The charming little town of Skipton in North Yorkshire has a rich and illustrious history, dating all the way back to 1085… and it even has a listing in the Domesday Book! There are all sorts of reasons to visit this wonderful part of the world, but one of the main ones absolutely has to be the historic Skipton Market.
Its origins can be traced back to mediaeval times, with a Royal Charter from King John granting consent to the Lord of the Honour of Skipton Castle to host a fair on the local high street. This consent is still in place today, interestingly enough, with the current owner of the castle granting market rights on four days a week.
This means there’s plenty of opportunity for you to go and check it out if you are enjoying a stay in a Skipton hotel right now… there’s certainly no excuse for missing a market day, particularly once you find out what an incredible array of stalls you’ll find when you do pop by to say hi.
Initially, the market was used to trade animals and, in fact, Skipton actually means Sheep Town, with trading still taking place in the community today – although it’s now been transferred to the Auction Mart, which can be found just outside the town.
Market days are Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, on between 10:00 and 16:00, with all sorts of wares to be found, ranging from local meat and other produce to Yorkshire blankets, arts and crafts objects and curios, cheeses, delicious veggies… the list goes on and on!
What’s more, the traders are on a rotation so now two market days will be the same – so you can go time and time again, without having to worry that you’ve seen it all before!
If you need somewhere to stay in Skipton, take a look at the friendly Townhouse B&B in Skipton centre.