Walks in Skipton
Charlotte RowlandThere are many walks in Skipton. Full of unique and zany shops, with The Craven Museum and Gallery at its centre, cobbled pathways, limestone brick and irregular nooks and crannies, its luring set-up make it the perfect place for pottering in on foot. The countryside cinching it, however, is just as ornamented; circled by greenery, lavish fields lead-off to yet more moorland and meadows, opening-up the love for landscape so visceral to this milieu. The name tells all; known otherwise as the gateway to the notable Yorkshire Dales, its lucky location lends it prime connection when it comes to walking. Views pride themselves on proffering a blend of wild land and cultivated patrimony. Romantic, ruined property, historic remains and rural space sit side-by-side in a plethora of panoramas, providing ambience and cultivation to a climate rich in charisma.
Skipton Castle is majestic in itself, but the surrounding Skipton Castle Woods really allow the scenery and landscape, so symbolic of mature heritage and battle, to come into its own. Here is a land where man historically fought for territory and ownership now given over to the consuming beauty of nature and surviving architecture. Views from in and around the castle are advantageous; on clear days, perspectives are widened, and the landscape opens up in response to the razor-sharp weather conditions offered come rain or shine. Other alternative views of local sites are easily available. Skipton Boat Trips and Springs Canal put the threading waterways running through the town at the forefront, finding tranquility and serenity in the rhythms and pace of this recurrent route.
Perhaps the hub of Skipton is Skipton Town Hall. Home to a museum, gallery, concert hall and tourist information desk, the site is a heritage location firmly rooted in the local community. With lively ongoings, including exhibitions, events and performances, the hall is a haven of activity and resource, displaying the cultural diversity and programming on offer.
Walks here are designed to encourage you to take your time, appreciate the view and pause. There’s Yorkshire, then there’s walk-shire. This aesthetic part of the country showcases the best of typical British nature; quintessential, completely rural and utterly beguiled by the history of spiralling plants and trees alike, affairs with nature here are as heartfelt and blooming as any romantic fling.