There is not much to do in Long Preston where I’m staying at The Boar’s Head. The Maypole is the only other pub town but is more focused on the food end. Since it looked like it would be a nice day, I took the train to Skipton, just a few stops down the line.
Walking into town I found out that the Thanet Canal also known as the Springs Branch, is a short branch of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal.
Walking through the town I came across the Castle Woodland Walk. There are 2 canals under the base of the Castle that were built to run the 2 corn mills that were the basis of the towns growth.
There as no sign that might have explained this willow woman archer
Skipton Castle
Clifford’s Norman-French motto, ‘Desormais’, meaning ‘Henceforth!
That far part of the castle is off limits as it is a residence
The yew in the courtyard is over 500 years old
This timber sticking through the wall made no sense to me until I looked at the other side of the wall where I could see that it allowed the beam to slide out and reinforce the former door.
This bar, probably used to hold the door open has, by the centuries of wind, carved a line through the sandstone.
The worn sandstone step is typical in the castle and made the spiral staircase a bit dodgy to walk.
And the old church is pretty near rubble.
I noticed this paintings through the cafe window. Francis Clifford’s outfit combining sword and a dress? was weird.
Trinity Church sits outside the castle on the end of the High Street
So now that the educational part of the day was sorted, it was time to continue the GB Pub Crawl!
The word “Royal” in the name drew me in. It usually means that a senior member of the royal family had visited. Reportedly the only pub named Royal Shepard in England. These interior stained glass windows showed the canal.
From across the canal the action of this statue drew me over the bridge. Once up close his face is the image of determination
I now know that Theakston is a good brewer.
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