In 1969 Lightwater Valley started life as a small self-pick fruit farm which was quite popular with the local community. The farm was run by the Staveley family, who had been in ownership of the land since 1516 when Cardinal Wolsey handed the grounds over to John Staveley. The family business was dealt a crippling blow in 1976 when a severe drought hit the region, causing huge problems with the strawberry crop - the farm's main revenue source. Later that year a lake was excavated as part of a contingency plan to combat the effects of any potential draught in future. That lake is the very same one you see at the park today!

The lake was a massive hit with guests, with some even deciding to take a swim in it! It was this popularity that prompted the Staveley family to develop further attractions. Soon afterwards the park added Fort William Adventure Playground in 1977, which was then followed by Crazy Golf and Lightwater Express. As more attractions began to open, attendance figures sharply rose; Lightwater Valley had become a major local tourist attraction.

In 1987 Lightwater Valley took its first major step towards becoming the place as we know it with the opening of Rat Ride. Robert Staveley's ambitious plans would see Lightwater Valley transform into a fully fledged theme park. It was only two years later in which he opened Soopa Loopa - the only double loop rollercoaster in the UK! Keen to capitalise on his early success, Robert Staveley drew up plans for what would be the park's biggest investment to date; a major rollercoaster that would put Lightwater Valley on the world map.

Costing £5.2 million, The Ultimate would be the world's longest rollercoaster. With drops over 100ft and speeds reaching upto 50mph, The Ultimate would take passengers on a 1.5 mile journey like no other. Officially opened by Frank Bruno in July 1991, the national spotlight shone brightly on Lightwater Valley. Unfortunately, this hunger for success came at a cost, Staveley was sent spiralling into debt. Investment dried up, rides had to be sold; the honeymoon period was over. Lightwater Valley was put up for sale.

In the years that followed Staveley resorted to quick fixes in order to keep the park afloat whilst debt was kept under control. Eventually there was a change of ownership when Staveley sold the park to Queensborough Holdings for £5.2 million in 1997. Queensborough, who at the time also owned Pleasurewood Hills in Suffolk, placed the park under the control of Leisure Great Britain. However, the new owners put Lightwater Valley back on the market within 11 months of buying as they decided to re-focus their business to target the holiday market.

The park was given a new lease of life in February 2001 when Queensborough Holdings handed ownership over to Heritage GB, a company which was formed by Queensborough Holdings Chairman Kevin Leech and his son Allan. Allan Leech bought £4.75 million worth of shares in Lightwater Valley Attractions Ltd - the new holding division under which the park would operate. Sadly, the new management team were dealt a tragic setback when an accident on The Treetop Twister cost 20 year old Gemma Savage her life. Lightwater Valley stagnated as they battled years of court dates and bad press following the incident. In 2006 Lightwater Valley Attractions Ltd were fined a total of £75,000 after pleading guilty on charges of Health & Safety breaches. Whilst the finanical penalty hit the park hard, the damage had already been done. Despite their efforts, attendance figures continued to slide as years of underinvestment began to take its toll on the park's fortunes.

In 2007 the rescue operation was underway. Lightwater Valley decided to revive plans from the late 90s for a holiday village, only to have them rejected following objections from local residents regarding traffic concerns. Lightwater Valley decided to appeal against the decision, with the inquiry held in September 2008. Unfortunately, the appeal was turned down after the inspector concluded that the overall scale of the development did not match the scale of the direct benefits for the theme park. This came as a cruel blow as General Manager, Mark Bainbridge, had publicly stated that the holiday village was essential for the park's long-term future. This however does not mark the end, as a fresh application is expected in the near future which would see the plans reduced in size.