50th Knaresborough Bed Race on Saturday - bus service changes

It’s the 50th anniverary of the very first Knaresborough Bed Race this Saturday and thousands of spectators are expected to crowd the town for this spectacular event.

As well as the spectacular fancy dress parade of beds in late morning and the gruelling race in early afternoon, there’s always a party atmosphere in the town and by the river at Coyingham Hall.

But bus firmTransdev is advising spectators to be aware that Harrogate-Knaresborough buses will be affected on Saturday.

Knaresborough Hill and Bond End will be closed to traffic from noon until 5pm, but buses will run via Calcutt instead.

The 1a, b and c will be diverted between Forest Lane Head and Knaresborough Bus Station via Forest Lane, Forest Moor Road and Blands Hill.

And it’s offering real early birds who want to reserve the best viewing spot a bus service at 6.31am on Saturday.

One local man taking part in this weekend’s Bed Race, Matt Rickard said the event was even tougher than it looked.

He said: “The worst things are the dreaded Castle Ings and the awful taste of the river Nidd. I was surprised by how much you have to put in. We were training twice a week for three months leading up to the race.”

Matt, who is a member of the Nidd Valley Road Runners team, said it was the crowd who made the day truly special.

“After being a spectator myself for the last 10 years I finally took part in the race for the first time last year. It’s such a tough race but with so many people in such high spirits cheering you on you can’t help but give it everything you’ve got.

“The atmosphere on the day was incredible and made it all worthwhile.”