Mother Shipton’s Cave, Knaresborough

A visit to the home of ‘England’s most famous prophetess’ and this beautiful stretch of the river Nidd In Knaresborough was well overdue, so we took advantage of the current discounted entry to enjoy our first visit.

Mother-shiptons
The Petrifying Well

Parking: Onsite parking, currently pre-booking only £20 per car for a 2.5 hour slot

Facilities: Toilets, picnic area, gift shop and museum are open. Usually there is a rather amazing looking adventure playground, unfortunately this is currently closed.

Website: https://www.mothershipton.co.uk

Learning resources: Perfect for any parents currently homeschooling their children, the website provides educational ideas and activities for children on the website.

Accessibility: Whilst you can use a pushchair between the Riverside carpark and picnic area, to get to the well and cave are stairs, making this unsuitable for pushchairs.

Mother-shiptons
The steps down to the Petrifying Well and Cave

The Pixie Village

Jess is a little fairy mad at the moment, so anything involving a chance to see some fairy folk and she’s on board! This super Yorkshire attraction is running a Pixie event over the summer, and entry includes a little pixie trail to complete. The Pixie village would have had to be our first stop regardless of where it was in the park, but luckily it’s on the way to the well and cave. A few log cabins house model pixies, with the trail sheet asking some spotting questions. It was just enough to keep our four year old entertained.

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The Petrifying Well

England’s oldest visitor’s attraction is a pretty impressive sight. The minerals are so concentrated that it takes only a few months to turn everyday objects into stone, and there are some great examples in the museum. An audio description gave you more information, allowing you to appreciate it even more.

Mother-shiptons

At the back of the main attraction, you get your chance to make a wish. It’s very precise; dipping your right hand into the water and you must let it dry naturally.

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The Cave

On entry, you are given a guide of the park which includes the story of Mother Shipton, and why she was born in a cave. As we walked to the cave from the Pixie Village, I read Jess the story (who had a LOT of questions), and so she was excited to it, and very confused about how a baby could live there!

Mother-shiptons

Around the Park

There are plenty of other points of interest around the park; Beech Avenue was impressive and the sculpture and carved log seat kept Jess engaged as we walked to the museum.

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The picnic area included some covered seating which was perfect for us as we decided to eat in a shower! It would have been the perfect place to pitch up and let the children play in the adventure playground.

Mother-shiptons

Around the park generally are little sculptures and information boards, again making a visit here that little more interesting.

Mother-shiptons

And a huge benefit of spending the morning here was that you could enjoy a mooch about Knaresborough after, whether that’s a stroll towards Nidd Gorge, a wander round the town or a trip out on a rowing boat. It makes for a great day out, as well as a little help to keep this great local attraction going.

For more ideas on family days out in Yorkshire, read this page!

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