Skipton

Skipton is a market town in North Yorkshire, 27 miles northwest of Leeds. The name means "Sheep Town" and the town's wool trade was boosted by its position in the "Aire Gap" - the river valley that together with the Ribble creates a low-level route through the Pennines. The castle was built to protect the trade and route, and later the canal, main road and railway all came this way. With a population in 2011 of 14,623, Skipton now earns its living from tourism, as it's at the southern edge of the Yorkshire Dales. This page also includes the settlements of Gargrave and Bolton Abbey.

The TIC (+44 1756 792809) is at 35 Coach St, just north of the branch canal bridge. It's open M-Sa 9:30AM-4PM.

By train
From London, the Midlands and beyond, travel to Leeds and change. That's swiftly done as trains from the south usually pull in a few steps from the Skipton trains.

Skipton has two trains an hour from Leeds (40 min) and from Bradford Forster Square (40 min); these may also stop at Shipley, Saltaire (for Salts Mill), Bingley and Keighley (for Worth Valley steam railway). Skipton is just outside the West Yorkshire Metro travel zone, so you may find a better fare by split-ticketing to the edge of the zone, e.g., to Keighley or Steeton & Silsden.

Most trains terminate (as does electrification) at Skipton, but every couple of hours a train from Leeds continues north through the Dales via Gargrave, Hellifield, Clapham, Bentham and Carnforth to Lancaster, thence to Morecambe or Preston. Another 3 trains a day from Leeds run to Gargrave, Settle, Horton and the Ribblehead viaduct, Kirby Stephen, Appleby and Carlisle.

In summer a tourist train runs between Skipton, Settle and Appleby. The timetable and fares for 2021 are not yet announced.

is quarter of a mile west of town centre. There is level access to Platforms 1 & 2, and a steep ramp to the island Platforms 3 & 4. There's a small cafe, no waiting room, but a short walk to facilities in town.

By bus
Bus X84 runs from Leeds every two hours via Headingley (for the University), Otley and Ilkley to Skipton. From Leeds Bradford Airport, take the airport bus to Otley and change, you don't have to go into city centre. From Bradford take the frequent bus to Keighley then change for Transdev 66 which runs every 30 min to Skipton.

In summer, Dales Bus X59 runs between Harrogate and Skipton; but it's not running in 2020.

Dales Bus 580 runs hourly from Settle via Gargrave to Skipton. There is a connecting bus from Lancaster through Kirkby Lonsdale and Ingleton to Settle.

is right in town centre.

By road
Driving from the south, it's usually best to stay on A1(M) beyond Wetherby then take A59 west. This goes through Harrogate, but is less traffic-snarled than routes via Leeds or Bradford.

Get around
The town is best explored on foot, but you need wheels to reach Bolton Abbey. Gargrave is on the bus and railway routes.

See

 * Craven Museum and Art Gallery is within Town Hall on High St. In 2020 the entire Town Hall is closed for refurbishment.
 * is on the 127-mile Leeds and Liverpool Canal. The canal took over fifty years to complete (1770-1822), clambering across the Pennines and vaulting over dales and gullies, but being broad it soon surpassed the earlier narrow canals. It's navigable and has a good firm towpath throughout its length from Mersey to the Humber, and with links south via Trent or Cheshire to the rest of the English network. At the basin, a branch canal goes north for half a mile into the gloomy ravine below the castle, where it captures a little river. It's called Springs Branch or Thanet Canal, as it was built by Lord Thanet as a loading wharf for his limestone quarries. Boat trips sail from the basin along the main canal but they don't go as far as Gargrave, see below.
 * Skipton Boat Trips Wharf Office, Waterside Court, Coach Street, Skipton BD23 1LH. Running passenger boat trips from March to December. Public and Private Cruises from one-hour to five hours in duration. Public Afternoon Tea Cruise, Roast Dinner Cruise, Evening Fish & Chip Cruise being the most popular. During the summer one-hour trips run daily from the Wharf Office 10:40AM, 11:50AM, 1PM, 2:10PM. Ticket prices are adult £8.50, child £5.
 * St Stephen's just north of the castle is the RC church, opened in 1842.
 * The Strid: the woods on the Bolton estate are an ancient forest of sessile oak. The Strid itself, a short walk from the Abbey car park, is where the River Wharfe suddenly narrows into a deep torrent six feet wide, so you could almost stride across, but not quite. The name is fatally misleading, it's from Old English stryth meaning "don't try to stride across, you'll be killed to death." The whitewater difficulty rating is 5-ish because of underwater ledges where the current traps anyone who falls in. With high water it's 5- and a kayak might scoot through; with lower water it's 5+ and you'd better portage.
 * is the shell of a 15th C hunting lodge; it was a ruin by 1800 and is unsafe to enter. The Priesthouse adjacent is an event space often used for weddings.
 * would be an attractive village if only it had a bypass, but it's thudding with vehicles on the A65. The main attraction is the towpath along the canal, which here rises through five locks westbound. It crosses the River Aire on Priest Holme Aqueduct then has another six locks at Bank Newton. As if drawing breath, it then hews to the contour line for a long stretch across into Lancashire, but isn't quite at the summit: 3 more locks at Greenberfield near Barnoldswick lead into the summit pound. Gargrave is on the Pennine Way, see Do, and has accommodation. The railway station is half a mile south of the village on Church St.
 * Yorkshire Dales: the most accessible from Skipton are Wharfedale, ascending through Grassington, and Airedale above Gargrave to Malham.
 * The Strid: the woods on the Bolton estate are an ancient forest of sessile oak. The Strid itself, a short walk from the Abbey car park, is where the River Wharfe suddenly narrows into a deep torrent six feet wide, so you could almost stride across, but not quite. The name is fatally misleading, it's from Old English stryth meaning "don't try to stride across, you'll be killed to death." The whitewater difficulty rating is 5-ish because of underwater ledges where the current traps anyone who falls in. With high water it's 5- and a kayak might scoot through; with lower water it's 5+ and you'd better portage.
 * is the shell of a 15th C hunting lodge; it was a ruin by 1800 and is unsafe to enter. The Priesthouse adjacent is an event space often used for weddings.
 * would be an attractive village if only it had a bypass, but it's thudding with vehicles on the A65. The main attraction is the towpath along the canal, which here rises through five locks westbound. It crosses the River Aire on Priest Holme Aqueduct then has another six locks at Bank Newton. As if drawing breath, it then hews to the contour line for a long stretch across into Lancashire, but isn't quite at the summit: 3 more locks at Greenberfield near Barnoldswick lead into the summit pound. Gargrave is on the Pennine Way, see Do, and has accommodation. The railway station is half a mile south of the village on Church St.
 * Yorkshire Dales: the most accessible from Skipton are Wharfedale, ascending through Grassington, and Airedale above Gargrave to Malham.
 * Yorkshire Dales: the most accessible from Skipton are Wharfedale, ascending through Grassington, and Airedale above Gargrave to Malham.

