Campsite bookings have now closed now for the York Cycle Festival 2025, including the York Rally, the Retrobike Show and the National Clarion CC Summer Meeting.
While advance bookings have now closed you are still most welcome to just turn up – we will not run out of space!
Directions to the event are here and please just follow marshall’s instructions when you arrive.
Gates open for campers to come onto site at 4pm on Friday but if you arrive earlier there is plenty of free parking.
Before coming across the horse racing track onto the site with a motor vehicle please ensure you have first gone over on foot to the check-in tent, where from 3pm you can book a pitch or, if pre-booked, collect your pitch details.
PLEASE NOTE: To secure the future of the event, for 2025 we have reluctantly made significant increases to campsite pitch prices. You can read more about why we have taken this difficult decision here.
- The campsite is divided into two areas: a lightweight campers section which is kept free from all motor vehicles, and motorist pitches for car-carried tents, caravans and motorhomes.
- Site opens 4PM Friday, closes 10AM Monday.
- Please note that there are no electrical hook-ups available on the site.
- Please see the campsite section of our Visitor FAQ for further info on campsite related subjects including check-in, site security, BBQs, showers and more.
To secure the future of the event, for 2025 we have reluctantly made significant increases to campsite pitch prices. You can read more about why we have taken this difficult decision here.
Prices for 2025 are as follows:
Early bird (until midnight on 31 Dec 2024):
Lightweight (pitch including one person) £35 + £20 per extra adult
Motorists (pitch including one person) £50 + £25 per extra adult
Advance booking (until June 13th):
Lightweight (pitch including one person) £45 + £20 per extra adult
Motorists (pitch including one person) £60 + £25 per extra adult
On the day:
Lightweight (pitch including one person) £45 + £20 per extra adult
Motorists (pitch including one person) £65 + £30 per extra adult
Children: £10 (booked at any time)
- Each pitch booked includes 1 adult. You can add additional adults and children during the booking process. “Children” means under 18s. There is no charge for under 5s.
- The fee is for up to three nights camping (20, 21 & 22 June 2025), including shower use. Unfortunately for practical reasons we cannot offer any discount if you are staying for just one night. The site opens 4PM Friday, closes 10AM Monday.
- Prices are set so that the earlier you book, the cheaper it is. The online booking forms below always use the current prices. You are welcome to turn up on the day without a booking (we will not run out of space!), but it will be slightly more expensive, and we also can’t allocate you a pitch alongside your friends or clubmates.
- Please note that advance bookings are not refundable – except if the event is cancelled, in which case full refunds will be made for all bookings.
You can book by post or online. However you make your booking, we will use the information you provide only to administer the campsite and to communicate with you about your booking. Please see our Privacy Policy for full details.
By booking a pitch you agree with the following statement:
“I agree to comply with the organisers’ instructions and not to hold them responsible for any loss or damage to persons or property. I also agree to comply with the campsite rules detailed below, especially the need to be quiet after 11pm each night. I understand that the organisers reserve the right to instruct those who fail to comply with these rules to leave the campsite, so as not to cause an unacceptable disturbance to other campers.”
Campsite Rules in full:
The site will be open from 4pm Friday. All pitches are to be vacated by 10am Monday.
Pitch only behind the stake bearing your pitch number. Do not remove the stake.
Keep access clear at all times
No open fires are to be lit and barbecues (which must be clear of the ground) should be used carefully.
If you bring a dog, be considerate of others and keep them on a lead. Please exercise them well away from the site and please clean up after them.
The site speed limit for ALL vehicles is 5 mph. This includes cyclists
Motor vehicles may only be parked on a motorist pitch, beside any tent or caravan. Alternatively they can be parked in the main car park near the main entrance. Once parked on a camping pitch, cars should not be moved during the event.
Motor vehicles must not be parked beside or enter into the lightweight camping area.
Noise is to be kept to a minimum between the hours of 11 pm and 7 am to avoid disturbance.
