Northern offers special £2 set fare for shoppers heading to Christmas Markets in Harrogate and Skipton

The train operator says the discounted ticket will be available on services to Harrogate from Burley Park, Headingley, Horsforth, Leeds and York; and on trains to Skipton from Appleby, Armathwaite, Bradford Forster Square, Carlisle, Kirkby Stephen West, Langwathby, Lazonby and Leeds.

Tickets are £2 each way and must be booked at least three days in advance of travel on the Northern website or app.

The Harrogate Christmas Fayre runs from Friday, 29 November to Sunday, 15 December. For more information, visit: visitharrogate.co.uk/events/harrogate-christmas-fayre.

The Skipton Christmas Market takes place on Sunday, 1 December and Sunday, 8 December. For more information, visit: welcometoskipton.com/events/skipton-christmas-market.

Mark Powles, commercial and customer director at Northern, said: “We work closely with tourist boards, local visitor economy partnerships, councils and combined authorities throughout the year to support visitor economies across our network.

“Christmas is such an important time of the year for many businesses and we want to play our part in helping to encourage as many people as possible to get out and support great events like the Christmas Markets in Harrogate and Skipton.”

Northern is the second largest train operator in the UK, with nearly 2,500 services a day to more than 500 stations across the North of England.