Hampshire’s Paultons Park has released photos and details of its new Viking-themed world, Valgard, opening in May, featuring its first inverting rollercoaster, Drakon, plus a UK-first swing ride.
Valgard - Realm of the Vikings, is aimed at older children and teenagers and is said to be the theme park’s biggest investment to date.
UK’s first inverting coaster
The new Viking-themed world features Paultons Park’s first inverting rollercoaster. Drakon is set to become the park’s most thrilling ride with a vertical lift hill and two twists taking riders upside down.
Valgard also features a new Vild Swing that swirls riders 12 metres in the air; Paultons Park is said to be the first theme park in the UK to install the thrilling swing made by ART Engineering.
In addition to the two new thrill rides, Valgard sees the retheming of Cobra, a famous favourite ride at Paultons Park, into a bobsled adventure. The ride will be renamed Raven to complement the Viking village experience.
Valgard will also feature a themed restaurant and playground for younger visitors to enjoy.
Educational opportunities at Paultons Park
School trips to Paultons Park can include a range of workshops linked to the National Curriculum covering topics such as programming, forces, biology and business studies.
The sessions take place in Professor Blast’s Learning Lab and are suitable for all ages from pre-school through to post-16. There are special rates for school, based on a minimum of 12 paying students.
An update on the new Valgard land at Paultons Park
Excitement at new offering
James Mancey, deputy managing director at Paultons Park, said: “As an independent, family-owned theme park, we’re incredibly proud of the investments we make to deliver the very best guest experience. We’ve opened two brand-new rides in the last two years and with the build of Valgard firmly under way, we’re excited to open a further three, bigger-and-better-than-ever-before rides, between now and summer 2027.
“Valgard promises an immersive, atmospheric, and action-packed experience for families and has been specifically designed to grow with our fans. The introduction of inversions and a vertical lift hill on Drakon certainly up the adrenaline levels at Paultons Park, but staying true to our roots, we haven’t forgotten about the little ones and there is something for all of the family in our new Viking village.”
What else is there at Paultons Park?
The park has also recently opened its new dark ride, Ghostly Manor. The indoor ride, which offers five minutes of game play and additional pre-show thrills adds to the park’s line-up of more than 70 rides and attractions across various themed worlds.
Ghostly Manor features interactive gameplay suitable for guests from aged five and above; guests can ride unaccompanied from eight years old. From the moment riders enter the queue line, they are transported into a family-friendly supernatural world, with many eerie apparitions and haunted artefacts to discover as they journey through the home of paranormal investigator, Dr Kinley.
Paultons Park is also known as the home of Peppa Pig World and offers free parking and free entry for children under a metre.
To book tickets and find out more, visit paultonspark.co.uk