Rubbish is to be put in the bags provided and deposited in one of the skips when you leave. Barbecue coals are only to be disposed of in a skip once totally cold.
Chemical toilets must only be emptied into the collection tanks provided. The gulley in the enclosure is for caterers’ waste water only.
Dogs are permitted in all areas of the York Cycle Festival site except for any condoned off areas, including the arena and any other areas from which the general public is excluded and, with exception of assistance dogs, in the marquees or in the vicinity of catering areas. Dogs must be kept under close control and keepers are requested to refrain from using extending leads in all camping, trade and exhibition areas, other circulation areas and designated access routes. All waste from dogs must be disposed of appropriately and certainly not in the recycle bins.
Security: Campers are responsible for the security of their own belongings and we would caution that although we do have professional security patrols on site, the Festival takes place in a large open area and it is impossible for any security operation to watch everything. The organisers can take no responsibility for any loss or damage. Bikes especially can be tempting targets, so please use a substantial lock whenever you leave your bike unattended – and especially when parking it overnight. Barriers are provided in the lightweight camping area to lock to. If you have a caravan or motorhome we’d strongly advise that bikes be kept INSIDE overnight for maximum security, or otherwise securely locked.
Security warning!
Thieves have targeted the event in recent years, and sadly a number of cycles have been taken. We will make every effort to secure the site but please also take your own responsibility for security VERY seriously – or you could wake up to a missing cycle.
Is there on site security, especially if we are leaving bikes at tents?
There will 24h security and patrols throughout the night, but it’s a large public area with an open perimeter so it’s simply not possible to guarantee security, especially as thieves target the event.
Large metal barriers are provided in the lightweight camping area to lock to.
If you have a car, caravan or motorhome we’d strongly advise that bikes be kept INSIDE overnight if at all possible for maximum security. If you leave them outside they must be extremely securely locked to something solid.
For any bike left outside overnight PLEASE use at least one substantial lock like a D lock (a flimsy cable lock is not at all sufficient). It is even better to use multiple locks.
Note that bikes should be kept locked at all times when unattended – during the day as well as at night.
Any losses should be reported to the police ASAP, and please also do inform us ASAP at the Info Hub. We must stress that the event organisers can take no responsibility for any loss or damage.
General campsite FAQ
Do I need to pre-book or can I just turn up and pay on the day?
You can pay on the day, no problem! Advance booking means quicker check-in, the option of being sited with your friends, club or other group, and if you book early, cheaper rates. But it’s no problem to pay on the day, too.
For paying on the day, do you take cards?
Yes, we have a card payment facility but please do bring cash if you can – the card reader relied on mobile signal which can be temperamental. Cash on the other hand is very reliable!
Where do we go when we arrive?
By car/motorhome/caravan, come to the entrance half way along Knavesmire Road (opposite the junction with Knavesmire Crescent). See it on Google Streetview. There’s plenty of room to swing in even with a big caravan. You’ll then be marshalled until you can move onto the site – please just follow directions.
On foot or by bike, go to the Racecourse end of Knavesmire Road. The access has been remade since previous Rallies, and the entrance is now approximately where the dark car is parked in front of the gates on this Streetview image. Again, follow signs and directions from marshalls.
Do we need any receipts for online bookings etc. when we get there?
No, if you have pre-booked just tell the person at the desk your name and they will have you on their list. You’ll then be allocated a pitch.
Is it OK to arrive late at night?
No problem – but it would be helpful if you could let us know in advance. If you know before the Wednesday ahead of the Rally weekend that you’ll be late, please email campsite@yorkrally.org to let us know. If you only realise at short notice that you will be late, lease call us on 0746 732 1443. We can probably give you a pitch number in advance. If that’s not possible and you arrive after 10:30ish at night and the campsite check-in tent is closed, please just park up temporarily in any empty pitch and check in at the Info Hub in the morning.
Is the campsite accessible for wheelchair users?
