The weather has come up trumps for our local Sumner outing. The Loweswater 77 Club started in 1977 and the name is related to that, not our average ages !

We hired a coach and we set off to the South Lakes where we had a combined ticket for three venues, all within easy reach of each other, at the foot of (Lake) Windermere.

The bonus of a nice lunch at midday and the sunny weather made it a day out to remember.

An early start as we gather for the coach at the beginning of our day . . . that is if you class 9am as early.

"Coach to Lakeland Motor Museum, 24 seater coach booked, depart Mitchell’s Auction 9.00am. After looking round Museum, soup and sandwich lunch at Museum. Short coach ride to Lakeside and Haverthwaite railway station. Reserved seats on steam train to Haverthwaite. Visit aquarium. Coach back to Cockermouth. ETA back at Cockermouth 5pm." . . . that's the plan.

A quick Group Photo . . . I can see twenty four . . . I'm sure there were twenty five of us !

No names . . . to protect the guilty.

After our road trip some of us indulged in a coffee, after all we were here at the car museum for several hours so there's no rush.

Opposite, and scattered throughout the exhibition, were a whole host of motorbikes of all shapes and sizes.

An impressive old Fire Engine, presumably back from it's working home in South Africa.

For those of you eagle-eyed viewers, in the background there's an old Automobile Association Phone Box from much closer to home . . . Newby Bridge.

A 1937 Bentley 4 1/4 litre Saloon that was once owned by Donald Campbell, hence the Bluebird Colour.

Close by, a beautiful 1937 Jaguar 100 Sports Car . . . the 100 implying a top speed, when most cars could only reach 50 mph.

That raised front bodywork means only one thing . . . this was a 1966 Amphicar which was capable of traveling across water as well as land.

Certain cars are evocative.

This Humber Hawk brought childhood memories of my Dad's Humber Super Snipe and a driving holiday to Switzerland.

More up to date . . . college memories of the Mark 1 Ford Escort Mexico . . . a 1600 cc hot wheels machine.

More of a company or family car . . . the 1980's Ford Cortina.

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More classics over the back . . . a light grey Austin A35 and a Citroen 2 CV in red and white in the next row.

Somewhere here too I spotted a Russian Trabant in amongst the wide collection of cars (sorry no photo).

Smaller this time. . . and an unusual collection of kids toy cars from pedal-racers to a mini RAF Land Rover.

I got chatting to this young guy and his parents

who admired this rather unusual single cylinder, petrol engined Fair Ground Bumper Car . . . built like a tank !

Some of our ladies paused for a photo by the old bicycles upstairs . . . meet Ann R, Judith and Ann P.

Metaphorically flying past the balcony was this little "Le Pou du Ciel" . . . a 1936 Flying Flea.

This home built aircraft actually flew from Calais to England in 1935, a video information display had footage of the plane landing after that epic flight.

It was powered by a Scott 'Flying Squirrel engine, manufactured in Sheffield.

A garage laid out with a 1936 Austin Seven . . . the MG badge was just a secondary reflection in the windscreen.

More memories at every turn . . . a shelf full of toy road signs.

The Car Museum is situated at Backbarrow near Newby Bridge but the museum is not only full of cars.

This area was home to a factory that packed and dispatched Rickets Blue clothes washing powder

and a downstairs display paid homage to an industry that survived here until 1966.

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Also downstairs is a rather evocative exhibit . . . part of the wreckage of Donald Campbell's Bluebird boat, retrieved from the depth of Coniston Water after his fatal crash.

The Museum has an excellent exhibition in a second building on the site, dedicated to the Bluebird Story.

Time before lunch to call in to see and read all about the Land Speed Record breaking exhibits.

This was the Bluebird land speed record car.

But there was also boats driven by Campbell in his attempt to break the Water Speed Record.

This is a replica of Donald Campbell's 1939 boat - Bluebird K4, a mono hull.

The star of the show must be the 1967 Jet Hydroplane that reached the magic speed of 300 mph on Coniston Water.

[ This is actually a replica of the famous Bluebird K7 commissioned by the BBC for the 1988 film "Across the Lake" staring Anthony Hopkins.]

Following it's recovery and renovation the original boat has recently returned to Cumbria and resides at the Coniston Ruskin Museum.

Alongside to the left is the Bluebird Electric car, built for Campbell's grandson Don Wales,

who achieved the electric car land speed record of 137mph in the year 2000, a record that he held for twelve years.

