“Britain’s biggest tractor run” will snake along roads in the Harrogate district on Sunday, with up to 400 vehicles coming together in a festival of agricultural horsepower.
Knaresborough Tractor Run lasts for 25 miles from the Great Yorkshire Showground in Harrogate to Knaresborough, with a hog-roast lunch for drivers and sandwich van for spectators in Pateley Bridge.
Participation costs £20 per driver and an extra £10 for each passenger, and all proceeds are donated to Yorkshire Air Ambulance. Last year, the event raised £20,893.
Tractor Run committee chairman and Ramsgill farmer Steven Brown urged anyone with a tractor, farmer or otherwise, to take part, and anyone without one to turn out to support the event. He said:
“Come along and join in the fun. We reckon it’s the biggest tractor run in the UK, so the chances of seeing anything similar elsewhere are slim.
“The thing I always love is all the spectators lining the streets – the support from the public is tremendous. That’s what puts a smile on our faces.”
Tractor Run committee chairman Steven Brown says he doesn’t expect the event to clog the roads.
Knaresborough Tractor Run was first held in 2012 and has grown rapidly ever since.
This year’s event is due to begin at the showground at 9am.
Mr Brown said the route from Harrogate would take in Knaresborough, Staveley, Copgrove, Burton Leonard, Markington and Smelthouses, before arriving at Pateley Bridge showground, where prizes will be awarded for tractors in three categories: vintage, classics, and modern.
After lunch, the parade of vehicles will head to Dacre Banks, Darley and Hampsthwaite, before returning to Knaresborough around 4pm.
The line of tractors is expected to take about an hour to file past, but Mr Brown said motorists needn’t worry about blocked roads. He said:
“We don’t tend to have tailbacks, because we’re never on one road for long enough. We try to head off across country a bit to avoid the main roads.”
Tractor owners wishing to take part in Knaresborough Tractor Run can sign up online, or pay cash on the day.
Read more:
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