Skipton Moor to Bradley and Canal Back
Three distinct sections in one run: moor, village, canal. This is the most satisfying of the Skipton circuits - proper climbing followed by a flat, fast return.
Effort: Moderate distance, manageable climb
Underfoot: Some uneven or off-path ground
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Mostly on runnable ground, but most runners still walk the steepest climbs.
An 11.2km circuit from Skipton climbing onto the moor at 372m before dropping to the village of Bradley and returning along the Leeds–Liverpool Canal.
Three distinct sections in one run: moor, village, canal. This is the most satisfying of the Skipton circuits - proper climbing followed by a flat, fast return.
The route
From Skipton town, the route climbs northwest onto Skipton Moor, following Shortbank Road before breaking onto the open heather ground above. The moor climb gains 134m to the plateau at around 372m, with wide views opening to the south and east as the town drops away below.
From the moor, the route descends east and then southeast, dropping off the high ground into the village of Bradley - a small stone settlement 4km southeast of Skipton on the edge of the Aire Valley. The descent from the moor to Bradley is one of the better downhill sections in the Skipton area: runnable, with good surfaces underfoot.
From Bradley, the route picks up the Leeds–Liverpool Canal towpath heading northwest back to Skipton. The canal section is flat and fast - 4km of easy running with the water to one side and farmland to the other, a complete contrast to the moor above. The return into Skipton canal basin marks the end of the circuit.
Three-section running
This circuit works well because the three sections are genuinely different. The moor is the effort: exposed, heathery, and requiring some pace to get the most from the climb. The village section is a brief orientation into a different landscape - stone walls, farm tracks, the feeling of the Craven countryside. The canal return is the reward: flat, fast, and familiar.
At 11.2km it's a solid hour of running at most paces. The moor section demands trail shoes; the canal towpath is fine in anything. If the moor is closed for shooting (August to December), the circuit can be shortened to a canal-and-village loop without losing much.
Skipton train station is 10 minutes from the start, making this one of the better train-accessible routes in the Dales fringe area.
Grouse shooting August to December on Skipton Moor - check for flags. Canal towpath shared with cyclists.
Summits on this route
Safety on this route
- No signal? Text 999 — pre-register first: text register to 999
- Tell someone your route and expected return time before you head out
Leave No Trace
- Leave nothing but footprints, take nothing but memories.
- Please respect the countryside and all its inhabitants.
- Dogs on leads near livestock, and around ground-nesting birds from March to July.
- Gates as you find them — open or closed, leave it that way for the farmer and the next runner.
- Take it all home — wrappers, peel, tissue, the lot. It doesn't count as biodegradable if you can still see it.
- Stick to the path where the ground either side is wet, planted, or nesting habitat.
Common questions
Run by us· last checked June 2026
Jason Millward has run this route and written it up from the ground. How we check routes
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Runner reports
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