Skipton Castle

Skipton Castle is absolutely incredible. One of the best-preserved medieval castles I’ve ever visited, you can truly feel the history in every stone. Walking through the courtyards, climbing the towers, and looking out over the surrounding countryside felt like stepping back in time. The views from the walls are stunning, and the castle is so thoughtfully maintained that it’s easy to imagine what life was like centuries ago. Educational, atmospheric, and genuinely awe-inspiring. A must-visit if you’re anywhere nearby.

Visiting Skipton Castle today felt like stepping gracefully into a living chapter of England’s storied past. Rising proudly above its surroundings, the castle possesses a quiet, enduring grandeur that immediately captures the heart. Its weathered stone walls, ancient archways, and immaculately kept grounds create an atmosphere where history does not merely linger — it breathes. Wandering through its corridors, one cannot help but admire the exquisite preservation of this medieval fortress. Every room, every vault, and every spiral stair whispers tales of resilience and nobility. Sunlight filtering through narrow windows casts soft patterns across the stone floors, lending a poetic stillness to the place. The courtyard, with its venerable yew tree standing sentinel for centuries, feels nothing short of enchanting. The staff deserve the highest praise. Their warmth, courtesy, and genuine passion for the castle enriched the experience immeasurably. They carried a quiet pride in sharing their knowledge, answering questions with patience and charm. Their presence added a welcoming human touch to the grandeur of the site. Access to the castle was wonderfully straightforward, with clear signage and well-kept paths that made the visit smooth and stress-free. Whether travelling alone, with family, or simply seeking a peaceful retreat into history, one can reach and explore the castle with absolute ease. Skipton Castle is not merely a tourist attraction — it is a beautiful encounter with heritage, artistry, and the enduring strength of time. I left with a sense of awe and gratitude, carrying with me the gentle magic of a place that truly honours its past. A must-visit, and a memory I shall hold dear.

Really enjoyable look around this brilliant piece of history, you are left to walk around at your leisure which is good lots of signs explaining everything. Dog friendly which is great. It has a good car park which is a bit of a walk from the entrance but not a problem and it's something like £4.50 for the day so ideal for looking around Skipton town centre after the castle. The castle is literally 1 minute walk away.

I love castles and Skipton castle is well preserved. Half of the castle is a private home ...the rest of the castle is open to the paying public and is small. The rooms are disappointingly empty...I think they could get furniture, weapons, suits of armour, period dress etc to make them look period and a bit more interesting...visitors can move around at their leisure. There is a gift shop toilets and tea room. There is also a car park close by which is part of the castle grounds.

Superb visit. Really well organised, clean and well cared for. Unexpectedly lots to see and the history was well signposted throughout. We all enjoyed seeing the castle and the self guided tour was excellent. Special mention to the teams running it too who made it a great experience. Everyone we came across was friendly and welcoming - from the car park team to the greeters to the teashop team and shop teams. They really made the visit with their warm welcomes and helpfulness. Special shout out to the cake makers too - the blueberry and lemon cake was divine!

Loved the history behind the castle was bigger than initially thought. You get a map to follow when walking around gives you more information on history of the rooms. Beautiful preserved castle and grounds. Dogs are welcome in castle just not in shop and tea room but there is plenty of seating around. Kids under 5 go free takes about an hour or 2 to walk round castle slowly not include grounds.

Historic well preserved castle. £12.50 admission card only. Very friendly informative staff. You're given a double sided a4 sheet with route and brief information about each room. The castle itself is in roof condition. An 800 year old remains of chapel near to castle within its grounds. Nice tea room for refreshments.

Absolutely beautiful, magical place, it was so interesting walking through room, feel the history, a bit of mystery. We all really enjoyed the visit.

If you like castles, come to Skipton, it is a well-preserved example of a castle with lots of rooms to explore. The guide given free to all visitors was particulaly good and a useful way to explore without getting lost or missing something, making use of line drawings to orientate the visitor - well done whoever designed that. The castle is well worth a visit.

This place is absolutely fantastic, from the entrance room which is a strange kind of seashell grotto, very fashionable in its day, to the interior court, straight out of tudor times. You get given a sheet with all the relevant history, showin ghow the castle was enlarged over the years. The walls of the castle are absolutely huge, and I think I'm right in saying that this was the last place to hold out against the roundheads during the civil war. After that the walls were destroyed, but the lady of the castle was so charming and influential that she managed to convince the new parliament to allow her to rebuild them. It's fascinating to see the lord and lady's bedrooms, which are big but not enormous, and of course, at the other end of the scale, the dungeon, which is basically just a mouldy little room. The castle is on a point that dips down to a river, so that the best view in the castle is the one from the toilet window! If you're in Skipton, which has an oldies only restaurant, this is a great place to visit!

Well this is one of the best preserved castles i have seen . The interior gives a very clear view of the quality of life that a wealthy family could expect to lead in a late medievil fortress . The standard of information boards is excellant do not bother buying a guide book . The place is both pictureesque and intetesting.

