journalists are highly trained and our content is independently regulated by IPSO to some of the most rigorous standards in the world.

But being your eyes and ears comes at a price. So we need your support more than ever to buy our newspapers during this crisis.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our local valued advertisers - and consequently the advertising that we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you helping us to provide you with news and information by buying a copy of our newspaper.

Thank you.