- For other places with the same name, see Skipton (disambiguation).
Skipton is a market town in North Yorkshire, with a population of 15,000 in 2021. It has a sturdy castle and scenic canal; it's within a short travel time of the Leeds-Bradford conurbation and is on the southern edge of the Yorkshire Dales, so it's a popular day-trip destination.
Gargrave and Bolton Abbey are nearby villages also described here.
Understand
[edit]"Skipton" means sheep town, and its wool trade was boosted by its position in the "Aire Gap" - the Aire and Ribble valleys create a low-level route through the Pennines. The countryside around is known as Craven, and is also suitable for cattle - the "Craven Heifer" was a vast 19th century cow. The castle was built in 1090 AD to protect the trade and route, and later the coast-to-coast canal, main road and railway all came this way. Heavy industry blighted the cities further south but didn't much afflict Skipton, so its Georgian / Victorian architecture and broad sloping High Street were preserved. The open-air market is still held there but no longer sells sheep or cattle, though it's still wise to watch where you're treading.
Skipton Visitor Centre is in the Town Hall on High Street, open W-Sa 9:30AM-4:30PM.
Get in
[edit]
By train
[edit]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.
1 Skipton railway station 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
[edit]
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.
On summer Saturdays, Dales Bus X59 runs from Harrogate.
Dales Bus 580 runs hourly from Settle via Gargrave to Skipton. There's a connecting bus from Lancaster through Kirkby Lonsdale and Ingleton to Settle.
2 Skipton bus station is right in town centre.
By road
[edit]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
[edit]The town is best explored on foot, but you need wheels to reach Bolton Abbey. Gargrave is on the bus and railway routes.
Taxi firms include Pink Ladies (+44 7728 386517), Skipton & Craven Taxis (+44 1756 701122), Dalesman (+44 1756 794444) and Station Taxis (+44 1756 700777).
See
[edit]
- 1 Skipton Castle, The Bailey BD23 1AW, ☏ +44 1756 792442, [email protected]. Daily 10AM-5PM. One of the best preserved medieval castles of England, dating back to the 12th century. Backed by a precipice, it defied Cromwell for 3 years: later he was content to take the roof off and didn't order wholesale demolition, so it was repaired. No wheelchair access. Adult £12.40, child £8.30, conc £11.40.
- Craven Museum & Gallery, Town Hall, High St BD23 1AH, ☏ +44 1756 706397. M Tu Th-Sa 9:30AM-4:30PM. Family-friendly display of local history. Free.
- Mill Bridge Gallery is a commercial gallery open Feb-Dec Th-Sa 11AM-4PM.
- 2 Skipton canal basin 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.
- Holy Trinity Church, 1A Mill Bridge BD23 1NJ (top of High Street), ☏ +44 1756 793622. Daily 9AM-5PM. Anglican church from the 13th century, extended in the 15th. It's survived assault once by Cromwell and twice by lightning, but what you see now is mostly a 1909 neo-Gothic reconstruction.
- St Stephen's 200 yards west of the castle is the RC church, opened in 1842.
- 3 Embsay & Bolton Abbey Railway, Bolton Abbey BD23 6AF, ☏ +44 1756 710614, [email protected]. Four miles of standard gauge railway, the remnant of the Skipton-Ilkley railway closed in 1965. It's steam-hauled by a couple of doughty 0-6-0s and occasional visitor locomotives. Embsay is the western terminus and the connection to the main line at Skipton has been lost. The eastern terminus is Bolton Abbey, the station opened in 1888 near Bolton Hall and used by visiting royalty; it's a mile west of the Priory and riverbank. In summer there are seven return trips daily. Return adult £15, child £8.50.
- 4 Bolton Abbey, Bolton Abbey BD23 6EX, ☏ +44 1756 718000, [email protected]. Daily 9AM-5PM. Ruins of a 12th-century Augustinian Priory. It was founded at Embsay in 1120 then transferred here in 1154: nothing remains at the first site. In 1539 they were building a magnificent west tower when the priory fell victim to the Dissolution. The place became dilapidated, but the west half continued in use (and still does) as the Anglican Priory Church of St Mary and St Cuthbert. It was refurbished in later centuries and the truncated west tower was finally roofed. You can stroll around the abbey free, the charge is for parking, which also gives access to the Strid and rest of the estate. Nice grounds by the riverside, and stepping stones cross the River Wharfe. £15 per vehicle.
- 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.
- 5 Hesketh Farm Park, Bolton Abbey BD23 6HA, ☏ +44 1756 710444, [email protected]. Apr-Aug daily, Sep Oct Sa Su, 10AM-5PM. Show farm with feeding, play areas, straw maze and cafe. Adult or child £8, free parking.
- 6 Barden Tower is the shell of a 15th century hunting lodge; it was a ruin by 1800 and is unsafe to enter. The Priesthouse adjacent is an event space often used for weddings.
- 7 Gargrave 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.
Do
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- Boat trips: Skipton Boat Trips sail from the basin from March to December, for 1-5 hours.
