Skipton BID is delighted to celebrate the North Yorkshire town as a must-visit destination, following recent national recognition leading to an outpouring of positivity.

The Business Improvement District (BID) team were so pleased to see that Skipton was recently named as the ‘Best Place to Live in the North and North East’ by The Sunday Times, beating out other picturesque locations in the region.

This follows the news that Skipton was crowned as the ‘Happiest Place to Live’ in the UK in 2025 and one of the best locations for wellbeing at the Wellbeing Living Awards earlier this year – and the BID team are excited to see the town being highlighted on a more national scale.

Sarah Howsen, Skipton BID Manager, said: “It’s fantastic to see Skipton once again highlighted as one of the best places in the country following further accolades recently.

“We know how amazing our town is, so to receive a series of similar recognition over the last few months has been a brilliant boost.

“As the BID, we’re always working hard to deliver key projects and campaigns to support these wins for our place, while enhancing our commitment to championing Skipton’s future.

“From managing all of the local floral displays and funding crime prevention initiatives, to delivering a programme of family-friendly events and trails across the year, we consistently promote our town as a vibrant, thriving, must-visit destination.”

Working alongside their data partners at HUQ, the BID team are also pleased to see an increase in footfall stats compared to previous years. Figures show that the total footfall for 2026 is up by just over 56% compared to the first quarter of 2025 – and up by 88% on the first three months of 2024!

The data shows that visitors have travelled to Skipton from areas as far as Buckie on the Scottish coast, Dereham in Norfolk and Newark along the River Trent.

A series of new businesses, ranging from restaurants and retailers to modern charity shops and travel agents, have opened across the town centre over recent months, with more preparing to open their doors over the coming weeks.

Alongside more than 10 new openings, a number of venues, including the popular Red Lion and O’Malley’s Black Horse, have also undergone refreshing refurbishments to brighten up the town centre.

Skipton BID is happy to share that the town’s vacancy rate currently stands at 5% – less than half the national average.

“Our business community is always adapting and changing, so to be able to maintain a consistently low vacancy rate is a big win for us. We’re very pleased to welcome new organisations into our town,” Sarah added.

If you’re looking to plan a visit or stay to Skipton, you can use the Welcome to Skipton website here.