Pls help, I'm overwhelmed but have no plans yet

As to places to visit near Skipton, York certainly has my vote and it is only an hour away! Parking should not be a problem as the city has an extensive park and ride system that allows you to park in an outlying area and take a bus into the city center. Here is the York Park and Ride site: http://www.itravelyork.info/park-and-ride.

You might also consider a trip to Ripon about 50 minutes from Skipton, which has a magnificent cathedral--plus you would be very close to the ruins of Fountains Abbey, well worth a look (type in Ripon in the search bar on the POE main webpage and then click on the pictures for a tour).

Hello again, Heather.  Have you gotten a road map yet for N. Yorkshire?  If you do, and you want to take a beautiful ride, look for the road that goes west and north of Skipton thru the little villages of Kettlewell and Grassington and Starbotton.  It's God's country thru there.  Skipton Castle is a must-see - it dates from 1090.  There is also a castle in the town of MIddleham, where Richard III once lived and in the same area, is Castle Bolton where Mary Queen of Scots was held prisoner for a time.  York is wonderful, as Rob mentioned, and it is a walled city, so you must walk on the city wall.  There is also a Viking museum there.  If you head west and north from York, Whitby is a lovely town and going south from there, check out Robin Hood's Bay, but get ready for some steep hills!

As long as you're driving, Heather, you'll probably have the best time by just driving around off the beaten tourist path.  Stop in a pub for a meal and talk to the local people.  That's what really makes it the most fun.  And of course, check out some of the photos on this site.  You can look by county and you'll see how absolutely stunning N. Yorkshire is.  I'm sure S, E, and W Yorkshire are also beautiful.

How could I forget to mention York Minster?

Thank you so much everyone, I'm using all your suggestions and Rob I reviewed the traffic drivers manual. 

One more question pls, when you visit a castle or museum, can one buy like a 2 week ticket for admittance to a variety of historic places or do you pay each castle separately. 

By the way, here is the link for the UK national speed limits (unless otherwise posted, of course!): https://www.gov.uk/speed-limits

As to admittance to castles or museums in England, that will depend on if they are independent or if they are administered by either the National Trust or English Heritage. In the case of the latter two, you can purchase memberships either beforehand or at one of their properties that will allow you full access to all of their respective properties. Here are the links for NT and EH:

English Heritage http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/

National Trust http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/

You might want to figure out beforehand if it would be more cost-effective to join or just pay at each venue, which you could determine by looking at the places you might want to visit via the two websites and tallying up what it might cost you all together. Of course, purchasing a membership (single or family) helps to preserve these historical sites even if you did not use the membership to its fullest extent. Some of the EH and NT sites may be accessed free of charge as well.

Since you will be up in the north, I would highly recommend a visit to the Bowes Museum just west of the town of Barnard Castle. It is a fascinating museum and features the amazing 18th century Silver Swan automaton, which is wound and "performs" every open day at 2:00 pm--I would go 100 miles out of my way to see that silver swan as it is an amazing machine! Also, a visit to the ruins of nearby Barnard Castle would make for an interesting day visit. Just a thought.

Here are some Bowes Museum websites:

http://www.thebowesmuseum.org.uk/

http://www.thebowesmuseum.org.uk/collections/the-silver-swan/history/

Then, of course, there is Castle Howard, 1 hr. 35 min. ENE of Skipton and 35 min. NE of York. It is magnificent . . . and this from one who is not a particular fan of Baroque architecture!

http://www.castlehoward.co.uk/

Picture by Jack Cousin