Skipton Castle in North Yorkshire is a mediaeval castle that has stood the test of time far better than many of its counterparts.

900 years old it is fully roofed and partly inhabited.  It is also the gateway to the Yorkshire Dales and has survived through many wars and seiges.

Whie you cannot tour the furnished part of the castle, the family home, there are many rooms to visit which form a tour sheet.  On arriving at the castle you are given a sheet with detailed directions for the tour.

And once you begin to move about the castle it is soon apparent that without this piece of paper it would be surprisingly easy to miss a room or repeat your steps without realising that you are going round in circles.

The clearly marked rooms are easy to navigate through and the posters on the walls of many of the rooms tell just how they were used through the ages.

From the towers to the dungeon the castle is alive with history and in the centre of the castle is the beautiful Tudor Courtyard (Conduit Court) where the famous Lady Anne Clifford planted her yew tree to celebrate her restoration of Skipton Castle following the Civil War.

Indeed it is the famous yew tree in the Conduit Court that is the point you always return to when touring the castle.

In some of the rooms, such as the Watch Tower and Muniment Room, it is clearly visible just how much the outer walls were reduced by Parliament in the Civil War.

Also within the grounds of the castle is the 13th century chapel of St John the Evangelist which is locked to the general public.  You can however see in through the windows.

At the back of the chapel there is, for the summer, a small picnic area.

Skipton Castle is a perfect castle for children to visit.  There are no antique furnishings that could be broken but plenty to see anyway.  There is also a gift shop and because it is situated in the centre of Skipton you can also visit the town's market and other attractions when you are finished looking around.