Leyland National 50

11/02/2025

UPDATE: Leyland National 53 will take place on the Bank Holiday weekend 3-4 May, 2025 in and around Whitehaven.

This year’s show will be larger than previous events with more family orientated attractions and additional free bus services.

Highlights will include:

Heritage buses on static display and operating the following regular services:

- Park and Ride (more modern preserved and low floor vehicles)
- Town Service (half-cab buses where possible)
- St. Bees (seaside - open toppers especially welcome)
- Countryside, Brewery and Leyland National factory tour (especially Leyland Nationals)
- NEW: express service Whitehaven - Cockermouth, also acting as a feeder service from Cockermouth (coaches and dual-purpose vehicles)

Road Run to St. Bees with fish supper for participants (Saturday evening)

Photo line up at Lillyhall (Sunday PM)

Exhibitions in the Portal (Beacon Museum) and Exhibition Bus

Trade stands

Local Craft Market (harbour side)

NEW: Street Food Village including Beer Tent and music (South Quay Street)

Vintage Car Rally (Market Place - Saturday), with vintage cars also exhibited on the Sugar Tongue Quay

Solway Air Museum Exhibits

RNLI & Search and Rescue (to be confirmed - Whitehaven Harbour and St Bees)

Other family friendly activities and exhibits

Extensive fairground

Special Children’s event at The Beacon (to be announced)

We also have a theme this year ’The National in Leyland National’ looking back 50 years to the early days of NBC. Posts about this, attending vehicles and what is happening will be posted on the this page shortly.

If you would like to bring any vehicles please advise so that we can email a booking form.

There are no restrictions to entries - Leyland Nationals are obviously very welcome, but we are looking for buses from all eras including vintage half-cabs for the town service and coaches for the faster Cockermouth run.

Secure storage before and after the event can be provided; for example if you would like to leave vehicles in Cumbria following the Kirkby Stephen Rally at Easter, to save on cost, we would be happy to look after them. There will also be security on the harbour front overnight on the Saturday through to Sunday.

Don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions, require further information about the event or require assistance with planning your visit.

www.wtht.co.uk

31/01/2025

Whitehaven Harbour 31.5.2025

12/01/2025

LN53 - new flyer; photos: Brian Pritchard

31/12/2024

Boxing Day Beach Bus: Cumberland 210 (CHH210T) caught on the free Boxing Day service at St.Bees, passing the school and leaving the village for the return to Whitehaven. Photos by Rich Burgess 26.12.2024

28/12/2024

Another from Boxing Day: 51-year old Cumberland Leyland National 353 (GRM353L) roars past Shore Road, Salterbeck towards Harrington, recreating the 48 Town Service. 26.12.2024

27/12/2024

Meanwhile, back in Workington, Cumberland Leyland National 353 (GRM353L) was back on her old route to Harrington, running faultlessly all afternoon doing exactly what she was designed for. On a cold, damp winters day she provided a warm refuge for passengers, some of whom assumed she was just the normal service bus but without the steamed up windows they were normally be used to - who said warm air only rises!Moorclose Shops, Workington 26.12.2024

27/12/2024

Cumberland ‘Country Cousin’ 210 (CHH210T) back in service in Whitehaven, operating our free Boxing Day service to St Bees. 26.12.2024

27/12/2024

Workington was the first purpose-built bus station when opened by Cumberland Motor Services in 1926, it still serves its purpose every day of the week for Stagecoach. However, today it was the turn of our oldest Leyland National, Cumberland 353 (GRM353L), seen here picking up passengers for Seaton on one of our free Boxing Day services. 26.12.2024

26/12/2024

An early Leyland National still doing what it was designed for …

26/12/2024

Deep in Britain’s oldest covered bus station something stirs! Cumberland 353 (GRM353L), our oldest Leyland National, departs Workington to Seaton on the free Boxing Day service. 26.12.2024

26/12/2024

Deep in the bus station something stirs! Cumberland 353 (GRM353L), our oldest Leyland National, departs for Seaton on the free Boxing Day service. 26.12.2024

26/12/2024

24/12/2024

Merry Christmas!
Happy New Year!

… if anyone is around West Cumbria on Boxing Day join us on our free bus services during the day:

Whitehaven to St Bess

Harrington - Workington - Seaton

Two buses will be allocated to each route including Leyland Nationals, appropriate for either Whitehaven or Workington.

28/11/2024

Homeward Bound! Well almost … PMT Bristol RESL departs our yard this evening after being rescued by us from the scrap man. It’s future has been secured, and despite the state it was left in, it will now be properly looked after and preserved. Lillyhall 28.11,2024

26/11/2024

Leyland National Sunset: CMS Cumberland 378 with PMT Bristol RESL 198. 26.11.2024

26/11/2024

LEYLAND NATIONAL 53 - WHITEHAVEN 3-4 MAY, 2025

The ‘NATIONAL’ in LEYLAND NATIONAL

As with previous events we are looking back 50 years, this time to 1975 and the National Bus Company (NBC), the other partner in the Leyland National project, and the biggest customer. The NBC had been created in 1969 and by 1975 the impact of its corporate image was very much in the forefront with most component fleets being painted in either corporate poppy red or leaf green, and the double N logo already a familiar sight on buses, coaches, and all publicity.

As a taster, here is a new resident in our main yard - former Potteries Motor Traction (PMT) 198 (JEH198K), a Leyland engined Bristol RESL with ECW body. This is the shorter version of the RE, the standard rear-engined single decker for the Tilling group before the National and a product of state owned chassis and body builders. It entered service with PMT in Stoke-on-Trent in 1972, the same year as the first Leyland National took to the streets of West Cumbria.

198 was rescued at the 11th hour from the jaws of the scrap man and will hopefully be only a temporary resident before heading off for preservation. It had been previously restored in original PMT poppy red but in more recent years was stripped of seats with a view to converting it into a cafe.