THE Skipton area is turning into the Gretna Green of England.
Couples are choosing it as one of the most romantic spots to plight their troth at a civil wedding rather than in church.
Civil weddings in north Yorkshire have risen by 11 percent - up from 2,293 in March this year to an expected 2,545 by next Spring.
But Skipton is running away with a rise of 16 percent on last year- from 205 to 240 over the same period.
Couples are opting for one of seven venues around the town - the Tempest Arms at Elslack, Red Lion Hotel in Burnsall, Hanover Hotel, Skipton, Devonshire Arms at Bolton Abbey, Coniston Hall or Coniston Hotel in Coniston Cold or the Devonshire Fell Hotel also in Burnsall.
Robin Mair of the county council's media office, said: "Latest figures show that more couples are tying the knot in North Yorkshire than ever before.
"It's difficult to say for certain whether this increase is down to the millennium or as a result of the county council's efforts to market North Yorkshire as the place to get married."
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