Pre-pitched tents in a field, rental camping accommodation in Kilnsey, Yorkshire Dales, July, 2014. Campers arrive and make preparations for the Tour de France. Thousands of cyclists have been in the Yorkshire Dales travelling the route of the Grand Depart. The fields assigned to parking and camping are now beginning to fill up in preparation for the cycling event on Saturday.

This image could have imperfections as it’s either historical or reportage.

The Tour de France, the world’s largest annual sporting event, will be starting in Yorkshire as the Grand Départ 2014 races through the county on the 5th and 6th July. To celebrate, we are encouraging gardeners to paint the canvas of the county yellow by planting show-stopping displays of bedding plants and perennials along the routes and across Yorkshire to mark the historic occasion. Communities have embraced the Tour’s iconic yellow, green, white and polka-dot jerseys as well as its cycling message through everything from knitted bunting and shop window displays to art installations and flowerbeds as the region gears up for the world’s most watched annual sporting event.