In general, yes – the Knavesmire is basically a level field but sections are rough or bumpy grass, which can be wet. The marquees have level access (the grass is the floor). There are disabled toilet facilities both in the main Racecourse toilets and also out on the campsite (two Portaloo-type disabled loos). But unfortunately we have not yet been able to source any mobile showers with level access: for the ones we have, the shower cubicles can only be accessed via steps. Our team is keen to make the Rally as accessible as we possibly can: please do contact us with any queries or to suggest adaptations we might be able to make.
My family consists of two adults and three children with one car . We may have to bring two smaller tents rather than our big family tent as it takes up a lot of room in the car. Would I have to pay for two pitches?
You only need to book one motorist pitch – there will be plenty of room for two small tents and a car.
Are we allowed BBQs at the site providing they are off the floor?
BBQs are not an issue as long as they are off the ground and you do not put the charcoal in the skips until it’s cold.
Are fire pits allowed?
Sorry, no, those are not allowed on the Knavesmire.
Are there electric hook-ups for tents?
Unfortunately we have no electric hookups for any of the pitches.
Are there Elsan and gray water disposal points?
Yes, near the toilets and showers. Please note there is no vehicle access – you will need to bring the containers in on foot.
There is also a second gray water tank out in the campsite field, near the recycling point (see the site map in the show programme). This is vehicle accessible.
Are there facilities to charge e-bike batteries?
We have discussed e-bike charging several times in the organising team and tried to find a solution, but sadly without success. We know it’s important to many people who rely on their e-bikes.
Unfortunately, despite our very best efforts, we have been unable to obtain event insurance which includes coverage for charging of e-bike batteries. We were told that it is explicitly excluded unless we satisfy safety conditions which are simply not possible for us to meet. It seems that the entire insurance industry and their underwriters has been “spooked” by a number of recent tragic e-bike battery fires.
This is despite the fires almost certainly being prevalent in dodgy e-bikes and kits obtained online, rather than the sort of decent products which people at the York Rally are likely to use… per the industry guidance. But there is no way for us – or more importantly for our insurers – to know what sort of battery people may plug in.
The upshot is that if we permitted e-bike battery charging e.g. in the toilet blocks or marquees, and the worst happened and a fire ensued, we would not be insured to repair the damage, and this would very likely bankrupt the Rally.
So with regret, we can only suggest you make other arrangements, if at all possible. We do hope that by next year the insurance industry may be more reasonable – or that we can find some way to satisfy them to deliver safe charging. But unfortunately we cannot promise that at this point.
How many showers will be on site and when are they open?
Usually the number is adequate, so that you won’t have to wait long. The number we get depends on the number of pre bookings – so booking in advance really does help us get it right. The showers will be open throughout the event.
Have more questions?
Please check for answers in the Visitor FAQ or contact us!
If you have access to a printer, please download this 2025 Campsite Booking Form, print and fill it out, and return it to the address given. Please use one form per pitch! If you have not included an email address on the booking form, please enclose a stamped addressed envelope so that we can confirm your booking.
If you don’t have access to a printer, you are welcome to just send a cheque with a covering note. Please send it to: York Rally, Barnberry Lodge, Kirkby Underwood, Bourne, PE10 0SD.
If you prefer, you could send just the cheque by post and all of the details on an email to campsite@yorkrally.org.
Alternatively, we can send you a form in the post. To request a form, please either write to the address above or contact our campsite team on 07814 030090 (a text message is preferred). If you call and there is no reply please speak very clearly and leave a number for us to call you back. If you do not hear back within a week please call again – the message will not have got through.
The last date by which postal bookings must arrive is 13th June 2025 – after this date please pay on arrival.
Book your campsite pitch
Sorry, online campsite pitch bookings have now closed as we approach the event – please just pay on the day!
Contact the campsite team
If you have any queries or problems with the booking process please just contact our campsite team: campsite@yorkrally.org. You may also find some answers to common questions in our visitor FAQ.
