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Great Yorkshire Show 2024: All the travel information you need

The A168 towards Harrogate during the Great Yorkshire Show last year.

The Great Yorkshire Show is back for its 165th year tomorrow (Tuesday), celebrating the best of British agriculture, food, farming and countryside.

The show is held across four days, with 140,000 visitors set to descend on Harrogate’s Great Yorkshire Showground.

Celebrity guests at this year’s show include Helen Skelton, Adam Henson, Peter Wright and Rob and Dave Nicholson of Cannon Hall Farm.

But as with previous years, there's set to be a lot of travel disruption as thousands of visitors head to Harrogate.

So ahead of the start of the show, here's all the traffic and travel information you need, whether you're attending or just trying to avoid those queues...

Wetherby Road - One Way System 

As with previous years, Wetherby Road (A661) will be one way from the Kestrel Roundabout to the junction with Rudding Lane heading towards the Showground. 

This will be in place from 6.30am on show days. 

The one-way system has also been extended on the A658 towards Harrogate from the Thistle Hill junction (turn off to Knaresborough) to the Kestrel roundabout. 

This will be for mornings only from 6.30am. 

This will then be reversed on Wetherby Road at 2.00pm between Rudding Lane and The Kestrel Roundabout to accommodate traffic leaving Harrogate. 

This will remain in force until 8pm although the restrictions may be removed earlier depending on the volume of traffic. 

Parking 

Car parking is free of charge and extensive at the Great Yorkshire Showground. 

Car parks open at 6am each day. 

Charles Mills, Great Yorkshire Show Director, said:

“It’s always a challenge to get hundreds and thousands of people and their cars into the showground but we are spreading the cars out a little more this time to stop it being a bottleneck in any one particular entrance.

“Our operations manager is completely on that and I’m sure it will be extremely smooth. We’ll be working closely with the police as well.”

Sainsbury’s on Wetherby Road will also be used as a designated disabled car park, with access to both the yellow and green entrances.

Shuttle Bus 

The Harrogate Bus Company will be operating a free return bus service from Harrogate Bus Station (next to the Railway Station) to the Showground commencing daily at 7:20am. 

The last bus will depart the Showground for Harrogate at 7pm.

All vehicles will be low floor, double decks, with buggy spaces for families. 

Buses depart every 10 minutes from the town centre. 

The drop-off point for visitors is at White Gate. 

Walking

There is no bus service from Hornbeam Park station, but people looking to walk from there can follow a signposted path. 

Cyclists can also park bikes at blue and white gates.

Bus 

The Harrogate Bus Company will run the number 7 bus from Leeds and Wetherby every hour, which goes right past to showground entrance. 

Train 

Northern Rail trains run from Leeds, Knaresborough and York. 

Trains run every half hour between Leeds and Harrogate as well as York and Harrogate.

Visitors can then jump on the free shuttle bus at Harrogate Bus Station. 

Driving to the show

Show signs will be in place across the area to help visitors find their way towards the Great Yorkshire Showground. 

Visitors travelling from the West, Skipton and Ripon: From A59 turn right at the junction with the B6161, 2 miles west of Harrogate. 

Follow the Show direction signs on the B6161 and turn left towards Harrogate on the B6162 at Beckwithshaw. 

Visitors travelling from Leeds, Bradford and Otley: Follow the A61 or A658 towards Harrogate. 

Follow the Show direction signs on A658 towards York. 

Alternatively, at the junction of the A61/A658, follow the A61 into Harrogate and turn right onto Hookstone Drive towards the Blue Zone. 

Visitors travelling from the East Coast, York & East Yorkshire: Follow the Show direction signs on the A64. 

Join the A1(M) at Junction 44 and travel North. Leave the A1(M) at Junction 45, Grange Moor, and follow A168 towards Harrogate on the Wetherby bypass and then follow the Show signs. 

Note: The A661 from Wetherby to Spofforth is not a designated Show route and should be avoided. 

Check out the full Great Yorkshire Show travel guide here.

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