Lightwater Valley Disabled Access Review

On one half the image is a picture of Iona stood Infront of sign that says lightwater valley are proud partners with Nimbus disability. On the other side of the image there is a yellow background with text saying Lightwater valley disabled access review as well as a cartoon of Iona on a rollercoaster in the bottom corner.
Join me as I visit Lightwater Valley exploring all things disabled access at the park as well as checking out the entertainment and events for the summer holidays 2024.

Table of Contents

Facilities and Services Available for Disabled Guests

Here is a quick overview of the facilities and services available for disabled guests at Lightwater Valley, so that you can decide if this attraction is able to meet your access requirements. Please note: some of the services are listed below and a full explanation is available later on in the blog post. In order to quickly navigate through the post you can use the table of contents.

  • Wheelchair hire: Wheelchairs are available to hire from the Visitor Information Centre located by the arcade. To hire a wheelchair there is a £10 refundable charge.
  • Changing Place: Lightwater Valley changing place is located next the outdoor adventure a play. If you have forgot your radar key then they can be obtained from the visitor experience centre. Full information about the changing place can be found by clicking here changing places website.
  • Quiet room: To help guests reregulate Lightwater Valley have a quiet room located in the guest experience centre. I detail more about my experience in the quiet room in the ‘quiet room’ section of this blog post
  • Assistance dogs: Assistance dogs are permitted at Lightwater Valley. for full requirements and information please click here assistance dogs at Lightwater Valley
  • Essential companion ticket: Essential companion tickets formally known as carer tickets are available to paying guests with the access card or Nimbus ID with the +1 or +2 symbol. Full information can be found in the ‘before your visit’ section of this blog post.
  • Rides easy access pass: For guests unable to queue due to a disability Lightwater Valley offer the reasonable adjustment of a ride easy access pass. In order to obtain a ride easy access pass you need a valid access card or Nimbus ID with the standing and queuing symbol. Full information can be found in the before your visit, Arrivals and how ride easy access pass works sections of this blog post.

Before your visit

Before visiting Lightwater Valley there are a few steps you must take in order to ensure you have the correct access available to you so you can enjoy your day.

Essential companion ticket

Disabled and essential companion park tickets can be easily booked by clicking here Lightwater Valley book tickets.

Booking with an access card: If you already have an access card with the +1 or +2 symbol on then all you need to do is book your tickets online as explained above and show your physical access card when entering the park.

Booking without an access card: If you do not already have an Access Card the I have a full blog post all about the access card that you can find by clicking here what is the access card and is it worth it. If you do not wish to purchase the access card and only want your access needs registered for Lightwater Valley then you can get a free Nimbus ID by clicking here Lightwater Valley access register. Please note: on the day of your visit you will need show proof of either your Lightwater Valley Nimbus ID or physical access card.

ride easy access pass

Have an Access Card: If you already have an access card with the standing and queueing symbol then there isn’t anything you need to do before your visit. Please proceed to the ‘Arrivals’ section of this blog post.

Don’t Have an Access Card: If you do not already have have an Access Card the I have a full blog post all about the access card that you can find by clicking here what is the access card and is it worth it. If you do not wish to purchase the access card and only want your access needs registered for Lightwater Valley then you can get a free Nimbus ID by clicking here Lightwater Valley access register. Please note: In order to use the ride easy access pass you must be awarded the standing and queuing symbol.

Arrivals

In this section of the blog we detail what will happen when you arrive at Lightwater Valley so you know what to expect and can get on the rides as quickly as possible.

blue badge parking

By the entrance there was a large number of blue badge parking spaces available. The spaces were level with the hatchings on each side. I have also videoed entering Lightwater Valley by car and heading to the blue badge parking so you know exactly what to expect when driving in.

image shows blue badge parking space in the image you can see the yellow wheelchair symbol in the middle of the parking spot with blue hatching either side
in the image you can see lots of empty blue badge parking spots
in the image you can see a sign with blue background and white text that reads: car parking straight up arrow disabled parking, right pointing arrow car parking, right pointing arrow car parking and right pointing arrow coach and minibus parking

entering the park

Before entering the park there was male, female and accessible toilets available located Infront of the disabled parking.

image of building with sign saying male toilets, ladies toilet baby change and disabled toilet
image shows light water valley opening times 2024

When entering the park there was a separate queue for disabled guests and season pass holders (as seen in the pictures bellow) this helps minimise the waiting time to enter the theme park. Once at the front of the admissions queue simply show your park ticket and the staff will scan it. If you have an essential companion ticket then all you need to do is show your access card with the +1 or +2 symbol when showing your tickets.

