Skipton
The canal • Skipton castle • The market
Duration: 1 hour£15 per person
Skipton, Gateway to the Dales
Known as the Gateway to the Dales, Skipton grew up around its Norman castle and has stayed a working market town for nearly a thousand years. This walking tour traces that history through the streets, waterways and buildings that still shape the town today.
Your guide leads you from the Town Hall up the medieval High Street to the castle, then on to Holy Trinity Church and down to the High Corn Mill on Eller Beck. From there the route follows the Springs Canal to the Leeds and Liverpool Canal basin, returning via Victoria Street and Sheep Street, with local folklore and place-name history woven throughout the walk.
Meet Your Guide
Andy
Archaeologist and Walking Tour Guide
Andy has a degree in archaeology from UCL, an MA in the historic built environment from the University of York, and he is a qualified teacher. Andy has worked on archaeological sites all over Britain, Spain and Romania. He has designed and run numerous archaeological digs for schools, and is an experienced walking tour guide in London and Yorkshire. When not engaged with history and archaeology in all its forms, Andy enjoys hill walking, and he owns a small holding in the Dales with horses, goats, sheep and poultry.
Book this tour
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On this tour
What You'll Learn
Skipton Castle and its role in Norman and medieval defence- Market town development and the etymology of Skipton and Craven
- Holy Trinity Church and religious life through the centuries
- Leeds Liverpool Canal and Skipton's industrial expansion
- High Corn Mill on Eller Beck and the Springs Canal that once served it
- Industry, trade and civic life from the medieval market to the canal age
£15 per person