Today is our 51st birthday, meaning it’s been one whole year since our Golden Anniversary! We’ve done many things to commemorate this milestone that we’re so happy to have reached. Here’s a breakdown of everything we’ve achieved in the past year and the ways we celebrated our 50th birthday:

Regional and national news coverage

On our 50^th anniversary, our fleet recreated our first-ever Mountain Goat route over Kirkstone Pass which was covered on BBC Breakfast, BBC North West and ITV News Lookaround. Describing Mountain Goat as a ‘Lake District icon’, the nostalgic feature took us back in time and retold the story of how the business became what it is today, alongside looking back on archived videos and images of our most memorable moments and former buses.

‘Golden Goat’ ale

Our ‘Golden Goat’ ale was specially brewed by Bowness Bay Brewing to celebrate the Golden Anniversary. The beer’s label depicts a classic image of a Mountain Goat vehicle crossing Ashness Bridge – perhaps the most photographed packhorse bridge in the Lake District. With hints of apricot, lime and peach, its irresistible aroma was combined with the freshness of Lakeland spring water. The perfect beer to ‘cheers’ to 50 years!

Lucky golden tickets

With a history that spans 5 decades, we wouldn’t be where we are today without our wonderful customers. To give back, we issued a free ticket every day for 50 days after our 50^th birthday, sharing the celebration with a lucky customer daily.  

Residents’ Week

Locals play a big part in our business, so we wanted to give back to the community. Residents’ week recently took place, allowing local residents to enjoy our Lake District tours with 50% off. Residents welcome tourists with open arms all year round, so it was their turn to sit back and enjoy the stunning scenery, off the beaten track.

Employee celebrations

The Mountain Goat and Windermere Information team got together to enjoy a well-deserved night off on a Windermere Lake Cruises buffet cruise. Without our incredible employees, we wouldn’t have made it to where we are today. Their contribution is immensely recognised and appreciated each and every day. We also celebrated at our Christmas party at Bowness Bay Brewing which was a great way to end the year.

Cumbria Life Magazine

We were thrilled to be featured in Cumbria Life Magazine to celebrate our ‘golden moment’. The article covered everything from our ethos to how we started back in 1972.

Updated photography

It’s fair to say that over the years our fleet has evolved considerably- Mercedes Sprinters have replaced the old Ford Transits and Bedford OBs. We’re lucky enough to have captured the evolution of Mountain Goat through imagery over time and now have an incredible archive, and we intend to carry on doing this. Last year, Naik Media captured some stunning images of our current minibuses in the incredible landscapes of the Lake District.

Return of sales missions and overseas representation

In the past year, members of our team have been representing Mountain Goat and Northern England in sales missions and trade events around the world. With visits including the USA, Berlin and London, it’s great to know the business is reaching out to overseas markets and rebuilding the tourism lost after the damage of the pandemic. Additonally, we saw 10 buyers from Japan join us on a familiarisation trip to Scotland and around the Lakes which was a really exciting opportunity. 

Asia, Group Sales and Marketing Manager, at ITB Berlin. 

We've had an incredible year at Mountain Goat; amongst celebrating, we've expanded our team and our fleet, and continue to offer quality tours to customers all over Northern England. Here's to the past 50 years and many more to come!