World-famous Tour de France cyclists riding through the Yorkshire Dales National Park in July will be facing some stiff competition in the speed league tables.

An estimated 400,000 spectators will be lining the route of the Grand Départ as it wends its way through the stunning landscape on July 5 and 6.

But there will be another set of speedsters vying for public attention – peregrine falcons.

The birds have recorded speeds of more than 200 miles an hour and have earned themselves the title of the fastest animals on the planet.

Once again, a pair is nesting in Malham Cove and, over the coming months, they will hopefully be rearing young and teaching them how to survive.

As in previous years, RSPB and Yorkshire Dales National Park staff and volunteers will be manning a special, free viewing point where visitors to the cove can watch the spectacular birds through high-powered telescopes.

The viewpoint will be open from Saturday to Wednesday inclusive, between 10.30am and 4.30pm, until August 2.

National park wildlife conservation officer Ian Court said: “This year will see thousands more visitors in the national park than usual because of the Grand Départ, and we are hoping some of them will stay long enough to explore other areas and come to see the Peregrines at the cove.”

As in previous years, visitors are being asked to stay away from the nest site and the British Mountaineering Council has once again agreed to impose temporary, voluntary rock climbing restrictions around it. Since it started in 2003, more than 184,000 people have visited the viewpoint.

Volunteers at the viewpoint will be providing weekly updates on a special national park website at malhamperegrines.org.uk and the birds are featured on Twitter using @malhamperegrine and on the RSPB’s Facebook pages.