enclosed
Enclosure or Inclosure is a term, used in English landownership, that refers to the appropriation of "waste" or "common land" enclosing it and by doing so depriving commoners of their rights of access and privilege. Agreements to enclose land ...
roller coaster
A roller coaster, or rollercoaster, is a type of amusement ride that employs a form of elevated railroad track designed with tight turns, steep slopes, and sometimes inversions. Passengers ride along the track in open cars, and the rides ar ...
at the
Lightwater Valley
Lightwater Valley Family Adventure Park is a theme park in North Stainley, North Yorkshire, England. The park was once home to Europe's longest roller coaster, The Ultimate.
Lightwater Valley was founded by Robert Staveley in 1969, and is now ...
theme park
An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, as well as other events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central ...
in
North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire is the largest ceremonial county (lieutenancy area) in England, covering an area of . Around 40% of the county is covered by national parks, including most of the Yorkshire Dales and the North York Moors. It is one of four cou ...
,
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
.Raptor Attack: About the ride - Lightwater Valley website and was the world's first underground subterranean rollercoaster, opening in 1987.
History
In 1987, Lightwater Valley constructed an
Anton Schwarzkopf
Anton Schwarzkopf (8 July 1924 – 30 July 2001) was a German engineer who founded Schwarzkopf Industries GmbH, a German manufacturer of roller coasters and other amusement rides that were sold to amusement parks and travelling funfairs aro ...
Wildcat roller coaster. The ride was constructed inside a warehouse-type building hidden by trees and embankments and the base of a former quarry. This gave the illusion that the ride is actually underground. At opening, the ride was known as ''Rat Ride'' and themed around sewer rats. The entry and exit corridors effectively replicated a real sewer, with the ride vehicles' chassis being adorned with giant rat models. The ride took place in complete darkness, preventing riders from predicting the upcoming direction of travel.
''Rat Ride'' closed in October 2009. On 4 April 2010, the ride reopened under a new name (‘Raptor Attack’), with a theme of escaped
velociraptor
''Velociraptor'' (; ) is a genus of small dromaeosaurid dinosaur that lived in Asia during the Late Cretaceous epoch, about 75 million to 71 million years ago. Two species are currently recognized, although others have been assigned in the p ...
s. The ride closed in 2020 and was removed from the theme park.
Ride experience
The final incarnation of the ride saw it themed on an old abandoned mine shaft, with riders queuing at the entry point. Upon entry, riders walked through a series of tunnels and descended a spiralling staircase between which water fell from overhead.
An abandoned office featured blood-spattered equipment including a monitor which saw footage of a distressed miner. This footage originally had sound, with the miner calling out a warning that there was something moving down there, and not to send anyone else down the mine. However, the sound was removed partway through the season, as younger children reportedly thought that the footage was real and became distressed.
Riders continued onto the boarding station where four-seater mine trains awaited. Ride operators were dressed in themed miner clothing with hard hats and fluorescent jackets.
The train left the station into an area of total darkness and ascended a chain-driven climb. A series of drops followed, interlinked between sudden appearances of animatronic
velociraptor
''Velociraptor'' (; ) is a genus of small dromaeosaurid dinosaur that lived in Asia during the Late Cretaceous epoch, about 75 million to 71 million years ago. Two species are currently recognized, although others have been assigned in the p ...
s and sound effects designed to startle the riders. The roller coaster system and layout remained the same as the original 'Rat Ride', but the appearances of the dinosaurs and the ride's revamped theming added new elements to the experience.
When the car returned to the station and riders disembark (after a dramatic braking stop), they passed a steel door from behind which something suddenly banged very loudly. This was another feature designed to startle departing riders, and was activated via motion sensor.
Riders then continued on through the tunnels, passing a hydraulic piston in a pool of water and human bones. The piston suddenly discharged a blast of air from beneath the water, creating a loud noise and splash designed to startle the exiting riders. A staircase was then ascended, another tunnel passed during which sound effects of dinosaur roared and groans played before the surface was reached. In this final part of the exit corridors, an actress occasionally featured during the Halloween ''Frightwater Valley'' themed events.
In the immediate area outside the ride exit was the raptor paintball range and riders left via a merchandise shop which also sold on-ride photographs.