Skipton has held a market on its broad High Street since the twelfth century, and the tradition continues four days a week (Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday). The Saturday market is the biggest and draws shoppers from across the Dales and beyond. Stalls sell local produce, cheese, meat, clothing, and the usual mix of market goods; the covered Shambles market hall at the top of the street adds permanent traders to the weekly rotation.
The market fills the full width of the High Street, which is unusually wide precisely because it was designed as a market place when the town was laid out in medieval times. Walking it on a market day gives you the activity and atmosphere of a town that still actually functions as a market town, not just has the title. The surrounding streets have independent butchers, bakers, and specialist food shops that have sustained themselves alongside the market. This is one of the best market towns in the Yorkshire Dales region for actual food shopping.