England’s oldest tourist attraction opens new adventure playground!

Client: Mother Shipton’s Cave

Location:  Knaresborough, North Yorkshire

Mother Shipton’s Cave may be the oldest visitor attraction in England but they are the proud owners of a brand new, modern exciting Adventure Playground which is attracting even more visitors to what is already one of Yorkshire’s top attractions.

Millions of visitors from all over the world have visited the park over the last 400 years. They’ve been captivated by the whole park’s natural beauty, spellbound by the Petrifying Well and enthralled by the story of Mother Shipton herself.

There is a wide range of things to do and see at Mother Shipton’s Cave, but Fiona Martin the Director felt that the existing playground was somewhat limited for the age range and number of visitors that the park receives, and thought that a spacious, new Adventure Playground would be a great additional facility. Providing a play facility like this at a visitor attraction can increase visitor numbers significantly.

A field running alongside the woodland path that winds alongside the river, through what remains of the Royal Forest of Knaresborough, was chosen as the site to transform into the new Adventure Playground.  The site is a spacious, largely flat area that also has a substantial curved hill which is the perfect height and gradient for embankment play equipment.

Fiona approached Playdale as we’d been recommended to her by a former customer of ours who had been impressed with the quality of our products and their extensive guarantees.

Before and after swing area transformation!

This is a fantastic example of a before and after transformation. The installation took place during their closed winter season, so there was no disruption to the business. It was all finished and ready in time to open at the start of their new busy Spring/Summer season. With the site having undergone a full landscaping treatment too, I’m sure you’ll agree that it looks fabulous! There are a variety of activities for children of all ages.

Gravity Bowl (foreground), Jungle Climber, Swings and Aerial Runway

The equipment included is as follows; a 30m Timber Aerial Runway, an inclusive Timber Team Swing, a Timber 2 Bay Swing with flat seats and cradle seats, an Amazon Jungle Climber, an inclusive Gravity Bowl from our ‘Movers’ range, an Embankment Scramble Net to ascend up the slope and then an Embankment Slide to whizz back down!

Timber Aerial Runway

Following the opening of the new Adventure Playground, the reaction and feedback was superb. Fiona Martin, Director at Mother Shipton’s Cave said, “The equipment has gone down a treat and made a huge difference for the visitor experience, especially with it being situated in the sunny field.”                      

Timber Team Swing

Click here to find out more about playground equipment for Leisure Operators.

If you would like to arrange a free, no obligation consultancy meeting and site survey with your local Area Manager, click here. We look forward to hearing from you.