- Narrowboat hire for day-trips and canal holidays can be arranged via Pennine Cruisers or Canal Trips both at the basin.
- 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.
- 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 and indoor facilities 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.
- Skipton Charity Gala is on the second Saturday in June, with the next probably on Sa 13 June 2026, tbc.
- Skipton Sheep Day hosts ovine festivities on the first Sunday in July, with the next probably on Su 4 July 2026, tbc.
Buy
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- 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
[edit]- Bean Loved is a coffee shop at 17 Otley St, open daily 8AM-3PM.
- Bizzie Lizzies serve fish & chips from Swadford Street (by the Belmont Bridge) and from High Street car park (a sit-in cafe, not just a van). They're both open daily noon-8PM.
- Le Bistro des Amis, 1 Jerry Croft BD23 1DT (off High St), ☏ +44 1756 797919. M-Sa noon-11PM, Su noon-6PM. Relaxed bistro, excellent food.
- Le Caveau, 86 High St BD23 1JJ, ☏ +44 1756 794274. Tu-F noon-1PM, 6:30-8:30PM, Sa 5-8:30PM. It sounds like a wine cellar, but in the 16th century it was Le Nick for local wrongdoers. It's now a bistro earning rave reviews for its French cuisine; vegetarians and vegans have a good choice.
- The Bull is a pleasant pub-restaurant in Broughton, four miles west of town on A59. It's open Su-Th 9AM-9:30PM, F Sa 9AM-11PM.
Drink
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- Narrow Boat, Victoria St BD23 1JE, ☏ +44 1756 691862. Su-W noon-10PM, Th-Sa noon-11PM. Great pub near the canal basin with 8 real ales and commendable food. Dog-friendly.
- Black Horse, High St BD23 1JZ, ☏ +44 1756 792145. Su-F noon-10PM, F Sa noon-midnight. Good reliable pub at head of High St with large outdoor terrace.
- Woolly Sheep, 38 Sheep St BD23 1HY, ☏ +44 1756 700966. M-Sa 10AM-11PM, Su noon-11PM. 100 yards east of canal basin, good pub with Timothy Taylor ales, brewed nearby in Keighley. The restaurant is bigger than you'd guess from outside, good food and comfy rooms.
- Brewery: Two Rocks Brewing make low ABV beer of 2.5%. No tours.
Sleep
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- 1 Niffany Farm Caravan and Camping Site, Broughton Rd BD23 3AA, ☏ +44 7759 882979. Clean dog-friendly site open Dec-Oct, a mile walk to town along the canal towpath. Tent £20, caravan £25.
- B&Bs near town centre include Highfield House at 58 Keighley Rd, Townhouse in Birtwhistles Yard off High St, and Boutique 25 at 25 Newmarket St.
- Skipton Hotel (formerly Rendezvous) is a mile south of town centre at 1990 Keighley Rd.
- The Curious Fox, Chapel Hill BD23 1NL, ☏ +44 1756 798111. Cosy pub with 7 rooms and good dining. B&B double £150.
- Herriots Hotel, Broughton Rd BD23 1RT (facing railway station), ☏ +44 1756 792781. Clean dog-friendly hotel. B&B double £150.
- Broughton Sanctuary is upmarket self-catering in cottages around a 16th century mansion four miles west of town.
- 2 Travelodge, Gargrave Rd BD23 1UD, ☏ +44 871 984 6177. Acceptable budget chain hotel on bypass. B&B double £100.
- 3 Premier Inn Skipton North, Hellifield Road, Gargrave BD23 3NB, ☏ +44 333 321 8798. Reliable chain hotel. B&B double £125.
- 4 Angel Inn, Back Lane, Hetton BD23 6LT, ☏ +44 1756 730263. Country pub with 16 comfy rooms open Feb-Dec, the food is outstanding. B&B double £250.
- 5 Devonshire Arms, Bolton Brifdge BD23 6AJ, ☏ +44 1756 718111. Upscale hotel and spa on the Abbey estate, great comfort, service and cuisine. B&B double £250.
- Devonshire Arms is also the name of a country inn with rooms at Cracoe, near Angel Inn.
- Catgill Farm, Bolton Abbey BD23 6HA (opposite Hesketh Farm Park), ☏ +44 1756 710247. Upscale glamping in pods or tents near Bolton Abbey. Own tent £16.
- 6 Howgill Lodge, Howgill Lane, Barden BD23 6DJ, ☏ +44 1756 720655. Family-friendly camping and caravan site open Apr-Oct, dogs welcome. Tent £28, tourer £38.
Connect
[edit]As of Sep 2025, Skipton and its approach roads have 4G from Vodafone, and 5G from EE, O2 and Three.
Go next
[edit]- 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.
| Routes through Skipton |
| Burnley ← Colne ← | SW  NE
|
→ merges with  at Broughton
|
| Preston ← Forest of Bowland / Clitheroe ← | W  E
|
→ Harrogate → York |
| Lake District ← Settle ← | NW  SE
|
→ Ilkley → Leeds |