Skipton Moor from Skipton

The route

From the edge of Skipton town, the route climbs northwest through the outer residential streets and quickly onto Shortbank Road, which marks the transition from town to moor. The open ground begins immediately above the last houses - heather, rough grass, and a wide track that gains height steadily.

The route climbs to the summit of Skipton Moor at 372m. The moor is a broad plateau of heather and bent grass, with wide views south over Skipton and the Aire Valley, and north toward the Three Peaks on a clear day. The descent follows the same track back down to town - a fast, straightforward return.

Total distance is 6.3km with 254m of ascent. The majority of the climbing happens in the first 2km; the moor plateau itself is rolling rather than steep. A compact out-and-back that earns its elevation without fuss.

Skipton Moor

Skipton Moor sits directly above the town - an unusual piece of public moorland accessible from the edge of the urban area without a car. It's managed as grouse moor and shooting takes place from August to December: on shooting days, flags are posted at access points and the moor should be avoided. Outside the season it's freely accessible and rarely busy except on fine summer weekends.

The short length of this out-and-back makes it useful as a second run on a longer day, a morning shake-out before driving to the Dales, or a quality training effort - the climb steep enough to demand real effort at pace.

For those wanting more, this route forms the core of the longer Skipton moor circuits: the Skipton Moor to Bradley and Canal circuit adds 5km and a more varied return via Bradley village and the canal towpath. The Skipton Moor to Bolton Abbey route links further east for a much longer day.