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07
Aug
Long Course Weekend: Harrogate district road closures revealed
Details of road closures for a major new sporting event in the Harrogate district have been revealed.
The Long Course Weekend Yorkshire will be hosted by Masham between September 6 and 8, when thousands of people are expected to flock to the town and nearby places to take part and spectate.
North Yorkshire Council has paid the organisers a total of £75,000 to host the event annually for three years. It has said it expects the event to generate around £2 million for the local economy in return.
Long Course Weekend is loosely based on the three disciplines of the triathlon. It includes running, cycling and swimming events but participants can choose to enter as many as they like over the weekend.
With just a month to go, the council and Long Course Weekend have shared details of the roads that will close for the marathon on Sunday, September 8.
However, according to the Long Course Weekend's website, no roads will close for the cycling events, which will take place on open roads on September 7.
The map of road closures. Credit: LCW
List of road closures
A map by the organisers, pictured below, highlights closures from Masham, through surrounding villages including Grewelthorpe and Kirkby Malzeard, down to Aldfield and Studley Royal, and back.
The council's roadworks map provides detailed timings of each road closure, but we have collated the following general list of villages and areas affected:
• There will be a weekend-long diversion (6-8 September) from the B6265 around Glasshouses to Masham. It directs people to Ripon through Summerbridge, Ripley and South Stainley, before taking the A6108 through North Stainley and West Tanfield.
• Masham town centre: the Market Place, Little Market Place, Chapman Lane and Church Street will all be affected throughout the whole weekend.
• Roads around the Swinton area, including Swinton Bridge, will close between 9am and 11.30am on September 8.
• Ilton Lane and Nutwith Lane (towards Grewelthorpe) will shut between 9am and 11am.
• Grewelthorpe will close from 9am until 11am.
• Kirkby Malzeard: various roads will be closed in and around the village between 9am and 11am.
• Warren Lane to Grey Gables (between Galphay and Kirkby Malzeard) will be closed between 9.30am and 2.45pm.
• Winksley: roads towards and in the village will shut between 9am and 12.30pm.
• Fountains Gate: from 9.30am to 12.30pm on September 8.
• Aldfied, Mallard Grange, Fountains and Studley Royal: closed between 10am and 1pm. However, the roadworks map suggests there will be a temporary one-way system between Horsley Gate and Mallard Grange from 10am to 12.30pm.
• Studley Road: closed from 10am until 1.30pm. There will also be a temporary one-way system through Studley Roger Village at the same time.
• Holly Tree Farm to Nap Cote Lane (towards Galphay): closed between 10am and 2.30pm.
• Ripon Road (Kirkby Malzeard to Grewelthorpe): shut from 10.30am until 3.30pm.
• Wapping and Thorpe Road (towards Masham): closed between 10.30am until 4/4.30pm.
Safety fears for cyclists
The Stray Ferret spoke last week to Councillor Andrew Murday, a Liberal Democrat who represents Pateley Bridge and Nidderdale on North Yorkshire Council, who had previously expressed concerns about road safety during the event.
Asked how he felt about up to 1,000 cyclists riding on open roads, he said he was keeping "everything crossed that there won't be an accident".
Cllr Murday added:
People will have to just be very careful on the roads. I'd urge people to be patient with cyclists.
I'm particularly worried about Lower Wath Road. Lots of people going to Middlesmoor, How Stean Gorge and the Sportsman's Arms use that road.
Long Course Weekend originated in Wales in 2010. According to its website, the Masham version of the event is “expected to bring over 5,000 athletes, 20,000 supporters from 30 nations”.
It is the first time the event will take place in Yorkshire. The options include a marathon, half-marathon, 10k and 5k runs, 112-mile and 56-mile bike rides and a 2.4-mile swim in Grimwith Reservoir.
But many people are still unaware of it. The Stray Ferret has not received any media information since the event was announced last September, as reported last month.
The council originally planned to set up a host village at Nidderdale Showground in Pateley Bridge, but a disagreement with showground owners Nidderdale Agricultural Society in February meant it was moved to Masham.
Sign-up numbers have also not been revealed, but Masham parish council chair Neil Pickard recently told the Stray Ferret everything was “all on track”.
He said organisers hope to get up to 500 swimmers, 1,000 cyclists and 1,500 runners to take part, adding:
They indicate that it is progressing well, but that since covid many people do not enter until the last three to four weeks before the event.
It is therefore likely to be late August before we know final numbers.
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