Mother Shipton's Cave has achieved an outstanding overall score of 91% in its latest VisitEngland Quality Assessment, marking a significant increase from 86% in 2025.
The assessment, which took place during the attraction's popular May Half Term event, recognised the continued investment, care and innovation across the historic Knaresborough attraction.
In their report, VisitEngland described Mother Shipton’s Cave as “one of England’s most distinctive and enjoyable family attractions” and praised the evident pride, care and investment shown by the team.
The assessment highlighted several key strengths, including the attraction’s unique blend of history, folklore, nature and family entertainment, high presentation standards throughout the site, improved retail offering, outstanding customer service and engaging seasonal events that encourage repeat visits.
Visitor engagement was singled out as a particular strength, with assessors praising the attraction’s storytelling, interactive features and family-friendly activities that help bring the legend of Mother Shipton to life.
The report also recognised the attraction’s growing social media presence, with Facebook followers increasing to more than 60,000, Instagram reaching 24,800 followers and TikTok almost doubling to 10,000 followers over the past year.
VisitEngland concluded that Mother Shipton’s Cave continues to provide a “highly engaging and memorable visitor experience” and remains a “distinctive, imaginative and enjoyable day out” for visitors of all ages.
Commenting on the result, Fiona Martin, director at Mother Shipton’s Cave, said:
“We are delighted to have achieved a 91% VisitEngland Quality Assessment score. This recognition reflects the hard work and dedication of our entire team, who are passionate about creating memorable experiences for our visitors while preserving the unique history that makes Mother Shipton’s Cave so special.
“We’ve continued to invest in the visitor experience across the attraction, from seasonal events and interpretation to our retail offering, and it’s wonderful to see those efforts recognised. As we look ahead to the future, we’ll continue building on this success while maintaining the character and charm that our visitors love.”
