The Tea Run 2026: A Weekend Built Around the Cars
Some events use the car park as somewhere to leave the cars.
The Tea Run 2026 was not one of those events.
From Friday 26th to Sunday 28th June, Cedar Court Hotel Harrogate became the home base for a sell-out weekend with Turn7 and the Caterham & Lotus Seven Club. Over the course of the event, over 100 rooms were booked, the hotel grounds filled with Caterhams, and the weekend became exactly what a car club gathering should be: great cars, great roads, good food, relaxed evenings and a proper sense of community.
For Cedar Court, this was a brilliant example of what happens when a car club weekend is planned around the needs of the people and the cars.
Not just a hotel stay. Not just a route. A full weekend base.
A car park that became part of the event
For any car enthusiast, the arrival is part of the experience.
That first moment when the cars start to gather. The colours, the noise, the bonnet stripes, the polished wheels, the proud owners, the conversations that begin before anyone has even checked in.
At Cedar Court Harrogate, the car park became part of the weekend from the start.
The club had dedicated space at the hotel, giving members somewhere to arrive together, park together and stay together. That matters. For car clubs, parking is not just a practical detail. It is part of the atmosphere.
The cars were not hidden away or treated as an inconvenience. They were central to the event.
The Tea Run guide positioned Cedar Court Harrogate as the home base for the weekend, with reserved parking, early breakfasts, dedicated event support and space for guests to start and finish the run from the hotel.
There were also water and power points available in the rear car park, giving guests the chance to valet their cars during the weekend. For a group of Caterham owners, that kind of detail does not go unnoticed.
Because when the cars matter to your guests, they need to matter to the venue too.
Why the base matters as much as the route
A great driving route will always be the heart of a car club weekend.
But the base is what makes the whole thing work.
For the Tea Run, Cedar Court Harrogate gave the Caterham & Lotus Seven Club one clear place to gather, stay, eat, socialise, start the route and return to afterwards. That meant the weekend did not feel scattered across different venues. Everything had a centre.
Guests could arrive on Friday, park up, check in, meet other members, relax in the Kota Tipi, attend the gala dinner, head out early on Saturday, return to the hotel, enjoy the barbecue and carry on the conversations into the evening.
For organisers, that is a huge advantage.
You need the hotel to understand the flow of the event. Early starts. Group parking. Breakfast timings. Clear signing-on areas. Evening food. Social space. Wet-weather options. Somewhere people can gather without feeling rushed. Somewhere that supports the event without taking over the event.
That is what worked so well at the Tea Run.
Cedar Court Harrogate became the home for the weekend, not just the place people slept.
Friday: arrival, cars and the Tea Run Gala
Friday was all about easing into the weekend.
Guests arrived throughout the afternoon, with many making the most of the Tipi at the front of the hotel for food, drinks and a relaxed first catch-up. It quickly became the social hub of the event, giving people somewhere informal to gather before the evening began.
Then came the Tea Run Gala in the Queen Suite.
The evening was designed to be fun and informal, with speakers, a charity raffle, games, live music during dinner and a prize from Turn7 for the loudest shirt or brightest dress.
That tells you a lot about the spirit of the weekend.
This was a car club event with personality. It was not stiff, formal or over-produced. It had the right mix of organisation and fun, which is exactly what makes a club weekend feel memorable.
Most importantly, the gala raised an incredible £5,500 for Prostate Cancer Research.
That is a fantastic achievement and a real credit to everyone involved: the organisers, Turn7, the Caterham & Lotus Seven Club, those who donated prizes, those who bought raffle tickets and everyone who gave so generously on the night.
Saturday: early start, proper roads and a Yorkshire route
Saturday was the main event.
Signing on took place from 7am in the Tipi, followed by a briefing at 8am before cars left under marshal direction. The planned route was around 145 miles and was expected to take around four hours without stops or sightseeing detours.
And this was not just a drive for the sake of it.
The route took guests out from Harrogate and into some of Yorkshire’s best driving country, with the Yorkshire Dales providing the backdrop for a proper Caterham day out.
The Tea Run guide highlighted Brymor Ice Cream Parlour as the official tea stop, while the route also included Buttertubs Pass, Ribblehead Viaduct and Tan Hill Inn. Buttertubs Pass was described as a winding, high-altitude Yorkshire Dales road with tight bends, steep climbs and epic views, while Ribblehead Viaduct offered a dramatic backdrop and Tan Hill brought open moorland, sweeping views and a real sense of adventure.
