Skipton is at the south-western end of the Yorkshire Dales and is not only a charming and attractive market town in its own right, but is also an excellent starting point for walking holidays where the backdrop is some of the most stunning landscapes in the country.
Skipton is known as "The Gateway to the Dales" but shouldn't just be passed through. The town has a stunning castle, dating back to 1090, and is one of the best-preserved medieval castles in England - it is still a family home and is also open to the public.
Elsewhere in the town there's a busy shopping centre, a market held on four days a week (Monday, Wednesday, Friday & Saturday), two theatres, and the Craven Museum (Skipton is in Craven District, and Craven has nothing to do with cowardice - it comes from an old Cumbrian word meaning garlic as wild garlic used to be plentiful in the area).
The Leeds and Liverpool Canal runs through the middle of Skipton and is popular with tourists and locals for waterside walks and canal cruises.
Interesting fact: Thomas Spencer, co-founder of Marks & Spencer, was born in Skipton in 1858.
White Scar Cave, Ingleton
Skipton Woods
Mart Theatre, Skipton
Skipton Little Theatre
Embsay Steam Railway, Skipton
Leeds & Liverpool Canal, Skipton
Upper Wharfedale Museum, Grassington
Cliffe Castle Museum, Keighley
Keighley Worth Valley Railway
Ilkley Moor
East Riddlesden Hall
Dales Visitor Centre, Grassington
Brönte Parsonage, Haworth
Saltaire Model Village
National Media Museum, Bradford
Bradford Industrial Museum
Bolton Abbey Estate, Wharfedale
Malham Cove & Tarn
Kilnsey Crag, Wharfedale
Settle Carlisle Railway
Ribblehead Viaduct
Three Peaks: Pen-y-ghent, Ingleborough and Whernside
Stump Cross Caverns, Grassington
Hesketh Farm Park, Skipton