- Women only
- Friendship, not dating
- Free to join
- Local guide
- October 20, 2026
Make Friends in Skipton, one market day at a time
Market traders fill the Skipton cobbles four days a week, and nearly a quarter of the town is aged 65 or older.
19,200+
people in the three Skipton wards, which also take in Embsay and several West Craven villages (Census 2021, ONS)
35%
of homes across the Skipton wards hold one person living alone, against 31% for the wider region (Census 2021)
24%
of Skipton people have reached 65 or more; regionally it is 19% (ONS Census 2021)
Skipton friendships grow on the setts
To make friends in Skipton, pick one regular slot and keep turning up. The knit and natter group gathers in Skipton Library, High Street, on Wednesday mornings and again early on Saturdays, and market stalls line the cobbles every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. Skipton parkrun does four and a bit tarmac laps of Aireville Park on Saturday mornings. Gofrendly lists Skipton women nearby, so you can ask one along.
Before you head into Skipton
On which mornings can you shop the Skipton setts?
Stalls trade on the cobbled setts beside the Skipton High Street shops every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday all year, usually 9am to 4.30pm. The Town Council manages the market on behalf of Skipton Castle, which holds its medieval royal charter.
Is Skipton Library open late on any day?
Yes. The High Street library in Skipton stays open until 7pm on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, closes at 5pm on Friday and 1.30pm on Saturday, and opens from 9.30am on each of those days. Tuesday and Sunday are closed. Coffee Plus meets there on the third Thursday.
Is there a free museum in Skipton?
Yes. Craven Museum, the Exhibition Gallery and the Visitor Centre inside Skipton Town Hall on the High Street cost nothing to enter. The building opens 9.30am to 4.30pm every day except Tuesday, and it also has a concert hall, a shop and a bar.
Who can help me meet women in Skipton?
Gofrendly, a women-only friendship app, lists Skipton women within reach of you and lets you say hello first. A shared plan eases the first meeting, for example the Saturday knitting group at Skipton Library or a lap of Aireville Park together.
What makes friendship in Skipton tick
Skipton homes with a single occupant make up just over a third of the total, above the figure for the wider region, and nearly one in four people has reached 65. With spare hours midweek and nobody waiting at home at the end of the day, daytime groups are a good bet. Living alone in a busy market town can be lonely on a Sunday, once the stalls are packed away, so give yourself one fixed weekend plan as well, however small.
Skipton Town Hall houses Craven Museum and an exhibition gallery, both free to enter, and opens every day except Tuesday. In Aireville Park, the council’s leisure hub on Gargrave Road has a six-lane 25m pool, a sauna and the Revive Cafe, while the library hosts a Memory Café on the opening Friday of each month and a writing group in the early evening on the month’s final Wednesday. Places to start:
1
Wednesday knitting at the library, 10am to noon.
2
Skipton parkrun, laps of Aireville Park on a Saturday.
3
A swim, then a coffee at the Revive Cafe in the hub.
4
The free galleries inside Skipton Town Hall.
5
The monthly reading group at Skipton Library.
LOCAL TIP
Shop at the same stall on the same market morning and the trader will soon know your order, and so will the woman behind you.
How to
Where to meet people in Skipton this week
1
Bring a notebook to the adult writing group in Skipton Library, 5.30pm to 7pm on the final Wednesday of the month.
2
Help out at Skipton parkrun in Aireville Park; 24 people volunteered for the 214 runners and walkers on 17 October 2026.
3
Take a neighbour to a performance in the Concert Hall at Skipton Town Hall.
4
Message a Skipton woman you meet through Gofrendly and swim a few lengths together at the hub in Aireville Park.
Two good reads for later
Skipton, from our editors
Our editors shaped this Skipton page with Gofrendly founders Claudia Gård and Ulrika Lilja, keeping an eye on the market days and daytime groups that suit a Dales town.
Friendship looks different at every stage
More guides for women in this area – each with its own local advice.
Friendship looks different at every stage
More guides for women in this area – each with its own local advice.
Find women near you
See who’s nearby and say hi — it’s free to start.