Skipton

Skipton stands at the southern edge of the Yorkshire Dales, where its market served the sheep-rearing country around it. The castle above the town became the seat of the Clifford family in 1310, guarding the district of Craven. During the English Civil War it remained a Royalist stronghold and endured a long siege before surrendering in 1645. The castle's surviving walls recall both the power of its lords and the fighting that reached the dales.