DOZENS of vintage motorcycles will gather for a ride in York this weekend.

The tenth annual Yorkshire Air Museum 'Golden Era Run' will be held at Elvington on Sunday, with about 70 vintage bikes expected to attend.

Riders will take their motorcycles through the surrounding countryside, and the prerequisite for machines entered in the event is that they have to date from before 1931.

To mark the 10th anniversary run, and the hundredth anniversary of the end of the First World War, 24 entries are historic despatch rider machines, by manufacturers including BSA, Norton and Triumph, with the earliest entry being a Bradbury Peerless 2&3/4 horsepower machine, entered by Mike Wills of Rugby, Warwickshire.

A spokesman for the Air Museum said: "Entries are coming from as far afield as Devon and Wiltshire to Cumbria and Northumberland, and most of the counties in between, which is absolutely fabulous and we salute the effort the owners and riders are making to support the run.

"The Golden Era Run itself is organised by the North East Section of the Vintage Motorcycle Club (VMC), and the excellent running of the event combined with the atmospheric venue for the gathering that the museum provides, along with our hospitality, has led to the Golden Era Run being regarded as one of the top three events of its kind in the country, an achievement we are all proud of."

This year will also see 12 Morris Minor Classic cars on display, and the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight is set to fly their Lancaster bomber with Hawker Hurricane and Supermarine Spitfire fighter escorts over Elvington.

The event starts at 10am, with the run expected to begin between 10.15am and 10.30am, then returning at noon for a public display.

Admission costs £10 for adults, £8 for concessions, £5 for children aged five to 15, and a family tickets for two adults and three children costs £26.