WITH the Tour de France's Grand Depart just days away, Giggleswick School welcomed two special visitors on Monday.

They were Tour de France director Christian Prudhomme and five-times Tour winner Bernard Hinault.

Their first stop was Pape's Field where the nursery, reception and year one and two children were preparing for their own Petit Depart.

Monsieur Prudhomme started the race and the children were cheered on by the rest of the junior school who lined the route dressed in yellow and spotted King of the Mountains T-shirts.

While at Giggleswick, the visitors were further entertained by some French songs from the junior school choir, coffee at a French cafe and a question and answer session in French with some of the senior school's sixth form linguists.

Gary Verity, chief executive of Welcome to Yorkshire, and who was instrumental in bringing the Tour de France to Yorkshire, was also in attendance. His daughter is a boarder at the junior school.