With so much activity happening at Harewood during the Tour de France there are some changes to our normal opening hours for the big weekend.

On 4th, 5th and 6th July, the House will be closed to the public and members. This is to allow Harewood to prepare for Royal visitors and functions during Le Grand Depart weekend. Do not despair! The grounds and gardens will be open on the 4th and 6th July to members and day visitors.

If you want to come down and see all the activity ahead of the big race you can. On July 4th visitors will be able to enjoy the Festival of Cycling free of charge.

Below is a summary of the opening times during this historic weekend.

If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to contact the team on 0113 218 1000.

We’re currently experiencing technical difficulties with our telephone lines and emails at present. Our apologies for any inconvenience this may cause whilst we work to resolve the issue. For visitors calling Harewood you will find that the connection appears to be working however we are not receiving the calls on site. For urgent queries please contact our Duty Manager on 07801 340 712. Please note this number will be in service until 6pm.

Follow us on Twitter @harewoodhouse to keep updated about the status of this issue.

Once again, apologies for the inconvenience this may cause you.

Kind regards,

The Harewood Team

Lizzi Armitstead, silver medalist, is Ambassador for the Festival of Cycling

Harewood House is proud to be the Official Ceremonial Start of the Le Tour de France. To celebrate this historic occasion, the Yorkshire Festival of Cycling will bring together thousands of cycling fans, spectators and families to watch Le Grand Depart, enjoy family entertainment and great live music.

• Enjoy the best seats in Yorkshire to watch Le Grand Depart
• Watch the first stages of the Tour on big screens
• Enjoy live music
• See the Red Arrows
• Explore two film pods
• Watch live theatre
• Experience Electric Pedal Cycle Cinema
• Let loose in our family activity zones
• Bump into our wandering entertainers
• Race in the Kiddimoto carting for kids
• Try the 2 acre Army assault course
• Not forgetting the Street Velodrome, KMX Karting, BMZ Flatland and Display Demos and more!

Visit www.festivalofcycling.org for full details.

For your chance to WIN 4 day tickets to the Festival of Cycling on the 5th and 6th July enter our competition by hitting the “tweet” button:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Harewood hosts the Dare2B Yorkshire Festival of Cycling in July.

Do you tweet, like, share or pin? Whatever your preference, if you’re into social media there are three great ways to stay in touch with all things Harewood. Facebook, Twitter and now Pinterest are filled with content to keep you entertained and up to date.

Share your Harewood experiences with us, we love to hear from you. Don’t be shy! Get involved and join the conversation.

First year the Great British Food Festival will be at Harewood

Get out this May Bank Holiday weekend to the Great British Food Festival at the stunning Harewood House.

On May 24-26th the stunning estate at Harewood House hosts the Great British Food Festival. The recipe for the weekend; well take over 80 top local producers, a big serving of stunning hot food, real ale and wine bars, add a dash of craft and gift stalls, lots of activities and rides for the kids, top chef demos from the likes of ‘This Morning’s’ Marcus Bean and past ‘Yorkshire Chef of the Year’ Stephanie Moon, stir in a cake competition and the popular Men V’s Food challenge, and finally add lashings of excellent live music and mix together to make a lovely foodie day out for all the family.

The main chef demo area has great local chefs handing out tips and cooking up some tasty dishes to inspire you to try at home. All demos are free (as part of your admission ticket) to enter so everyone can join the audience and brush up on their culinary skills. Event Organiser, Daniel Maycock said ‘It’s a great mix of demos, from bakers to gourmet food – Marcus is great with the crowd but I’m also looking forward to seeing the best of the local talent, come along I’m sure they’ll impress you!’
The Great British Food Festival has attracted lots of producers showcasing the best in local, seasonal and speciality food and drink. It’s a great opportunity to get a real taste of the best of Yorkshire and Great British produce – sample, enjoy and buy. ‘With Great Britain’s amazing mix of cultures and cuisines we thought it would be a shame to overlook some more exotic elements – so you can try Ostrich burgers, Jerk Chicken and ‘Crazy Wendy’s’ Thai food as well as pulled pork, prime steak, and the best local burgers and sausages, for those with more traditional tastes!’ said Daniel.

After you’ve had your fill of tasty food you can go and do your foodie shopping, for tasty bits for that next meal at home or take the kids to bouncy castle or ‘Kiddy Cook’ lessons, or why not just sit out with a refreshing drink (or two), and enjoy the great live music in the stunning surroundings?!

The perfect recipe for a fun, foodie day out for the whole family.