Historic Skipton

Today was a free day and the weather was glorious.
We drove into Skipton and explored the impressive, well preserved, Norman castle (see extra), home to the Clifford family. During the Civil War its incredibly thick walls,  well-positioned arrow loops, and ancient well,  helped it survive a three year siege . It was the last fortress in the North to  hold out for King Charles.. A later, Tudor wing was added for King Henry VIII's niece, Lady Eleanor Brandon.
Then we had a walk around the bustling town (it was market day)and strolled  by the canal, before  heading off to  the  Embsay and Bolton Abbey Heritage railway, just  a mile away.
My husband  had booked us tickets to ride in the amazing North Eastern Railway 1903 Electric Autocar. It was the first railway vehicle to carry its own internal combustion engine and generator to drive the transmission, originally using petrol but now, for safety reasons, converted to run on diesel. It was restored by the expert Steve Middleton, and is absolutely  stunning, as you can see from my main blip, with the interior shown in the extra.    

Back blips from my holiday in the Yorkshire Dales