Huge UK theme park reveals £12 million expansion for 2026
One of Britain's favourite theme parks has announced a major expansion is in the pipeline for next year.
Paultons Park, which sits on 65 acres on the New Forest's edge in Hampshire, will open a brand new £12million themed world, Valgard - Realm of the Vikings, in 2026.
The park, already a hit with younger children thanks to Peppa Pig World, today also cut the ribbon on its latest attraction, Ghostly Manor - a £3.5 million ghoulish interactive gameplay ride.
News of the latest developments at the park will see it likely rival some of the nation's biggest theme parks - including Alton Towers, Chessington World of Adventures and Thorpe Park - for visitors next summer.
Viking-themed Valgard is Paultons' biggest investment in a new themed area to date and is aimed at teens and older children.
The biggest crowd-pleaser at Valgard is likely to be Drakon, a high-octane thrill ride with a vertical lift hill and two twists that take riders upside down.
Elsewhere, there's also set to be a Vild Swing, which will whirl those brave enough to ride it 12 metres in the air - and one of the park's most famous rides, Cobra, is also set for a makeover.
Cobra will be transformed into a bobsled adventure named Raven, with plans afoot to create a playground aimed at younger children in the village too.
A Viking village, with shops and dining, will transport theme park goers back to the historical period when Scandinavia's famous Norse warriors lived.
And the Hampshire theme park also teased the prospect of another ride in Valgard in 2027, suggesting that it might be a water-based attraction.
From today though, visitors are likely to be clamouring to have a go on Ghostly Manor, which welcomed the first thrillseekers on board this morning.
The indoor ride offers five minutes of game play plus pre-show surprises and is described as a tour of a 'family-friendly supernatural world'.
Those who enter Ghost Manor will journey through the home of paranormal investigator, Dr Kinley - with plenty of things going bump in the night.
Riders board four-seater carriages and get their own Phantom Phaser to try and capture the eerie apparitions they encounter.
James Mancey, deputy managing director at Paultons Park, said the park was delighted to be able to announce a double whammy of news - and explained more about what theme park fans can expect in 2026.
He said: '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.'
Day entry for the park is £45, with children under a metre going free.
It's been a month of announcements in the world of theme parks, with Walt Disney revealing plans to open a Disney theme park in United Arab Emirates' capital Abu Dhabi.
The park, in collaboration with regional developer Miral Group, will be its first major new theme park in nearly a decade and its first in the Middle East.
The planned Disney waterfront resort will be located on Yas Island, a popular tourist destination that is home to other family-friendly attractions, including Warner Bros World Yas Island, SeaWorld Yas Island and Yas Waterworld Abu Dhabi.
The city of Abu Dhabi has a population of about 2.5 million, but Yas Island recorded more than 34 million visits in 2023, a 38% rise compared to the year before, Miral has said.
'We've always been interested in this part of the world - to bring our Disney stories to new, younger fans,' Disney's Experiences unit Chairman Josh D´Amaro told Reuters, adding, 'Abu Dhabi was an ideal location for us.'
Miral, the Abu Dhabi-based leisure and entertainment group responsible for developing Yas Island, will finance, build and operate the resort. The creative and technical professionals who design Disney's theme parks, known as Imagineers, will lead creative design and provide operational oversight.
The U.S. entertainment company will earn royalties based on the park's revenue, according to a regulatory filing.
The Disney park 'will be authentically Disney and distinctly Emirati - an oasis of extraordinary Disney entertainment that is at the crossroads of the world,' Disney CEO Bob Iger said in a statement.
Disney said the park will be the 'most advanced and interactive destination in our portfolio' and the concept art shows how far it may go to cast a powerful spell.
The concept art was deliberately blurry in order to keep fans guessing about what will be in it - but one landmark that stuck out was the centre-piece castle, with a similar style to Elsa's ice palace from Frozen.
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