Cool Places
Cruising on the Leeds–Liverpool Canal
Pennine Cruisers 19 Coach Street Skipton North Yorkshire BD23 1LH
It comes as a bit of a surprise to wend your way through the back alleys off Skipton's high street to find that the town sits on a canal. From the cobbled dockside you can jump on a brightly painted narrowboat for a half-hour trip up a side-arm of the Leeds–Liverpool Canal to view Skipton Castle from a different point of view – there are regular departures every day from Easter onwards. Or, after a bit of instruction, you could always opt to take out your own boat instead on a seventeen-mile lock-free stretch of the canal. This runs through pretty Dales countryside, with moorings available at waterside pubs along the way, and as the boats have a galley-kitchen and loo you're also set up for lazy lunches on board if you like.