image shows entrance to lightwater valley in the image you can see the admitions desks and yellow barriers making a queue line
image of admitions desk in the image you can see a desk with a computer and lightwater valley price list on the window
in the image you can see a straight queueline with a sign saying disabled guests and season pass holders

collecting queue assist pass/time sheet

Once entering the park we headed straight to the visitor experience centre where I showed my access card with the standing and queueing symbol on and was issued with an orange wristband and ride easy access guide. Full information on how the ride easy access pass works can be found in the ‘how easy access pass works’ section of this blog post.

image shows entrance to lightwater valley visitor information centre
Image of orange wristband on wrist with the date written on it
image of the front cover for the ride easy access guide

How Ride Easy Access Pass Works

Lightwater Valley ride easy access pass allows the ride easy access pass user and a maximum 3 accompanying guests to enter the ride via the assigned easy access pass entrance. At least one of the accompanying guests must be aged 16+. Please see my step by step guide to using the ride easy access pass bellow.

Please note: Lightwater Valley do not permit guests to use the ride easy access pass Immediately after getting off the ride. In busy periods guests are asked to wait 20 minutes before using the same ride.

Step 1: Check ride restrictions

image of ride restriction board and hight chart for the rocket rollercoaster
Image shows the inside of the easy access guide. In the image you can see a table with all the ride restrictions for disabled guests. There is columns going across the table with each ride at Lightwater Valley. There is 10 rows going down with all the ride restriction and information with the following headings: ride access route, the ride entrance/exit involves steps, it is possible to transfer directly from wheelchair to ride carriage, riders must have three full limbs. leg amputations must be bellow the knee, riders must have full upper body strength and be able to brace themselves against the force, no casts are permitted, not suitable for guests with heart or neck problems, expectant mothers or having had recent surgery or injury, prosthetics must be secured or removed, riders must remained seated and be able to sit upright, these rides involve a complex evacuation procedure and may not be suitable for all guests. evacuations involved being transferred via a steep incline or ladders from hights up to 7m. in the table each ride is ticked with the corresponding restrictions.

Before going through the ride easy access pass entrance for the ride of your chose it’s important to make sure you have checked the ride restriction to make sure this ride or attraction accessible for you. The ride restriction board are clearly located at the entrance for each ride and attraction. Your ride easy access guide also has a handy restrictions table so you can check the ride requirements before getting to the ride.

step 2: find the easy access pass entrance

image shows exit/ride easy access pass entrance for rocket rollercoaster. in the image you can see a gate saying no entry with a path leading up to the ride exit
Image shows the inside of the easy access guide. In the image you can see a table with all the ride restrictions for disabled guests. There is columns going across the table with each ride at Lightwater Valley. There is 10 rows going down with all the ride restriction and information with the following headings: ride access route, the ride entrance/exit involves steps, it is possible to transfer directly from wheelchair to ride carriage, riders must have three full limbs. leg amputations must be bellow the knee, riders must have full upper body strength and be able to brace themselves against the force, no casts are permitted, not suitable for guests with heart or neck problems, expectant mothers or having had recent surgery or injury, prosthetics must be secured or removed, riders must remained seated and be able to sit upright, these rides involve a complex evacuation procedure and may not be suitable for all guests. evacuations involved being transferred via a steep incline or ladders from hights up to 7m. in the table each ride is ticked with the corresponding restrictions.

Now you have found out the ride is accessible for you it’s time to locate the ride easy access pass entrance for the ride you would like to enjoy. The ride easy access pass entrance can be found by looking at the table inside your ride easy access guide. A seen in the picture on the left each ride is number 1,2 or 3 this correlates to where ride easy access pass users enter the ride. As shown in the image to the left 1 means main queue, 2 means you enter via the exit and 3 means you enter via the ride access pass gate. For my example of the Rocket Rollercoaster there is a number 1 meaning when using the ride easy access pass I entered via the exit.

Step 3: show wristband and easy access guide

Image of orange wristband on wrist with the date written on it
image if the ride easy access pass card. on the card you can see guests name, date of visit, group number with 1, 2, 3 or 4 circled. a table with 9 spaces

Once reaching the front of the ride easy access pass queue line for your chosen ride a ride host will come and ask to see your orange wristband and to mark your ride easy access pass guide. As seen the image to the left on the back of the ride easy access pass guide there is a table with 9 spaces. Each time you use your ride easy access pass for a ride one of the boxes will be marked.

When all 9 boxes are filled that is the limit. From my experience in some cases a new easy access pass guide may be issued so I recommend heading back to the visitor information centre and explaining your situation should you fill all 9 of the boxes. However, Lightwater Valley dose not experience many long main queues we went during in the summer holidays and used the main queue for most rides as there was no one waiting. The majority of rides did not have fenced of queue lines so there was no physical queue line to cope walking through and navigating.

