Skipton
Walks from Skipton
Sharp How & Flasby from Skipton
About Skipton.
Skipton is widely known as the Gateway to the Yorkshire Dales for very good reasons. Most visitors driving from the south will pass either through or round Skipton before entering the Dales proper. It is a busy market town and during the summer months (and in particular on market days) it can become intolerable. However once the day trippers have gone or you visit out of season Skipton improves considerably. There is so much to do in and around Skipton that a stay here is definitely recommended and for those who are visiting the Dales for the first time it offers the opportunity to pick and choose your favourite village for your next visit. I have worked in Skipton and find the centre and the shops somewhat disappointing and a little drab but then I am the classic local, too many people when I am after a sandwich at lunchtime gives me a totally different perspective than the visitor gets.
Skipton has enjoyed a long and interesting history which has been dominated by the outwardly impressive Skipton Castle. Skipton is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1085but really came to prominence when the Norman Baron Robert de Romille built a castle on the steeper land to the north of the present centre. The original wood building was soon replaced by a stone keep constructed specifically to keep the marauding Scots at bay. Skipton Castle was purchased in 1310 by the Clifford family who have owned it ever since. It’s following claim to fame happened in 1645 when it became the last stronghold of the Royalist army, holding out in seige for 3 years against Cromwell’s cavaliers. Today the castle offers an interesting 2 hours and I find the term ‘well preserved’ sums it up well. The dungeons and the single Yew Tree planted in 1659 are its best features, the interior though is dull and disappointing. However for an entrance fee of just £6 (£3.50 for children) is in my opinion good value but I would also encourage you to take the walk in the woods along Eller Beck to get a better feel of what the castle really felt like in earlier times.
Away from the castle the history of Skipton has alternated between sheep farming, cotton mills and more latterly tourism. Main Street which is now a general traders market used to be a traditional sheep market with sheep being brought in from miles around. Sheep Day has been celebrated for years but now this has been extended in 2010 to a Flock to Sheep Festival with a set of present and historical Dales celebrations. The construction of the Leeds to Liverpool canal, completed in 1816 , transformed the landscape of Skipton during the 19th century. 10 large cotton mills dominated the life of the folk living near Skipton and it was not until later in the 20th century when tourism came to prominence that Skipton became (relatively) prosperous again.
Today there are 3 excellent hills which surround Skipton – they are described above and I rate them highly. It is certainly rare for a large town to have such great walks from the doorstep, staying in Skipton without a car gives you this opportunity. There are also some good walks within the town, such as Skipton Woods, but there are a number of other things that I would recommend visiting in Skipton. A trip on the canal costs £6.50 an hour which maybe a little over what I would pay but a trip on the Steam Train from Embsay to Bolton Abbey is a must for anyone with a young family. The fish and chip shop at Bizzie Lizzie’s is a bit of a local institution but the Woolly Sheep is my choice for a pint in town. Finally I would spend time to visit the Copper Dragon brewery and the ‘free’ craven museum which is voluntarily funded but genuinally interesting.
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