On the 7^th of February 2026, The Motorist (a popular venue for car meet ups), had a 4×4 themed event. As this is local for some of the Land Rover Life Admins, and we’d not seen one another for some time, we decided to check it out and catch up. None of us had ever been before, so it was good to explore the site and to learn about it too. Here’s a brief history:

The Motorist is a relatively new but rapidly grown automotive venue located in Sherburn in Elmet, near Leeds, Yorkshire. Its story centres on founder Simon Spinks, a lifelong car enthusiast and chairman of Harrison Spinks.

The idea began when Spinks purchased a disused unit on an old airfield in Sherburn in Elmet, originally intending to use it for mattress spring production. While renovating the site, he realised there were few dedicated meeting places for car lovers in the North of England and decided to test the idea by organising a simple cars-and-coffee style meet with a catering wagon. The response was overwhelming—350 cars attended the first event, far exceeding expectations, revealing a strong community interest.

Following the enthusiastic response, Spinks expanded the facility with a garage for servicing and specialist work and a more permanent café building to replace the small food van. By 2022, The Motorist had evolved from “an empty field with a portable café” into a fully developed, multi‑million‑pound automotive complex with event spaces, food outlets, garage services, and a classic car showroom.

Below – Names after a corner at Le Mans, the Arnage is the latest edition to the Motorist, and parked outside was this rather nice Arctic Trucks prepared Defender

The venue now attracts thousands of visitors, both enthusiasts and families, and hosts weekly meets, themed events, and corporate gatherings. It has become one of Yorkshire’s most popular automotive destinations and was voted the UK’s “Classic Capital” by Footman James.

The facilities were excellent, though very busy, when we were there. There was plenty of space, the coffee was excellent and the restaurant looked brilliant too. The bets part though, was the vast range of 4×4’s on display in the car park. Admittedly, some of it was underwater due to the huge quantities of rain we’ve had, but that did not dampen any spirits or enthusiasm.

The turnout was fantastic. By the time Spare Dave and I got there at 10am, there was only one parking space on the grass verge, which we gladly occupied. No deal for Monty, the L405! There were so many awesome looking 4×4’s on display. Everything from the Hilux’s to Nissan’s, Suzuki’s to BMW’s… and of course, Land Rovers. All types of Land Rover too. There were Discovery’s, Defender’s old and new, Series 1, 2 and 3 were also represented. Range Rover’s too, from classics all the way up to modern vehicles.

I think my favorite one though was the slammed Series 2. We often talk of lifting our vehicles for greater ground clearance, but this one was quite the opposite. It was fun to see something different. Of course, I only spotted the 101 Forward Control on the drive out, otherwise that one would have taken its place. It was bright orange too!

Above – Debbie was fond of this rather slammed Series 2a!

All in all, it was a great morning. I would definitely recommend visiting The Motorist – they have different events for different cars most weekends, so there if something for everyone. The family atmosphere and welcoming nature of everyone there made it a lovely place to see. There’s even a peaking window, which allows visitors to look in the workshop to see what is being worked upon – in today’s case it was a Series 2! The fact this is a working garage, as well as a place for enthusiasts to meet is amazing. You can even get married there if you’ve a mind to do so!

We settled for a coffee and a natter – which was more than enough!