Step 4: Enjoy the ride

image of iona and dad on ride photo for the rocket rollercoaster

It’s now time to experience your chosen ride! weather your blasting of on the Rocket Rollercoaster or taking a more genital ride on the Savanna Express. I hope you enjoy being able to access the ride thanks to the ride easy access pass system.

Our Day At Lightwater Valley

Now we’re in the park and have sorted all of our access out it’s time to enjoy the park and get on some rides. In this section you will find a write up of our day of Lightwater Valley including all the accessibility information of course. So come and enjoy the day with us!

Rocket Rollercoaster

We headed straight to the Rocket Rollercoaster that is new for the 2024 season at Lightwater Valley. The Rocket coaster is a little more thrilling then the other coasters in Lightwater Valley’s line up however, still very family friendly. With a 1.2 meters hight restriction the Rocket is a good step up from children’s coasters to more family thrill coasters.

In terms of access, there was a few steps to get up to the station as shown in the pictures bellow and the ride car were a little challenging for me to get in out of due to the gap being small. As the Rocket Rollercoaster has a slow through put with the style of coaster trains the Rocket has it means 4 riders per train leading to a slow through put. During our visit the Rocket had built up a little queue so we used the ride easy access pass by entering via the exit. Full information on how the ride easy access pass works can be found in the ‘how easy access pass works’ section of this blog post. The lift hill for the Rocket Rollercoaster is loud and can be heard from outside the ride I was able to keep my ear defenders on on the ride.

image of ride restriction board and hight chart for the rocket rollercoaster
image shows exit/ride easy access pass entrance for rocket rollercoaster. in the image you can see a gate saying no entry with a path leading up to the ride exit
image shows easy access pass steps and view at the station
in the image you can see the rocket rollercoaster track and layout
image shows a sign with the ride prices for the rocket roller-coaster ride phots. the sign reads large £8, small £6, keyring £6, magnet £6, digital download £4.
image of iona and dad on ride photo for the rocket rollercoaster

The Caterpillar

Located not to far from the Rocket rollercoaster is the caterpillar a great first coaster with no hight restriction (no babies in arms.) In terms of hight restrictions, children under 1 meter are able to ride when accompanied by someone 16 +. Guests over 1 meter are able to ride unaccompanied. The Caterpillar is a fun coaster that takes you around the coaster layout for two laps.

In terms of access, there is a few steps to get up to the ride station via the exit however, a ramp up from the main queue. If using the ride easy access pass you enter via the exit. This is located through the gift shop following the path up the stairs as seen in the pictures bellow. I was allowed to keep my ear defenders on for the ride.

image shows the outside of the caterpillar shop
image shows the inside of the caterpillar shop with door leading to ride exit.
image shows ride easy access pass entrance/ride exit gate

Entertainment

For the 2024 season Lightwater Valley have a purpose built theatre called the Valley theatre as well as an outdoor stage located by the rocket where various shows take place throughout the day. This summer holidays Lightwater Valley are running a space adventure event everyday till the 1 September 2024. The event includes shows on the outdoor starlight stage and in the theatre as well as a foam party and space alien hunt. The full event line up can be found by clicking here space adventure event line up.

in the image you can see an outdoor stage with a sign saying starlight stage
image shows the alien hunt sheet with 10 images of Alien to find the name for.
image shows whats on today information sheet

Lunch

Ligtwater Valley had a great food option from fast food to an Italian restaurant. There was no pressure to purchase food on park and plenty of outdoor and indoor areas available to eat food from home.

The Grill

We stopped of for lunch at the grill café. There was a wide variety of options click here for the grill full menu. The food was great I of course had chicken nuggets and chips that were up there with Wetherspoons and Dad said it was the best burger he’s had. In terms of sensory there was no music playing in the restaurant and it was all level access with a ramp leading up to the entrance.

Please note: Both meals at the bar café were very kindly gifted to us from the park via two meal vouchers. However, this is not a sponsored post and I’m under no obligation to talk about the meal. All views and opinions remain my own and not associated with any other organisation.

image shows the entrance to the grill restrant you can see doors leading into the restraint and a sign above the door saying the grill.
image of seating area at the grill. in the image you can see a large seating area with tables and chairs.
image of burger meal and chicken nugget meal at the grill

Ladybird

The grill was located near the ladybird coaster so of course we had o get the coaster cred! The Ladybird is a fun step up from the Caterpillar with some sharp turns. The ride has a 0.9 meters hight restriction when accompanied by someone 16+ however, guests over 1.2 meters can ride unaccompanied.

