SKIPTON
| Population:
14313 |
Grid
Reference: SD993516 |
53°
58' North, 2°, 1' West |
| The Leeds and Liverpool Canal at Skipton
Skipton is a modest sized town
situated
near the southern tip of the Yorkshire Dales National Park. Here, at
the most northly point of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal and with good
road and rail links, not to mention it is not far from Leeds-Bradford
Airport, Skipton is indeed the Gateway to the Dales.
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Like any other town of it's size,
Skipton
as a good range of shops and supermarkets as well as a sizable market
which takes place on Saturdays.
Craven Court is a Victorian shopping arcade and Rackhams has a branch
in Skipton. Morrisons and Tesco have supermarkets in the town. There
are also a good number of outdoor shops.
Shopping in Skipton
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Named after the Anglo Saxon Word
for
sheep, Skipton probably started life as a sheep farming community and
only began to grow with the arrival of the Normans. Situated in the
Craven Gap, an area of lowland between the Yorkshire Dales and the
Southern Pennines, Skipton became a stragetically important town and
supported the Lancastrians during the Wars of the Roses and the
Royalists during the English Civil War.
The arrival of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal in the late 18th century
brought great prosperity to the town at the beginning of the Industrial
Revolution and today Skipton is a thriving town of 16,000 that has
retained much of it's character and cobbled streets. |
Springs Branch, Leeds &
Liverpool Canal
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Skipton Castle from the Springs Branch
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Skipton Castle dates mostly from
the 14th
century although parts are Norman in origin. It was a Royalist
stronghold during the English Civil War during which it endured a three
year siege before eventually falling to the Parliamentarian Roundheads.
The roofs were removed on Oliver Cromwell's orders after it's surrender
in 1645.
The cliffs to the rear of the castle are a sheer drop down to Eller
Beck where it flows into the Springs Branch of the Leed and Liverpool
Canal. Boat trips along the branch and under the castle walls can be
taken.
Skipton Castle is open daily (except Christmas Day) and can be visited
on it's website at:
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There are a number of fast food
shops and
takeaways including Indian and Chinese as well as the more traditional
fish and chip shops. Busy Lizzies is an award winning chip shop on
Swadford Street where you can eat in as well as take away and it is
open all day. It even runs a childrens' club and organises events
around Skipton. Often mentioned on Fresh A.M. Radio.
Telephone: 01756 793189
Busy Lizzie's
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Skipton
Tourist Information Centre
Craven
Court,
High Street,
SKIPTON,
North Yorkshire,
BD23 1JH.
TELEPHONE:
01756 792809
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