Skipton: Britain’s Happiest Place to Live in 2025

Skipton has been crowned the happiest place to live in Great Britain for the first time in Rightmove’s 2025 Happy at Home Index, following an annual study completed by thousands of residents across more than 200 local areas — and it’s easy to see why.

Known as the “Gateway to the Dales”, Skipton blends natural beauty, rich heritage, and a famously friendly community spirit. Its 900‑year‑old castle — one of the best preserved medieval fortresses in the north — watches proudly over the town. Just beyond lies the peaceful Skipton Castle Woods Walk, a gentle and accessible route through tranquil woodland.

Skipton’s name derives from the Anglo Saxon for “Sheep Town”, a nod to its wool‑trading past. That heritage lives on through the much‑loved annual Sheep Day, traditionally held on the last Sunday in June when the High Street fills with sheep‑shearing demonstrations, sheep dog trials, live entertainment and craft stalls.

Culture seekers can visit the Craven Museum, home to one of only four Shakespeare First Folios permanently on display in the world, while the historic Leeds–Liverpool Canal adds to the town’s charm. The town’s famous market, running four days a week, continues a tradition that has shaped Skipton for centuries, and so it’s no surprise Skipton has earned its title as Britain’s happiest place to live.

📖 Spotlight: Skipton’s Shakespeare First Folio

Tucked inside the Craven Museum at Skipton Town Hall is one of the world’s rarest literary treasures — a 1623 Shakespeare First Folio. Only around 235 survive, and just four are on permanent public display anywhere in the world. Skipton is one of those four. Published seven years after Shakespeare’s death, the First Folio preserved 36 of his plays, including works that would otherwise have been lost forever. For visitors, it’s a remarkable chance to stand inches from a book that shaped English literature.

Residents praised Skipton for its access to green spaces, strong sense of community, and the feeling that people can truly be themselves here. For visitors, that warmth is unmistakable — this welcoming market town makes a perfect day out during your stay at Wharfe Camp Kettlewell.

Leeds-Liverpool Canal at Skipton