Paultons Park has unleashed its most ambitious project to date, the magnificent £12 million themed land, Valgard: Realm of the Vikings. We were fortunate to attend the opening event on Saturday 16th May 2026 to explore this mythical world and experience the new line-up of attractions firsthand.
Stepping through the entrance portal, the sheer quality of the theming and the meticulous attention to detail are immediately apparent. Paultons Park has firmly established a reputation for world-class immersion with areas like Tornado Springs and Lost Kingdom, but Valgard pushes those standards even further. The land beautifully blends rich visual storytelling, atmospheric immersive audio, and cutting-edge animatronics to transport families straight into a Nordic saga.
A Spectacular Opening Ceremony
The opening festivities set the perfect tone for the launch. A dedicated troupe of Vikings put on a spectacular live performance that captivated the crowds. Combining jaw-dropping acrobatics, energetic fire-dancing, and well-timed pyrotechnics, the ceremony brought a tremendous kinetic energy to the entrance area.
Adding a wonderful touch for families, a baby dragon named Magma was also on hand greeting guests and posing for photos. Longtime fans of the park will recognise the name as a heartwarming call-back to the old family drop tower attraction which departed the park last year.
Drakon: A New Tier of Thrills
The undisputed crown jewel of the expansion is Drakon. Representing a significant step up for Paultons Park in terms of pure thrill, this marks the Hampshire theme park's very first inverting roller coaster. The experience is framed brilliantly from the outset by a grand, highly impressive entrance.
Once inside the queue, a beautifully produced pre-show video sets the narrative stakes. However, it is the boarding and launch sequence where the storytelling truly shines. The dispatch of each ride train triggers a flawless, synchronised lighting and audio sequence portraying the dramatic arrival of the mythical beast. This plays out both in the station loading bay and throughout an interior section leading to the lift hill. This themed interior is a masterclass in atmospheric design, featuring timed smoke effects that erupt as the train passes.
The custom-designed Gerstlauer Euro-Fighter model is surprisingly smooth, and features a beyond-vertical drop and two inversions. With a 1.25m minimum height restriction, Drakon is perfectly pitched, enabling many younger adventurers to securely achieve their very first taste of going upside down on a roller coaster without compromising on speed or layout design.
Raven: A Masterful Reimagining
Sitting alongside the headline coaster is Raven, a fast-paced bobsled-style adventure. What makes Raven so spectacular is that it utilises the hardware of the park's former Cobra roller coaster. The transformation here is so utterly comprehensive that it looks and feels like a brand-new ride altogether.
The entrance sign for Raven is again impressive, drawing guests into a beautifully themed indoor queue line. The coaster tracks of Drakon and Raven are intricately intertwined, which can result in an exhilarating 'near-miss' moment where the two trains seem to rush past one another.
Our personal highlight on Raven has to be the ride's airtime hill finale. As your ride vehicle flies over the final hump, a giant raven looms directly overhead, complete with piercing, glowing red eyes and a perfectly timed burst of smoke that punctuates the end of the journey. Keep your ears open near ride station too, as Skald, a large and highly expressive animatronic raven, interacts and talks directly to guests.
Vild Swing: Dynamic Family Fun
Completing the ride lineup is Vild Swing. This attraction is the UK's very first ART Engineering 'Wild Swing' model, sending riders soaring 12 metres into the air with a smooth, hypnotic pendulum motion.
Boasting a very accommodating 0.95m height requirement, it allows almost the entire family to sit together and enjoy a satisfying, floating thrill.
The Orchard: Immersive Outdoor Play
In addition to the mechanical rides, Paultons Park has thoughtfully included a fantastic outdoor play area named The Orchard. Fully integrated into the land's overarching Viking theme, this beautifully landscaped zone offers younger children a dedicated space to climb, explore, and let off some steam.
The play equipment mirrors the premium rustic aesthetics of the wider area, ensuring that even when the kids are simply playing, the feeling of being inside a cohesively themed mythical world is never broken. It serves as a perfect addition to balance out the layout of the land, providing families with a welcome opportunity to relax and enjoy the outdoor surroundings at a gentler pace.
A Culinary Event: The Feasting Hall
Too often, theme park dining feels like a functional pause in the day, but The Feasting Hall is genuinely an attraction in its own right. The interior styling is beautifully detailed, matching the high-quality architecture found outside.
The menu is equally impressive and diverse, moving far beyond the standard theme park fare. Main choices include succulent flame-grilled chicken, crispy fried favourites, and fresh, vibrant salad and couscous bowls. All dietary requirements are excellently catered for, with dedicated children's portions alongside vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options.
For those with a sweet tooth, the restaurant serves up delicious pancakes, elaborate sundaes, and thick milkshakes. However, the absolute breakout star of the menu is the signature drink of the land: the Golden Apple Frost. It is delicious, incredibly refreshing, and bound to become a staple purchase for anyone visiting the land.
Our Final Thoughts
Valgard: Realm of the Vikings is a seriously impressive addition to Paultons Park. It demonstrates a family-run park delivering at the peak of its creative ambitions. By perfectly balancing accessible family thrills with astonishing thematic depth, they have crafted a superb land that adults, teenagers, and toddlers can enjoy simultaneously.
Remarkably, this is only the beginning. With the newly announced water coaster, Serpent's Curse, set to join the lineup next year, Valgard is rapidly on track to become one of the most immersive and complete themed areas anywhere in the UK. It is an absolute triumph.
