A visit from a luxury liner to The Port of Barrow has huge made waves for the Cumbrian tourism industry.

The MV Corinthian docked in the county for the first time this year carrying many passengers from America. 

The official name of the cruise itself is Maritime Jewels of the British Isles.

Its stops are Aberdeen, Stromness (Orkney), Stornaway (Isle of Lewis), Tobermory (Isle of Mull), Belfast, Isle of Man, Barrow-in-Furness and Fishguard.

The tour continues on land, for those that have disembarked, and will finish in Oxford.

The Mail: The MV Corinthian docked at the Port of Barrow

Gill Haigh, managing director of Cumbria Tourism, said: "We were delighted to welcome the MV Corinthian into Barrow and South Cumbria on what is expected to the busiest year for cruises at the port to date.

"We’ve been working alongside ABP Barrow over the last few years to encourage passenger ships into Barrow, forging relationships with the cruise lines and ground handlers, attending international events including the Seatrade Cruise Conferences in Lisbon and Hamburg.

"Cumbria has so much to offer as a cruise destination and our Blue Badge Guides offer an incredible service to this type of visitor. I recently got to witness first-hand the extensive training Cumbria’s Blue Badge guides go through to become part of the British Guild of Tourist Guides, and the depth of knowledge and passion for Cumbria is on display for all to see."

The Tourist Blue Badge qualification was created in 1951 for the Festival of Britain in London. There are over 800 Blue Badge Tourist Guides who are the only professionally qualified guides in the UK.

It requires 18 months training, three written exams, four practical exams and a 13,000-word dissertation to qualify. 

61-year-old Jeff Appleyard was formerly a Biomedical Scientist working in Healthcare internationally for various corporations until he gave up his 40-year career to be a guide.

The Mail: Jeff Appleyard on a previous tour at at High Nibthwaite farm

Jeff shared the guiding with other Blue Badge Guides Teresa Williams, Moira Steggles and Jenny Wilson.

Following a hearty breakfast, they departed for an insightful one-day tour of Barrow, Morecambe Bay, Windermere and Coniston.

They were able to visit two Lakeland farms to ‘meet’ some of the local characters and  sample local delicacies such as Grasmere gingerbread and Kendal mint cake. They even enjoyed a rendition of our local ditty ‘D'ye ken John Peel’.

Jeff said: "The international visitors love having a knowledgable Guide who can tell them about everything from nuclear submarines via Stan Laurel to dry stone walls and Hill farming in the Lake District. There were many 'oohs and ahhs' from the passengers on the coach, especially views of Morecambe Bay on the Coast Road, the Cumbrian Fells and during the fantastic farm visits that we had.

The Mail: The MV Corinthian has three decks and carries around 100 passengers

"We had lots of questions too, which is always great to show an engaged audience. Of particular interest to my group yesterday were understanding the impacts of Brexit and how many wind turbines are there."

The vessel is scheduled to make further calls at the port of Barrow between June and September in what is expected to the busiest year for cruises at the port.