Multi medal winning Olympic triathletes Alistair and Jonny Brownlee are Yorkshire to their core. Here they reveal their best Yorkshire life.

Alistair and Jonny Brownlee are multi-medal winning Olympic triathletes. They are Yorkshire to their core and can be often seen training outdoors against the stunning backdrop of the county.

The pair started The Brownlee Foundation to encourage children to enjoy sport and have an active lifestyle and until the end of November 2020 they hope people will take part in ‘The Cafes Are Open Challenge.’ It’s fun, puts money back into the local economy, gets people out and active after lockdown and raises money for the Foundation.

Full details can be found here: thecafesareopen.com


Something in Yorkshire that makes you smile

Alistair: Looking out from Surprise View on Otley Chevin on a clear day.

Jonny: The people

A place you love to eat

Alistair: The Blue Lion in East Witton

Jonny: Buon Apps River Lounge and Italian Restaurant in Ilkley

To take friends:

Alistair: Mountain biking in Stainburn Forest, Otley

Jonny: The river at Burnsall – just idyllic

A childhood memory:

Alistair: Sailing a little boat around Semerwater in the Yorkshire Dales National Park and it seeming vast.

Jonny: Going to Coverdale for holidays with my family

A cultural go-to:

Alistair: Watching something at Leeds Grand. It’s such an incredible venue.

Jonny: Bolton Abbey. So much history to discover

Inspiration outdoors:

Alistair: Climbing out of the clouds onto sunlit moorland to see blue sky and the Dales below shrouded in fog.

Jonny: The amazing Yorkshire sporting culture. The cycling and running groups that you can meet

A place for indulgence:

Alistair: The Spa at Rudding Park on a cold winter’s evening

Jonny: The Love Brownie barn at Howgill, Skipton

A Yorkshire view that inspires:

Alistair: View from the top of Great Whernside. Legend is that you can see both coasts on a clear day but it’s yet to happen for me.

Jonny: Surprise View from the Otley Chevin

I’m never happier than when

Alistair: I’m descending from Fleet Moss towards Buckden with a decent tailwind.

Jonny: I’m riding down Wharfedale to a cafe for a cup of Yorkshire tea and some cake

Three words that sum up your best Yorkshire life …

Alistair: Varied. Active. Satisfying

Jonny: Yorkshire fresh air