A POPULAR annual run for grand old knights of the road returns to its traditional home after an 11-year absence next month.

The Beamish Run, the North-East’s premier safety and reliability trial for older cars, motorcycles and light commercial vehicles, will start and finish at the open-air museum, from which it takes its name, on Midsummer’s Day.

For its first 27 years, drivers taking part in the test of motoring skills and endurance set off and finished in the grounds of the museum, near Stanley, County Durham.

But following a policy change under the regime of two previous museum directors, organisers were left to look for alternative start and finish points.

For the past 11 years, the Beamish Run has led a nomadic existence, using picnic sites and parks in the Chesterle- Street area as assembly points, before the cavalcade of vintage, post-vintage and classic vehicles takes the chequered flag at the start of the 150-mile course round mainly rural roads of the North-East and North Yorkshire.

But, the arrival of new museum director Richard Evans has brought a welcome U-turn – and the 39th run, on Sunday, June 21, will be back at Beamish.

Beamish Run honorary secretary George Jolley is delighted to be returning to the event’s roots.

He said: “I can’t say how pleased we are to be going back.

“Richard Evans has welcomed us and, I believe, some of the other old events linked with Beamish, back with open arms.

“The run was linked so strongly with Beamish that we haven’t changed the name, even through we haven’t used the site since 1998.

“We’ve already attracted more than 100 entries this year, and we hope that with this news more will want to take part.”

So enthusiastic is Mr Evans that he will be taking part in the run, as a passenger in regular Dave Knotts’ 1930 Model A Ford convertible, in which he enjoyed a trial spin down Town Street, at Beamish Museum, at the weekend.

Mr Evans said: “The Beamish Run is a great tradition and a fantastic event and really puts the museum out there into the community.

“It is a pleasure to be able to support it and bring it back.

“I am very much looking forward to it.”

■ On June 21, the first vehicles set off from Beamish events field at 8.30am, with the last of the expected 150 entries on the road by 10.30am.

The first finishers should be back at Beamish between 3.30pm and 4pm.

Late entrants, all of which must be vehicles dating up to 1956, can apply to Mr Jolley by ringing 0191-536-0929.