In this video we're going to look at how you could spend a day in Skipton.
This lively market town sits just south of the Yorkshire Dales National Park and is often
referred to as the gateway to the Yorkshire Dales. Skipton frequently appears on lists of happiest
places to live in the UK and did actually hold the title in 2017. However if you're not ready to up
sticks and move to North Yorkshire then Skipton is still a fantastic place to go for a day trip.
Our suggested itinerary is based on our own recent day out and involves a good old mix of
history, nature and food so I hope that you'll find it helpful in deciding what to do on a
trip to Skipton. We've just arrived in Skipton. Our first stop of the day is Skipton Castle.
It's over 900 years old and is one of the best preserved medieval castles in the country.
After entering through the main gate and walking up Lady Anne's steps you'll pass through the same
archway norman soldiers used hundreds of years ago. Here you'll find the beautiful Conduit Court.
When the castle was restored after the civil war Lady Anne Clifford supposedly
planted the yew treat which you can still see standing in the middle of the courtyard.
From here you'll be able to pass through rooms such as the banqueting hall, the dungeon, the
muniment room, the watchtower, the kitchen... you'll be able to identify what the different rooms were
using an information sheet that will be given to you on the way in. This sheet will help
you follow the route around the castle and tell you what it is that you're looking at.
There are also a few signs on the way around giving you more detail - not huge
amounts but enough to help you appreciate what life had once been like in the now empty rooms.
We booked our tickets for 10 am which is when the castle first opened and as you can see it
felt as though we had the place almost to ourselves. By the time we left it was
getting busier so we do think it's probably worth going for an earlier slot at the start of the day.
At the time of making this video they do ask that you book your tickets in advance.
When you book your tickets through the Skipton castle website you can book all-day parking along
with your ticket. This is handy if you're planning to stay for the full day because it does save you
a bit of money on parking, plus it guarantees you a spot if you're visiting on a busy market day.
We're looking straight down the high street and you can see it's closed off because today
is market day. So let's go see what they've got. This award-winning market has been running for
hundreds of years. Originally it was a place where animals were traded which led to the
name Skipton, which actually means sheeptown. Nowadays traders lie on the streets on Mondays,
Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays selling a wide variety of products: from sweets
to scarves to arts and crafts, you could even see a store selling telescopes, because why not?
It's pretty fun to browse especially if you enjoy the lively atmosphere of a popular market.
I particularly want to point out the blondie brownie stall selling ridiculously good brownies.
Next make your way back to the top of the High Street where you'll see Holy Trinity Church.
Looking down over the market, originally built in the 1300s this is an incredibly beautiful
grade one listed building. It was damaged during the English civil war but was restored by Lady
Ann Clifford of Skipton Castle in the 1600s. The gardens outside the church are small but very
pretty with plenty of benches dotted around if you fancy a sit down. If you like you could also
go inside. The church is just as beautiful on the inside as the outside and the stained glass is
particularly impressive so it is worth popping in even if only briefly to take a look around.
After a busy morning you might be getting ready for some lunch.
Stanforth butchers on Mill Bridge are highly recommended for pies with their pork pies being
the star. We picked up a chicken and mushroom pie for lunch and aaron bought a pork pie
almost the size of his head to work through at home. If you're looking for a picnic spot
nearby then a good place to stop and have your lunch is just over the road from stanforth's.
Head just down the steps to the grassy area between Springs Branch Canal and High Corn Mill.
This is a lovely peaceful spot to have a break away from the busy streets.
Okay so now you're rested and refueled you could go for a walk in Skipton Castle Woods.
To reach the woods follow the path running between Eller Beck and Springs Branch Canal.
Make sure you keep your eyes peeled for the water wheel on the left hand side. As you head along the
walkway to Skipton Castle Woods if you look up to the right you get a really good view of the castle.
After crossing a footbridge over Eller Beck and turning right through houses you will
reach Skipton Castle Woods. The woods consist of three walking routes. The River Valley
route is perfect if you're looking for an easy-going one-mile family-friendly walk
that just sticks to the lower level of the wood. The other two routes are a tiny
bit more taxing as they do involve the upper level so you need to be okay with a few steps.
We've come to the first of the willow sculptures. This one's called Spirit of the Medieval
Huntress and it's nine feet high. The wicker warrior was created by a local artist called
Anna Cross who designs and weaves with willow. Deeper into the woods you'll find
another one of her creations known as the Stalking Horse. This one is a little
bit harder to find; I won't tell you exactly where it is because that will spoil the fun
but I will say you won't find it if you follow the easy river valley route as it's on the upper level.
Once you've finished your walk in Skipton
Castle Woods you can head back the same way that you came in.
Once back at High Corn Mill continue to follow Spring Branch under Mill Bridge.
This will lead you back to the Leeds-Liverpool Canal which you may already
know because it's a biggie. At almost 130 miles long it's the second largest canal in the UK.
To give that a bit of context if you were to walk at the average speed for an adult for
eight hours a day it would take you around five days to walk the length of the canal.
For your day trip to Skipton though you can spend as little or long as you like walking along the
canal which runs through the heart of the town. Canal boat trips are a popular activity here in
Skipton. You have several different options for your boat trip you could take a short tour along
the canal or you could go on an afternoon tea cruise, an afternoon dinner boat trip,
a drinks ahoy cruise, you could even go on a roast dinner cruise if you go on a Sunday.
To give you an idea of where the boat trips are here is High Corn Mill and Mill Bridge that we
just walked under. Follow the canal to here and you will find a starting point for various boat trips.
Hopefully this video has given you some good ideas of what you could do on a day trip to Skipton.
If you would like to visit Skipton by public transport then it does
have a train station just a few minutes walk from the town centre.
If you're visiting by car as i mentioned before you could save money and guarantee yourself
a spot by booking a combo castle ticket and parking tickets for Bailey car park.
However if you aren't visiting the castle then there are other car parks in Skipton, with Coach
Street and Cavendish Street car parks being good options if you're staying for a full day.
if you're looking for ideas for other days out in the Yorkshire Dales then we do have a video of 12
suggestions of places to go for a walk out in the Yorkshire Dales National Park and the bordering
area of Nidderdale. We also have videos of other days out that don't require your walking boots so
I'll link a playlist of those videos here. Thanks for watching, I hope you found this video helpful.