The Plough (formerly known as Apollo 14) was a Chair-O-Plane ride formerly located at Loudoun Castle in Galston, Scotland, UK. It is currently listed for sale.
History
The ride at Lightwater Valley
This attraction debuted in 1970.[1][2] It was owned by the company Beuermann of Germany[3] and is one of two Apollo 14 rides built by Schwarzkopf. It originally consisted of individual "landing pods" in five groups of four, which moved up and down and also in circles, similar to the movement of a Ferris Wheel. Apollo 14 proved to be uneconomical as a travelling ride and was sold to Ponypark (now called Attractiepark Slagharen) in the Netherlands.[4]
For some time the ride operated beside the other Apollo 14, which had by this time been converted to a chair-o-plane.[4][5]
In the 1980s, the ride was moved to Dreamland Margate which was also owned by the Bembom Brothers at the time. For 1991, this unit was converted to a chair-o-plane, like its twin, repainted and renamed Heatwave.[6] It closed in 1995 and was subsequently leased to Lightwater Valley, where it operated from 1998 to 2004 under the names of Planet Lightwater and Orbiter. It was moved once again, this time to Loudoun Castle another amusement park owned by Bembom Rides. It opened under the new name Plough and operated from 2005 to the closure of the park in 2010. It remained standing but not operating until around 2018-2022 when it was partially dismantled, but still standing and stored on site in containers. By 2024, it was fully removed from the site. It is currently listed for sale.[7]
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