Vintage bus parade marks 100 years of Lancaster to Lakes route

Monday, 15 September 2025 08:10

By Beyond Radio News

Some of the vintage buses of the 555 route. Image by Stephen Martin.

A parade of historic buses has marked the centenary of the iconic Lancaster to Lakes route.

Stagecoach marked 100 years of the 555 bus service between Lancaster and Keswick on Sunday with a convoy of historic buses travelling the route.

A convoy of historic buses made the 45-mile journey, pausing along the way to allow the public to admire the immaculately-restored vehicles of yesteryear.

Tom Waterhouse, Managing Director of Stagecoach Cumbria and North Lancashire, said: “The 555 is more than a bus route. It’s a moving piece of history.

“We wanted to do something special to mark its 100th year and what better than a cavalcade of restored buses traversing the full route through Lancaster, Kendal, Windermere, Ambleside and Keswick?

“We’re very proud of the 555 service, which is why we invested £3million in 2023 in nine state-of-the-art double-deckers to give passengers the best possible experience.

“There is no better way to see the Lakes than from the top deck of the 555 and now, thanks to the national fare cap, passengers can travel all the way from Lancaster to Keswick for a bargain £3 fare.”

The Lancaster-Keswick bus route is arguably the most scenic in Britain, offering views of six lakes –Windermere, Rydal Water, Grasmere, Thirlmere, Derwent Water and Bassenthwaite Lake – and traversing the foot of Helvellyn, England’s third-highest mountain.

Launched by Henry Meageen as the Westmorland Main Service in 1925, it was operated by Ribble Motor Services for most of its life, initially as service 68. It became the 555 in 1969 and has carried that route number ever since under Cumberland Motor Services and latterly Stagecoach.

The vintage buses on show included a 1965 single-deck Leyland Leopard, a type widely used on Ribble’s longer routes from the 1960s to the 1980s, and a 1962 Leyland PD3 double-decker, once a common sight on Ribble’s city services in Carlisle.

They were joined by two more vehicles, a 1976 Ribble Leyland Atlantean double-decker, which remained in service until 1990 and would have been seen on the 555 in the 1980s, and a Volvo B10M single-decker built in 1996, which is typical of a Kendal based vehicle seen in The Lakes in the early 2000s.

All have been restored with loving care by the Ribble Vehicle Preservation Trust (RVPT).

Lance Jobson, RVPT’s Company Secretary said: ‘’The Ribble Vehicle Preservation Trust is proud to play a key role in keeping the North West’s rich transport heritage alive.

‘’Our volunteers work tirelessly to restore and maintain historic buses, many of which once operated on routes like the 555. Events like this give us the chance to showcase our collection and share the story of Ribble’s transport history with new generations.’’

Alongside the historic buses was a present-day Alexander Dennis Enviro400 double-decker, which features Lazzerini high-backed seats with extra leg room, tables with wireless charging pads, USB points and next-stop announcements and indicators.

The 555 runs hourly throughout the year and twice an hour during the busiest summer months.

Here are some of the buses that took part in the event. Photos by RVPT.