For car enthusiasts, this is where the weekend earns its place.
Good roads. Good scenery. A route with purpose. Stops that make sense. A hotel base close enough to the action but comfortable enough to return to at the end of the day.
That combination is exactly what car clubs look for.
The return: barbecue, socialising and more loud shirts
After a day on the road, the cars returned to Cedar Court Harrogate and the weekend shifted naturally back into social mode.
The evening barbecue ran from 6pm to 8pm, with guests encouraged to keep the loud shirts and bright dresses going. There was music, relaxed seating, food, drinks and plenty of time for people to catch up properly after the run. The event guide also included the Queen Suite as the wet-weather provision, which meant the evening had a back-up plan if Yorkshire decided to be Yorkshire.
That is another detail car club organisers will appreciate.
Outdoor atmosphere is brilliant, but practical planning matters. Having a Plan B gives organisers confidence, especially when people have travelled, booked rooms and committed to a full weekend.
The best events feel relaxed because the structure underneath them is solid.
The Tea Run had that balance.
A proper partnership with Turn7 and the Caterham & Lotus Seven Club
The Tea Run worked because it was a genuine partnership.
Turn7, led by Callum McDougall, played a central role in the weekend. The event guide credits Callum as the original visionary behind the Tea Run, with Turn7 supporting the event and joining the group on Saturday.
The Caterham & Lotus Seven Club brought the energy, the cars and the community. Alan Tough and the organisers helped shape a weekend that felt properly planned while still keeping the personality of the club at the centre.
From Cedar Court Harrogate, Hotel Manager Stacey Webster and the team were proud to welcome the event and support the club across the full weekend.
That is what made it work.
The venue did not try to turn the event into something it was not. The hotel supported the club, the cars and the atmosphere, while the organisers brought the character that made the weekend special.
What car clubs need from a venue
Car club weekends have their own rhythm.
They are not like standard hotel groups. The car park matters. Arrival matters. Early breakfast matters. The route matters. The evening after the drive matters. People need space to talk, compare cars, share stories and stay close to the action.
The Tea Run showed how important those details are.
- For a car club, a good venue needs to offer:
- Space for the cars to arrive and park together.
- A clear base where members can meet before and after the run.
- Accommodation for those travelling from further afield.
- Food and drink that works around the schedule.
- Early breakfast for early starts.
- Event space for dinners, briefings, raffles, speakers or awards.
- Relaxed social areas for the moments between the planned activities.
- A team that understands the cars are part of the event, not a side issue.
Cedar Court Harrogate was able to support all of that across the weekend.
The hotel’s location also helped. Overlooking the Stray and close to Harrogate town centre, it gave non-driving guests plenty to enjoy too, while still offering access to the Yorkshire Dales and some of the region’s most memorable roads. The Tea Run guide highlighted Harrogate, the Turkish Baths, Betty’s Tea Rooms and the hotel’s spa as options for those not taking part in the run.
That matters for clubs too. Not every guest wants to spend the whole weekend in the passenger seat. A good base needs to work for partners, friends and non-drivers as well.
Why Cedar Court Harrogate worked for the Tea Run
The Tea Run was a sell-out because the club had built something people wanted to be part of.
But the weekend worked because the venue could support the full experience.
Cedar Court Harrogate gave the event a home. The cars could gather. Guests could stay together. The Kota Tipi gave the weekend a social heart. The Queen Suite gave the gala a proper setting. The barbecue brought everyone back together after the run. The parking, water points, breakfast timings and event support helped the practical side run smoothly.
For car enthusiasts, that all adds up.
It means less stress for organisers. A better experience for guests. More time spent enjoying the cars, the roads and the people.
And that is what a great car club weekend should be.
An invitation to other car clubs
The Tea Run 2026 brought together around 100 rooms of guests, a sell-out weekend, a brilliant collection of Caterhams, a 145-mile Yorkshire route, relaxed social evenings and an incredible £5,500 raised for Prostate Cancer Research.
It was a weekend full of cars, community and proper Yorkshire hospitality.
It also showed what is possible when a car club has the right base behind it.
So, to other car clubs, owners’ clubs, classic car groups and touring clubs: if you are planning a Yorkshire run, weekend meet, owners’ gathering or club social, Cedar Court Harrogate would love to hear from you.
Bring the cars. Bring the members. Bring the route ideas.
We’ll help with the rest.
For car club event enquiries at Cedar Court Harrogate, contact events.harrogate@cedarcourthotels.co.uk.