Ramblings
Saunterings
Ramblings: about North-West England
Ramblings is a set of articles about North-West England, of unknown authorship and
indeterminate date, believed to have been written for amusement on rainy days,
which are not unknown in North-West England.
37. Bluebird Flies Again
January 4th 1967: an iconic day in the history of Cumbria. The day
when Cumbria at last emerged from its slumber of slates, sheep,
poets, daffodils and Beatrix Potter into the modern, technological
age. The day when Bluebird bravely tackled the world water speed
record.
Who can forget the images of that graceful somersault, as
Bluebird plunged into the depths of Coniston Water, never to be
seen again?
Or so we thought. For yesterday, over forty years later,
Bluebird once again raced over the waters of Coniston and repeated
its graceful somersault to once more lie shattered at the bottom of
the lake.
The original craft had been recovered from the lake and,
over many years, painstakingly restored to a working condition.
Bill Grackle, head of the restoration team, said “We’re absolutely
thrilled. We never thought we’d see the day when Bluebird flew
again. And to see the somersault in exactly the same place as before
was beyond our wildest dreams”.
The head of Cumbria Tourism Services, Charles Smarm, almost
overcome with emotion, commented that “This is a magnificent day
for tourism in Cumbria. This will really put Cumbria on the tourist
map at last. This is the sort of thing that punters nowadays want to
come and see.
“We did, of course, think long and hard whether to allow
Bluebird back onto Coniston Water. We had to insist that, in order
to comply with Health and Safety Legislation, the craft be driven by
auto-pilot, under computer control. We realised that the craft was
likely to exceed the present 10mph limit but we made an exception
for this very special case.
“We are delighted that our decision has been so gloriously
vindicated. Bill Grackle and his splendid team are confident that,
with the experience that they have gained, they will be able to
recover and restore Bluebird again in no time at all.
“In order to confirm Bluebird’s central position within
Cumbria’s cultural heritage and within our tourist programme,
I am pleased to announce a new event, the Bluebird Somersault,
to be held on Coniston Water, weather permitting (which it rarely
will), every year on January 4th”.
Photos:
Left: The final run of Bluebird in 1967.
Right: The new Bluebird in action.
Comments:
• That's rather tasteless, isn't it?, considering that Donald
Campbell died in the accident of 1967.
• Well, yes, but perhaps you should direct
that comment to Campbell’s daughter, Gina, who campaigned to have
Bluebird repaired and driven again on Coniston.
• Is it true that Bluebird memorabilia were on
display in the Ruskin Museum? If so, I wonder what Ruskin would have thought of that.
He doesn't strike me as someone interested in water speed records.
Ramblings
Saunterings
© John Self, Drakkar Press, 2024-
Top photo: Rainbow over Kisdon in Swaledale;
Bottom photo: Ullswater