There was a large turnout from curious onlookers to see a parade of historic buses pass through the Lake District, organised by the UK’s leading bus operator Stagecoach.

A convoy of four restored and one modern vehicle made the 90-mile round trip from Lancaster to Keswick on Sunday to mark the centenary of the 555 Lancaster-Keswick bus route.

The public were able to board and take a look around when the buses paused at Kendal, Grasmere, Thirlmere and Keswick.

Tom Waterhouse, managing director of Stagecoach Cumbria and North Lancashire, said: “It's been absolutely fantastic. I've been really taken aback, actually, by how many people have come out on the route taking photographs and waving at the drivers. It's been special.”

He added: “It's important that when we have iconic routes like the 555, that has served communities in this part of the world for over a century, that we actually celebrate that fact and the staff that, over those 100 years, have operated the route and served the local communities.”

The Lancaster-Keswick bus route is one of the most scenic in Britain, passing right through the centre of the Lake District. It carries almost one million passengers each year.

Launched 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 line-up included a 1965 single-deck Leyland Leopard, a type widely used on Ribble’s longer routes from the 1960s to the 1980s and once based at Ambleside depot; a 1962 Leyland PD3 double-decker, familiar both on Carlisle’s city services and on the 555; a 1976 Ribble Leyland Atlantean double-decker, typical of the 555 in the 1980s; and a 1996 Stagecoach Volvo B10M single-decker, representative of the buses serving The Lakes in the early 2000s

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

Lance Jobson, the Trust’s company secretary, said: “We are a charitable organisation, and we restore these vehicles to bring that moving piece of history back to people. We are not a static museum, we come to events like this where we take the vehicles out and showcase them to the public.

“People love it, you know, and they really enjoy getting on an old vehicle.”

Alongside the historic buses was a modern-day Alexander Dennis Enviro400 double-decker.

The 555 runs hourly throughout the year and twice an hour during the busiest summer months. Thanks to the national fare cap, passengers can travel the full length of the route from Lancaster to Keswick – or any two points in between – for just £3.

Details of all Stagecoach bus services in Cumbria are on the Stagecoach website or download the Stagecoach app to plan your journey, buy tickets and get real-time information on bus running.