Welcome to Skipton
The full Skipton picture in one run: moor above, canal below, and the Craven countryside in between. A proper long day out from one of the best trail running towns in the Dales.
Effort: Long day out, serious climb
Underfoot: Some uneven or off-path ground
E4·T2 — how we grade routesNo photos of this route yet. Sign in to add one
Mostly on runnable ground, but most runners still walk the steepest climbs.
A 23.6km exploration of Skipton and the surrounding Craven countryside combining moorland, canal towpath, and valley paths in a single long circuit from the town centre.
The full Skipton picture in one run: moor above, canal below, and the Craven countryside in between. A proper long day out from one of the best trail running towns in the Dales.
The route
Starting from Skipton town centre, the route covers the full sweep of the area accessible from the town: the moor to the northwest, the Aire Valley and canal to the south, and the surrounding countryside of Craven in between.
From town, the route climbs onto Skipton Moor via Shortbank Road, reaching the plateau at around 372m with its wide views over the dale. From the moor, the descent takes the route through the Craven countryside, picking up the Leeds–Liverpool Canal towpath for a flat, direct section before looping back through the woods and field paths north of town.
The return to Skipton covers the final kilometres through the castle woodland and back into the town centre via the canal basin. At 23.6km this is a full morning out rather than a quick circuit - plan nutrition and water accordingly.
Skipton as a starting point
Few market towns in the north give you this range of terrain from the front door. The combination of direct rail access, proper moor within 30 minutes of the station, and good paths throughout the surrounding countryside makes Skipton one of the most convenient trail running bases in the Dales.
This circuit is a good introduction to what the town has to offer before focusing on specific sections. The shorter Skipton circuits - moor only (6.3km), canal and Stirton (8.3km), moor to Bradley via canal (11.2km) - are the building blocks; this route combines them into a single longer outing.
Post-run
Skipton has the town centre facilities to make a proper day of it: cafes, pubs (The Devonshire Arms is the standard recommendation), a market on Mondays and Saturdays, and the castle if you want something to look at while your legs recover.
Grouse shooting August to December on Skipton Moor - check for flags. Carry map and plan carefully for this distance.
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
About the author
Runner reports
Nobody's logged a run here yet. If you get out on it, a few lines about how it went helps the next person plan their day.
More routes in Yorkshire Dales
VERY HARD
VERY HARD
VERY HARD
HARD
HARD
MODERATE