Yarndale Has Arrived: The Weekend When Skipton Goes a Little Bit Woolly 🧶
26th September 2026
There are certain weekends in Skipton when you know something is different.
The streets are busier.
The cafés are fuller.
The car parks are mysteriously packed.
And there is an unusually high chance that the person walking past you is carrying approximately £400 worth of wool.
Welcome to Yarndale.
For one weekend every year, Skipton becomes the unofficial capital of knitting, crochet, spinning, weaving, felting and generally making things out of wool.
And here at Thisledo Holiday Cottage, we know what that means.
The yarn people are coming.
“We’re just coming for Yarndale”
This is usually how it starts.
“We’re just coming for Yarndale for the weekend.”
Just.
As though Yarndale is a small village fete where you have a cup of tea, buy a raffle ticket and go home.
It isn’t.
Yarndale is an expedition.
There is planning.
There are bags.
There are shopping lists.
There are favourite exhibitors.
There are colours.
So. Many. Colours.
And there is a very serious question to be answered:
How much wool can two people physically fit into a car?
The answer, apparently, is considerably more than you might think.
The packing starts before they leave home
The sensible traveller packs a suitcase.
The Yarndale visitor packs a suitcase and leaves room for wool.
Actually, forget the suitcase.
Some arrive with what can only be described as an industrial-strength yarn transportation system.
Large bags.
Empty tote bags.
Foldable shopping bags.
Back-up shopping bags.
A bag inside another bag.
The sort of luggage arrangement normally associated with moving house.
And then comes the classic sentence:
“I’ve only got a few things to buy.”
We have heard this before.
We don’t believe it.
The moment they arrive at Thisledo
There’s usually a slight change in atmosphere.
They’ve been driving for hours.
They’re excited.
They’re already discussing tomorrow.
“What time are we going?”
“Do we need to get there early?”
“Have you seen who’s exhibiting?”
“I’ve made a list.”
A list.
This is serious.
At Thisledo, we provide the perfect base for the weekend.
A lovely old stone cottage in Skipton, within easy walking distance of the town centre.
Which means there’s no need to drive into Skipton every time you fancy a coffee, cake, pint or emergency yarn-related counselling session.
And that matters.
Because after several hours surrounded by thousands of balls of yarn, you may need a quiet evening.
Or possibly a stiff drink.
Then comes Yarndale Day
And off they go.
The cottage is suddenly empty.
For several hours.
Which is slightly unusual.
Then, sometime later, the front door opens.
And they return.
You can tell immediately.
The bags are different.
There are more of them.
Somehow, despite leaving with a completely reasonable amount of luggage, they have returned carrying enough yarn to re-carpet the cottage.
“I didn’t buy that much.”
Of course not.
And yet there appears to be a new sheep living in the bedroom.
The post-Yarndale debrief
This is one of our favourite parts.
Over dinner, the conversation goes something like:
“What did you get?”
“Not much.”
“Really?”
“Well… I got this.”
“That’s beautiful.”
“And this.”
“Oh, that’s lovely.”
“And then I saw this…”
Twenty minutes later, the table resembles a wool shop.
There are colours.
Patterns.
Hooks.
Needles.
Buttons.
Possibly a small wooden sheep.
And enough yarn to keep somebody occupied until Yarndale 2027.
The non-knitter
There is often one.
The partner who has bravely agreed to come along.
They may not knit.
They may not crochet.
They may not know the difference between DK and double-decker.
But they are supportive.
For the first hour.
Then comes the inevitable:
“How much longer are we going to be?”
The answer is usually:
“Just one more stall.”
It is never one more stall.
The dog
And then there are our dog-owning Yarndale guests.
Imagine the excitement.
Thousands of people.
Hundreds of colourful bags.
Strange smells.
And, somewhere nearby, the irresistible scent of sheep.
The dog has absolutely no idea what Yarndale is.
But it knows something woolly is happening.
And frankly, it wants answers.
Why Yarndale and Thisledo work so well
One of the lovely things about Yarndale weekend is that you don’t have to spend the entire time at the show.
Once you’ve had your fill of yarn, you can head back into Skipton.
Have a wander around the market.
Grab a coffee.
Find a pub.
Enjoy dinner.
Walk along the canal.
Or simply retreat to Thisledo, put your feet up and admire the day’s purchases.
Because after a hard day of yarn shopping, you deserve a rest.
Possibly with a cup of tea.
Possibly with wine.
Definitely without anybody asking:
“Do you really need more wool?”
And then comes checkout…
Sunday morning arrives.
The bags are packed.
Except there are more bags than when you arrived.
The car boot is mysteriously full.
There is a final discussion about whether everything will fit.
It will.
Somehow.
And off you go.
Leaving Skipton slightly less woolly than you found it.
Until next year.
Because Yarndale isn’t really just an event.
For its visitors, it’s an annual pilgrimage.
And for us at Thisledo, it’s one of those weekends when we know we’re going to welcome some particularly enthusiastic guests.
So if you’re coming to Yarndale and staying at Thisledo:
Welcome.
Bring your knitting.
Bring your crochet.
Bring your shopping list.
Bring your empty bags.
And, most importantly…
Leave some room in the car for the wool.
You’re going to need it.
🧶 See you in Skipton!
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