So just last weekend my other half and I were deciding (as you do) what to do on a Saturday off from work that's set to (fingers crossed) have nice weather. Well we decided to go over to Skipton, another place I hadn't really seen much of, and it was a beautiful sunny day and loads going on. So the first thing we decided to do is go and visit Skipton Castle. I love castles myself and thought it would be nice to see. While we didn't plan it and we didn't book (you don't have to book) I would also check if you are planning to go as if the weather is (fingers crossed) anything like it was, it does get busy. We went in and were given a map with a very clear view and easy to follow. the nice thing is you can look around yourself. We must have sent over an hour there at least and it was brilliant, perfect to take kids to on a summers day out and learn loads from it as well. This has to be one of the best preserved castles I've ever seen. A must see for anyone who is a fan and enjoys this kind of place. Following that we had a wonderful afternoon in Skipton town and again on a lovely warm summers day like that, there was loads going on everywhere. A stunning place to visit.

A really great castle which is very much intact a must see if you are visting skipton castle. There has been a castle here since the 11th century. I know everyone comments on the seashell grotto but I have always liked the yew tree that is in the middle of the courtyard. If it was a ruined castle you would think that it had just sprung up but it was planted by lady clifford after the civil war when the repairs were going. There are lots of useful boards telling you what happened here placed around the castle if you dont want to buy a guide book. There are lots of towers to explore and you can look at the kitchens with there giant fireplaces the great hall and a ruined chapel. The spooky area is downstairs in the dungeons you can imagines the prisoners chained up here screaming

A good day out for both kids and adults. We went on a day when a medieval re-enactment society were dressing up, shooting arrows and cooking appropriately -- they were very friendly and knowledgeable and it certainly made the visit well worthwhile. The castle itself has a huge amount to explore and there's a lot of useful information around bring the place to life. The only downsides are it's quite pricey -- perhaps we're spoilt a bit by the fact that so many museums etc are free now -- and that it's not particularly accessible by public transport. But all in all, a pretty good day out.

As the gateway to the dales, this is one of Skiptons' biggest attractions and does not disappoint. Starting with the imposing entrance throughout, this is one interesting Castle! The admission room is a shell grotto, and if you wish you can hire a headphone set to give you a tour. The real guides (not virtual)are friendly and helpful. Everything around this area is linked so you will hear about Lady Anne Clifford and her son who died in the Strid (near Bolton Abbey) and can then if you wish visit linked areas. Much to see and my favourite bit is the toilet that is basically just a slate slab with a hole in it that drops into the canal below! I bet that was a treat for anyone working down there. Rooms with displays of armour etc, the history of the castle and its wars and generally what you would expect from a Castle. The owners of the Castle, the Fattorinis are adding more and more attractions every year, with staged re-enactments, wine & food evenings and special events, so worth a look to see if anything is on when you may be visiting. Lovely little tea rooms with home made foods at a reasonable price and a seated area outside for those willing to brave our Summer. Most areas can be accessed with a wheelchair, although the worst bit is the entrance over the cobbles! Parking is in Skipton itself, there is none in the castle, unless by special arrangement for drop off.

We visited in June 2007. Skipton Castle is over 900 years old, although the smallest in Yorkshire is one of the best preserved medieval castles in England. The main part of the castle consists of 6 towers that all interlock. This also has a great hall, and it is all arranged around a small open courtyard. To the east are a range of building called the Long Gallery, built in 1536 and these remain a private residence. I do have some mobility problems, but with care and taking my time I was able to explore all areas. However it isn't suitable for wheelchair access except for the outer grounds. Even then, there are quite a lot of cobbled surfaces which mean it does take a little effort. This is also true of Prams. There is a tea room inside the grounds. However we felt they were quite pricey and used a tearoom in the town itself at quite a lot less for similar food and drink. A shop is also there, with the usual array of gifts for a site like this. Prices seemed pretty good value and they have a specialist area of books relating to the castles history. Overall, its a castle that doesn't appear to be known or visited as much as some of its counterparts. In many respects its a shame because its one of the best I've visited in a long while. But the upside is, you don't get crowded out even on a nice summers day. Parking isn't available at the castle itself, but we've found there are plenty of options in the town. On their main website they have a basic map outlining where most of the main parking is available in relation to the castle. The nearest carpark though is very expensive after 4 hours at the time it was £8-00 so please be aware of this as well if traveling by car.

Visiting Skipton Castle has been a part of our UK tour for many months. We live in Melbourne, Australia. Unfortunately, we arrived 5/10 minutes after the winter closing time of 4pm. The gate was open as we drove past and by the time we turned, parked and walked up to the castle, the gate had been shut. We knocked on the door and the member of staff who opened it informed us that we were too late to enter. We politely explained that we had travelled from Melbourne, Australia, to which the reply was, 'well, you should have got here earlier'. I pleaded my case, assuming that the elderly, bearded gentleman didn't realise that I meant Melbourne, Australia. I explained that viewing the castle was on our 'wish list' and that we wouldn't have another opportunity to do it during our stay and he explained that he 'needed to get home'. We were disheartened to watch the previous visitors, only a few steps ahead of us, walk on towards the castle. On the bright side, my teenage sons got to see what the true meaning of the word, 'jobs-worth' meant and the importance of not undertaking a job which requires good 'people' skills if you don't actually possess them.