CAR: A picture of the Amphicar at the museum The Amphicar is one of the most unconventional cars ever produced and was marketed as the “sports car that swims”. A small flotilla made it safely across the English Channel in the 1960s and one was even driven by the former owner of Belle Isle – the largest of Windermere’s 18 islands – making it a regular sight gliding across England’s largest natural lake. The 1966 Amphicar displayed at the Lakeland Motor Museum had a potential top speed of almost 70mph on land and the four-seater convertible could be converted to a seaworthy boat with the flick of a lever.
As the Lake District prepares to mark 100 years since the birth of speed daredevil Donald Campbell this March, bosses at the Lakeland Motor Museum say its dedicated Campbell exhibition is the ideal place for visitors to pay tribute – when the time is right for people to return. Born on March 23, 1921, Campbell – whose adventurous exploits cemented his name among the biggest legends of the 20th century – was tragically killed on Coniston Water on January 4, 1967, while he was attempting to break his own world water speed record in his legendary Bluebird K7 craft. In total, Campbell set seven world water speed records in K7 from 1955 to 1964: the first on Ullswater in 1955 where he reached more than 202mph, and further afield he achieved the Australian water speed record of 216mph on Lake Bonney Riverland in South Australia in 1964.
An exhibition is set to mark 100 years since the birth of a speed daredevil. Next week marks the centenary of Donald Campbell’s birth, with bosses at the Lakeland Motor Museum dedicating a new exhibition to him. Born on March 23, 1921, Campbell – whose adventurous exploits cemented his name.
04/02/2021
L-R: Bill Bewley (Lakeland Motor Museum), Bill Smith (BlueBird Project), Vicky Slowe (Ruskin Museum), with the recovered wheels and the Motor Museumâs replica of Campbellâs K7.
Badges to mark the 100th anniversary of Donald Campbell’s birth on March 23 have been released.
Sales of the limited edition badges, commissioned by the Coniston Institute and Ruskin Museum and authorised by the Campbell family, will go towards maintaining and enhancing the Coniston museum’s Campbell collection.
Tracy Hodgson, museum manager, said: âTo commemorate his life and achievements, The Ruskin Museum and The Campbell Family Heritage Trust are planning a year long programme of events to coincide with all eight of Donald Campbellâs world records and details of these will be announced later, along with a number of other limited-edition items.
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When I was aged eight, my parents took me on holiday to Windermere. Minutes after arriving at our lakeside campsite, I scrambled on to my lilo and set sail.
Unfortunately, a gusty breeze immediately buffeted me towards a row of fishermen. I remember crashing backwards through their fishing lines, staring up at angry anglers wondering how they’d hooked a rainbow-coloured lilo instead of a trout.
Nonetheless, I fell in love with Windermere, and decades later it’s another boat – albeit a more seaworthy one – that has lured me back.
The new MV Swift takes passengers from Bowness-on-Windermere to Ambleside, halfway along England’s largest lake