Do

 * Walk: lots of choice. The best walking map is OS Outdoor Leisure Map 10 (Yorkshire Dales South, yellow covers, 1:25,000). Skipton teeters on the southern margin of this map, but it covers the nearby dales. For anything south of town such as the approach of the Pennine Way, use OS Landranger Sheet 103 (Blackburn & Burnley, maroon covers, 1:50,000). Skipton is in the northeast corner of this, for Bolton Abbey use Sheet 104 (Leeds & Bradford).
 * The Pennine Way is lowland in this district. Northbound from Earby on A56 in Lancashire, cross the fields to Gargrave on A65. The Way then heads northwest, cutting over Eshton Moor and back into the Aire valley at Airton, thence north. At Malham you reach attractive karst scenery, the best being Malham Cove, Gordale Scar and Janet's Foss.
 * Narrowboat hire for day-trips and canal holidays can be arranged via Pennine Cruisers or Canal Trips both at the basin.
 * Craven Leisure Centre is on Gargrave Rd half a mile northwest of Skipton town centre. It has pool, gym and fitness classes.
 * Sandylands Sports Centre on Carleton New Road just south of the station has playing pitches, indoor facilities etc but no drop-in activities.


 * Plaza Cinema is on Sackville St just off High Street.
 * Skipton Little Theatre is on Clifford St next to the retail park.
 * Mart Theatre is by the cattle mart on A629 at the north edge of town. As well as their own programme, they run four art festivals in the district.
 * Skipton Charity Gala is on the second Saturday in June. The next is on Saturday 8 June 2024
 * Skipton Sheep Day hosts ovine festivities on the first Sunday in July.

Buy

 * Market days are M W F Sa 8AM-5PM
 * Lots of tourist-trippy stuff along High St, but the retail park with Tesco, Morrisons etc is just west of centre in the angle between canal and railway.
 * Marks & Spencer have a "Simply Food" store one block east of High Street, open M-Sa 8AM-10PM, Su 11AM-5PM. That's fitting because Tom Spencer, co-founder of M&S, was born in Skipton in 1858.

Eat

 * Bizzie Lizzies serve excellent fish & chips from two locations: Swadford Street (by the Belmont Bridge) and High Street car park (which is a sit-in cafe, not just a van). They're both open daily noon-8PM.

Drink

 * Copper Dragon Brewery was established in Skipton in 2002, but in 2015 relocated to Keighley, the home of Timothy Taylor. Neither of them offer brewery tours.
 * Copper Dragon Brewery was established in Skipton in 2002, but in 2015 relocated to Keighley, the home of Timothy Taylor. Neither of them offer brewery tours.
 * Copper Dragon Brewery was established in Skipton in 2002, but in 2015 relocated to Keighley, the home of Timothy Taylor. Neither of them offer brewery tours.
 * Copper Dragon Brewery was established in Skipton in 2002, but in 2015 relocated to Keighley, the home of Timothy Taylor. Neither of them offer brewery tours.

Sleep

 * B&Bs near town centre include Highfield House on Keighley Rd, Townhouse off High St, and Boutique 25 on Newmarket St.
 * B&Bs near town centre include Highfield House on Keighley Rd, Townhouse off High St, and Boutique 25 on Newmarket St.

Connect
As of March 2024, Skipton and the roads out to Gargrave and Bolton Abbey have 4G from EE, Three and Vodafone, and 5G from O2.

Go next

 * Yorkshire Dales: Ribblesdale and Lonsdale can be easily reached by public transport.
 * Harrogate is a genteel spa town with fine gardens.
 * Leeds for big city attractions.