Skipton bills itself as the Gateway to the Dales, and it earns the title. This handsome market town sits just south of the Yorkshire Dales, with a medieval castle, a wide high street that fills with market stalls four days a week, and the Leeds-Liverpool Canal threading through the centre.
Skipton Castle is one of the best-preserved medieval castles in England, having survived a three-year siege during the English Civil War and been restored by the determined Lady Anne Clifford in 1658. The canal towpath makes for pleasant walking, and narrowboat trips run through the surrounding countryside. The Craven Museum in the town hall provides good local and natural history context. It is an easy day trip from Leeds or a good base if you want to explore the Dales without staying in the national park itself.