The 101st Tour de France, set to take place from Saturday July 5th to Sunday July 27th this year, will see the cyclists explore previously unknown pastures in the form of the UK’s Yorkshire Dales.
Kicking off in Leeds, the UK leg of the tour will pass through Harrogate, York, Sheffield, Cambridge and Essex before finishing in London.
Whilst it may not serve the typically sunny, blue skies of Spain, nor offer the dainty culinary delicacies of France, Yorkshire has a few tricks up its own sleeve ready to wow the thousands of travellers who will be pilgrimaging northwards to watch the cyclists vie for that prestigious yellow jersey.
Boasting ‘100 days of Art and Culture’, this year’s York Festival will coincide with the tour to show visitors exactly what the UK’s biggest county has to offer. Artists have been busy burrowing tracks into the hillsides between Blubberhouse and Holmfirth for their “Fields of Vision” exhibition, amid the enormous aerial landscape pictures set to woo spectators from the sky.
For those who have been dragged to the tour by their lapels and are seeking alternative entertainment in place of cycle-spotting, there are theatre productions, music concerts and exhibitions aplenty taking place across the county.
With an expected influx of 2 million spectators, the price of UK hotels and holiday apartments are sure to sky rocket. So for those who are ready to take a slice of the adventure for themselves, Salop Leisure, a leading UK caravan dealership, has taken the liberty of creating an interactive map detailing campsites dotted along the tour route, to ensure you’ll never be too far away from the very best spectator seat.
The 23 day countdown to the tour starts now! And for those of you likely to relegate packing to a last minute exercise of cramming t-shirts into a half-broken rucksack, here are some tips for camping the British way:
- Chances of rain are high. Even when the weather forecaster is positively illuminated by those little sunshine symbols, never give up your cynicism. It comes. Pack some waterproof clothing, and a waterproof cover for your tent.
- On the flip side, bring sun cream! You never know just when that eternal expectation of ‘dark and cloudy’ skies will turn around and surprise you with a full blast of 30 degree (let’s not be too optimistic), 26 degree heat.
- Invest in a Pacsafe. In the absence of a hotel safe, you might find yourself worrying about important documents, cards and passports. Slip them into a neat little wallet, slide it beneath the waistband of your jeans (breathe in!), and feel comforted by the knowledge that everything is on hand and secure.
