Theme park unveils £12m Viking-themed world plans

An artist's impression depicts the theme park's planned Viking-themed area, which it hopes to open in 2026

A Hampshire theme park has announced plans for a £12m Viking-themed world due to open next year.

On Saturday, family-owned Paultons Park in Ower also opened new £3.5m indoor dark ride Ghostly Manor.

Valgard, Realm of the Vikings, is the attraction's largest investment to date and is aimed at families with older children and teenagers, said Paulton's.

It will include two new rides - Drakon, the park's first inverting rollercoaster, and Vild Swing, which will swirl riders 39ft (12m) in the air.

The new £3.5m indoor dark ride Ghostly Manor opened on Saturday

Paulton's Park first opened on 17 May 1983 and is owned and run by the Mancey family, who bought the site of the manor house, its gardens, parkland and lake, which was designed by Capability Brown, at auction in 1979.

Valgard will also see the retheming of the Cobra ride into a bobsled adventure, which will be renamed Raven, and a themed high-capacity restaurant and new playground for younger visitors.

The park also confirmed another major thrill ride would be added to Valgard in 2027, saying only that it would be a "water-related experience".

James Mancey, Paulton's deputy managing director, said: "We are thrilled to share our plans for our largest and boldest investment to date, and on the day that we welcomed guests into our brand-new Ghostly Manor.

"As an independent, family-owned theme park, we're incredibly proud of the investments we make to deliver the very best guest experience."

He said the new rides would be "bigger and better than ever before".

The park, which spans 140 acres (57 hectares) in the New Forest, is also home to Peppa Pig World, which opened in 2011.