One way to get a group of 25 together in time for the 1pm coach is to offer them refreshments, all in the same room, at half past twelve.

Thanks to Cafe Ambio for a lovely soup and sandwich lunch.

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Our driver then drove us about ten minutes down the road in order that we could join the Haverthwaite to Lakeside Railway train.

Live steam at the Haverthwaite station, as the engine completes a previous trip and shunts around ready for our train ride.

Cath, John and Judy watch the engine shunting up and back to the station.

All in place and ready to go.

Just one last station photo . . .

and what will no doubt be a memorable, smoky-bridge experience for a large group of children also on their day out today.

Ready to go . . . my fellow travellers for the 20 minute ride on the railway from Haverthwaite up to Lakeside.

A few minutes later, we're underway heading through the woodland opposite Backbarrow.

The last of the houses slip by as we enjoy the sounds and sensation of a ride behind a steam train.

Past Linsty Green and over the minor road to Finsthwaite.

Just one intermediate stop on the journey today, Newby Bridge . . . often used by walkers and visitors from the village and the large hotel at the foot of Windermere.

The train runs close to the river in places and nearer to the lake the paddle boarders are out in force.

Reaching Lakeside station, the boat slipway hosts the Silverholme pleasure cruiser, presumably in for maintenance.

The end of the line !

The railway was part of the main West Coast rail system and was important for moving both raw materials from local mines and finished products from the many mills and works in the area.

Latterly it was owned by the Windermere Boat Company and was important for bringing tourists to the area.

It was closed but saved from destruction by a group of railway enthusiasts, but it is a short line now cut and separated from the man line by a modern dual carriageway.

The rail terminus is the boat landing stage at Lakeside.

The boats still run but most folk now arrive in the Lakes by car, or by rail to the Windermere station at the top of the lake.

We are offered a rather noisy fly-past by the jets of the RAF, or are they F15's of the US Air Force ?

Our engine was uncoupled and shunted round for the return journey, while we make our way to the third attraction of our day, the next door Lakes Aquarium.

Through the doors and we dive down to the basement and enter the sub-aqua, subterranean tunnel

where many of the large fish of the ocean swim past above our heads.

Through a side window I can see Jeff and Christine following me through.

Once out of the tunnel, a long display tank introduces the life story of a Cumbrian river . . . from the fells to the sea.

Not so Cumbrian, but who's being picky . . . turtles on the next display tank.

Smaller and more colourful cousins in an upright wall tank.

A flash of yellow in the next aquarium from a shoal of Electric Yellow African Cichlids.

Here's a strange one . . .

These strange looking Mexican Axolotl, retain their external gills but have grown legs. They remain aquatic despite looking amphibian.

They can regenerate parts of their body if damaged and so are of great interest to scientists. Sadly they are in major decline due to habitat loss.

Youngsters might recognise them as the inspiration for a Pokemon character.

Being Cumbrian, the centre wouldn't be complete without a Cumbrian scene, complete with a farm, a lake and real ducks.

In the lake, Common Carp.

Also close to home, though rare in the north of England . . .	. . . the diminutive Harvest Mouse (can you spot 3 in the first photo ?)

In the centre of the upstairs room was a large, almost art-like exhibit . . . it turned out to be a Leafcutter Ant Colony.

Here the Queen Ant and the rest of the colony live, digest the leaves and add fertility back to the forest floor.

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Meet Ollie and his recent partner Sophie, two Asian otters.

They live in a large display area and seem to thrive despite the limited space they have.

Ollie is 14 and has been here since he was a youngster. His new partner is a younger eleven year old female.

Their home includes a den and a whole water feature with waterfalls, slides and tunnels.

Playing hide and seek in the pool ?

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Time was getting on and we still have a coach journey to do before we reach home, so we start to gather outside.

Chance while we do to enjoy the views across the Fell Foot boat marina opposite . . .

. . . and north up Windermere towards the higher Lakeland fells.

Well organised participants also managed an ice cream or other refreshments from the cafe before the bus arrived.

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We traveled down via the motorway, but returned via the scenic route through The Lakes . . . this was the boat landings at Bowness on Windermere.

On past Rydal Water and Loughrigg Fell, seen on the opposite shore.

That will be Thirlmere . . . so it won't be long before we're back at Cockermouth at the end of a busy but very enjoyable day.