Two teams, two days and one race across North Yorkshire. Next week, the Village Green team will swap cars for trains, buses, bikes, walking and even a canal boat as they take on Race Across Yorkshire.

Starting on Scarborough Beach on Monday 21 September, two teams will race across North Yorkshire before aiming to reach the finish line at Clapham Village Hall on Tuesday afternoon.

But this is about much more than getting there first.

Race Across Yorkshire has been created by Village Green to explore what travelling without a car can really be like in a large rural county, while showcasing some of the practical climate action already happening in communities across North Yorkshire.

Along the way, the teams will rely on public transport and active travel, taking on challenges and stopping to meet organisations involved in the Village Green programme.

Their journey will take them across Yorkshire by train, bus, bike and on foot, with a canal boat also making an appearance along the way.

Meeting climate action along the route

As the teams travel, they will visit Village Green partners working on different aspects of climate action.

These include projects exploring the relationship between sport and climate change, supporting young people to take action, helping households with energy use and developing practical environmental projects within local communities.

Village Green Climate Action Officer Ria Hughes said one of the things she is most looking forward to is seeing the range of work taking place across the programme.

The race will give the teams an opportunity to meet partners in their own communities and discover more about the different approaches being used to make climate action relevant and achievable.

Climate Action Officer Patrick Hoyle is also looking forward to showcasing the work of partners across North Yorkshire and seeing first-hand the support they provide to local people.

Can you really race across rural Yorkshire without a car?

That is part of the challenge.

Transport is one of the UK’s biggest sources of carbon emissions, but travelling differently can be particularly difficult in rural areas, where distances are greater and public transport options can be limited.

Race Across Yorkshire is designed to put those alternatives to the test.

The teams will experience the good, the bad and potentially the unexpected realities of travelling across rural Yorkshire without relying on a private car.

They are expecting great scenery, unusual challenges and a few tense moments involving timetables.

There may also be some healthy competition.

Ria believes her team will remain positive if buses fail to appear or plans suddenly change, while Patrick has already declared his team the one to back if viewers want to have fun along the way.

Whether either claim survives contact with the Yorkshire public transport network remains to be seen.

Follow the race

Race Across Yorkshire begins at Scarborough Beach at 7.50am on Monday 21 September.

On Tuesday, the teams will continue west, with planned highlights including canal travel from Skipton, cycling from Settle and the final race towards Clapham Village Hall at around 2.30pm.

Throughout the two days, Village Green will be sharing updates, videos, photographs and behind-the-scenes moments from both teams.

There will also be opportunities to follow their progress, discover the projects they visit and see which team manages to reach the finish first.

Race Across Yorkshire is part of Village Green, a three-year programme delivered by Community First Yorkshire with Howardian Hills National Landscape, North Yorkshire Sport, North Yorkshire Together, North Yorkshire Youth, Rural Arts, Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust and Yorkshire Energy Doctor.

Village Green is funded through The National Lottery Community Fund’s Climate Action Fund.

Follow Village Green on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn next week to join the adventure and find out who wins Race Across Yorkshire.

#VillageGreen #RaceAcrossYorkshire #ClimateAction #NorthYorkshire #NationalLottery