In terms of access, the ride carts were very small and me and Dad struggled with the leg room. The Ladybird runs one train and has quite a slow throughput meaning a queue had built up so we used my ride easy access pass. The ride easy access pass entrance was located at the ride exit and was a ramp to the ride station. When using the pass we were let on straight away as soon as the last ride stopped.

image of the ladybird rollercoaster on the track
image of the exit/easy access entrance gate for the ladybird

Flying Cutlass

Once riding the Ladybird coaster we header to the flying cutlass a pirate ship ride that went quite high! Guests 1.1meters to 1.3meters tall must be accompanied by someone 16 or over. However, guests over 1.3 are able to ride unaccompanied.

In terms of access, there was a few steps to get up to the ride platform as seen in the pictures bellow. The rows towards the back of the flying cutlass had quite a big drop to get in and out. I was able to get on the back row with the help of my sticks but fir those with mobility issues or do not like hights I recommend sitting in the middle rows. Due to the nature of the ride there was guests screaming so something to bear in mind sensory wise thankfully, I was allowed to keep my ear defenders on for the ride.

image shows the exit and easy access pass entrance for the Piret ship
image of the pirate ship ride station
image of the Piret ship ride during a ride cycle

Lightwater Express Train

Now we had explored some attractions towards the back of the park we headed on the Lightwater express that takes you around the perimeter of the valley. We boarded the train at the whistle stop station and had a lovely ride to the to mainline station located at the front of the park near the fun fair. The train taking approximately 20 minutes to complete one lap of the park and all passengers disembark at mainline station. If you want to complete an uninterrupted lap of the park then board the Lightwater valley express at the Mainline station near the fairground.

In terms of access, guests are able to stay in there wheelchair during the ride I managed to get a quick photo of the wheelchair accessible carriage as seen in the photos below. The train has a loud horn that you can hear from around the track and during the train journey goes into a dark tunnel and you exit the train platform via a gift shop. There is ride easy access available however, when we arrived the train was waiting in the station so didn’t need to use it.

image of lightwater valley express train going across the track
image of wheelchair accessible carriage on the lightwater express
image of person sat in a wheelchair with a green tick next it. meaning you can stay in your wheelchair for the ride

Skyrider

Located in the middle of the funfair is the Skyride a fantastic flying chairs with a 1.3 meter hight restriction. We were flying high in the sky so got a nice breeze on a hot day.

In terms of access, there was a few steps to get onto the ride platform and all the chair were single seats. Due to the high capacity of the style of ride there was no queue meaning we didn’t need to use the easy access ride pass.

image of ride restriction board for the sky rider
off ride image of the sky rider
selfie of iona and dad sat on the sky rider

Eagle’s Claw

Eagle’s Claw is a thrilling ride with a 1.2 Meters hight restriction. In my opinion this is the most thrilling ride in the park and had plenty of hang time as well as a long cycle.

In terms of access, The ride had a little queue so we used my ride easy access pass and entered via the exit. The path all the way up to ride station was ramped however, the ride seats were quiet high up to get on and off. In my experience I was allowed to keep my ear defenders on during the ride.

image of egal claw. in the image you can see a picture of egal claw with the sky as the background
In the image you can see a picture of some ear defenders and a green tick

Quiet room

Lightwater Valley have a quiet room located in the visitor information centre. The quiet room is aimed at guests with autism however, also available to those with other additional sensory needs. In order to gain access to the quiet room simply ask a member of staff in the visitor information centre who will let you into the room. As seen in the photo bellow the quiet room has two sofas, a bean bag, tent (only little children can fit in it) and children’s toys and games. It’s worth noting that there is a door leading from the quiet room to the prayer room something to bure in mind if someone in your party is a runner. Inside the room it was very quiet and you couldn’t hear the music from outside. In my opinion although the room is small I think it’s a good addition to the park to allow guests with additional sensory needs to stay regulated. The lake side walk and woodland areas are also quiet areas at the park with space to run around.

image of the door leading into the quiet room
image of inside the quiet room. in the image you can see 2 sofas, and a small tent,
image of a table with childrens toys and games on

Final Thoughts

In conclusion, I think that Lightwater Valley is the perfect family friendly theme park for neurodivergent guests. Ear defenders can be worn on all rides and the woodland areas create plenty of quiet spaces to explore. It was clear to see all the hard work the park had put into their accessibility and in my opinion if you are looking for an accessible family day out Lightwater Valley is the way to go.

Well, thank you for joining me on my first ever visit to Lightwater Valley! Please feel free to contact me with any feedback. see you on my next theme park adventure bye for now!

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Disclaimer​

The information provided on this blog about theme park accessibility is based on my experiences and the details available from the attractions’ official websites at the time of my visit. Please note that facilities and services for disabled guests may change, and the information may not always be up-to-date. I strongly recommend checking the accessibility section on the respective attractions’ websites for the most current information. The comments and opinions expressed in this blog are solely my own and are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or representative of any other organisation.