Tornado Springs, the highly awaited new land at Paultons Park, has finally opened to the public. The £12 million investment features eight new rides and experiences.

Covering four acres, Tornado Springs is the biggest new opening at a UK theme park this year. The land was due to open in 2020 but was postponed because of the pandemic and the forced closure of theme parks.

The long-awaited new land opened on Monday April 12, alongside the whole of Paultons Park.

Tornado Springs is a concept born from the imagination of the team at Paultons Park and their creative partners. The Route 83 theme of the land is exclusive to the Hampshire-based theme park and is the only land in the world to have such a theme.

Route 83 runs through Tornado Springs. It was inspired by the date Paultons Park first opened, May 17, 1983.

At the heart of the new land is the Storm Chaser rollercoaster, a 459-metre track that takes trains of carriages more than 20 metres above the ground. The Storm Chaser is the first free spinning ride of its kind in the UK.

Another key highlight is Al’s Auto Academy, whereby youngsters and their parents step onboard one of 30 themed cars and head out on the ‘open road.’

More than 20 specialist engineers from Germany, Italy, Denmark, Holland and Wales, travelled to Hampshire to build the rides and experiences on offer at Tornado Springs, in collaboration with the theme park’s own in-house team.

Adding the finishing touches to the new land has been a team of gardening specialists adding new bedding plants and trimming the hedges.

There is also fully themed Route 83 memorabilia available to purchase from the new retail ranges.

Tornado Springs adheres to the robust health and safety measures in place at Paultons Park to help keep guests safe.