The Lake District National Park Authority lifted the 10mph speed limit. Dave Warby, whose father holds the water speed record Campbell was trying to break, will be at the controls. May 11 to 17, 2026. Eight years after proving it could run again, Bluebird finally goes home.
The Lake District National Park Authority granted the speed exemption in December 2025. Between May 11 and 17, 2026, Bluebird K7 will operate on Coniston Water for the first time since Donald Campbell died attempting to push past 300mph on January 4, 1967. The lake's normal 10mph limit will be suspended for a week-long event called "Bluebird K7 – The Festival," allowing the restored hydroplane to demonstrate the performance that made it the most famous water speed record machine ever built.
According to Octane Magazine, Australian pilot Dave Warby will take the controls. Warby is the son of Ken Warby MBE, who set the current unlimited water speed record of 317.59mph in 1978 and held it until his death in 2024. Dave is currently pursuing his father's record in Spirit of Australia II, having already exceeded 275mph. The parallel between the Warbys and the Campbells is deliberate. Donald's father Malcolm also held water speed records, and Ken Warby was directly inspired by Campbell's work, maintaining correspondence with Campbell's chief engineer Leo Villa throughout his own record attempts.
The timing marks 70 years since Donald Campbell's first world water speed record on Coniston Water. On September 19, 1956, he reached 225.63mph in K7, beginning a decade-long relationship with the lake that would see him set seven water speed records there. The last one came on December 31, 1964, at 276.33mph, part of his historic double achievement of holding both land and water speed records in the same calendar year. That accomplishment has never been repeated and likely never will be given the specialized nature of modern record attempts.
Campbell returned to Coniston in early January 1967 targeting 300mph. Weather delayed attempts for days. On January 4, conditions looked marginal but Campbell ran anyway. K7 reached approximately 320mph on the measured kilometer before encountering stability problems. The boat lifted from the water at high speed, flipped, and disintegrated on impact. Campbell died instantly. His body and the wreckage remained at the bottom of Coniston Water for 34 years.
Diver Bill Smith located K7 in March 2001 and recovered Campbell's body along with the remains of the hydroplane. Smith spent six years rebuilding K7 through his Bluebird Project, sourcing parts, fabricating replacements, and eventually returning the jet engine to running condition. In August 2018, K7 completed shakedown runs on Loch Fad in Scotland, proving the restoration had succeeded in making the boat operational again.
That success triggered a protracted legal battle. The Ruskin Museum in Coniston claimed ownership of K7, arguing that Smith had agreed to rebuild the boat for the museum's collection. Smith's Bluebird Project countered that they owned the vessel through salvage rights and the work invested in restoration. The dispute dragged through courts and negotiations for years, preventing K7 from running publicly while lawyers argued over who controlled it.
An out-of-court settlement in 2024 returned K7 to the Ruskin Museum, where it now resides in a purpose-built hangar. Museum director Tracy Hodgson told Cumbria Crack that when the boat returned to the museum, "we made a promise that K7 would run again on Coniston Water, and we are in the process of making that happen."
The application to the Lake District National Park Authority required detailed plans for traffic management, crowd control, and water safety. Running a jet-powered hydroplane on a public lake demands coordination that goes beyond simply lifting the speed limit. The event will span seven days specifically because weather dependency makes guaranteeing any single day's running impossible. Hodgson explained to Hello Rayo that "hopefully this will give us the best weather window to run. There is no guarantee that K7 will be able to run every day of the planned dates as running K7 is very weather dependent, and safety will always be our number one priority."
The return serves as proving trials for the restored boat with a new crew. RAF pilot Flight Lieutenant David-John Gibbs will serve as reserve pilot. Gibbs flies for Britain's Longbow water speed record project and instructs on historic military aircraft including the Jet Provost, L-29 Delfin, Chipmunk, and Tiger Moth. The selection of experienced pilots with water speed record credentials reflects the seriousness with which the Ruskin Museum approaches the task of operating a 60-year-old jet hydroplane capable of speeds that killed its original pilot.
Gina Campbell, Donald's daughter, welcomed the news. According to ITV Border, she said "my father would be delighted and pleased that the exemption has been approved" and expressed confidence that "Bluebird K7 will lift up her skirts and perform for the public."
The World Water Speed Trophy itself was reunited with K7 in October 2025 for the first time since Campbell's death. Ken Warby's family allowed the trophy's return to its custodian, the Royal Motor Yacht Club, creating a symbolic connection between the current record holder's family and the boat that inspired Ken Warby's successful attempts.
Public reaction has been mixed. Whitehaven News reported that some are booking caravans for the week-long event while others expressed reservations about running the boat that killed Campbell. One commenter noted "I have mixed feelings about this. I was there with my Dad the day before the accident in 1967." Another said he witnessed the 2001 recovery from the lake.
Land-based events are planned around Coniston village including music performances during the final weekend. A dedicated website for the festival is in development though details remain preliminary as of December 2025. K7 appeared at the Lady Mayor's Show in central London on November 8, 2025, generating publicity for the upcoming Coniston return.
Dave Warby told the Ruskin Museum that seeing his father design and build Spirit of Australia in their backyard, then set two world water speed records, "was a huge inspiration for me. Now having built and driving my own boat, Spirit of Australia II, towards a water speed record, now over 275mph, this experience will be invaluable driving Bluebird K7 on Coniston Water in a safe, successful manner."
The 2026 run represents multiple anniversaries and firsts. Seventy years since Campbell's first Coniston record. Fifty-nine years since the fatal crash. Eight years since the Loch Fad shakedown runs proved restoration had succeeded. Two years since the ownership dispute was resolved. First time K7 runs on Coniston Water since 1967.
What happens after May 2026 remains unclear. The Ruskin Museum hasn't announced whether K7 will run again after the festival or if this represents a one-time event before the boat returns to static display permanently. The proving trials will determine crew proficiency and boat reliability, but they won't answer whether K7 should continue running or whether May 2026 serves as a final demonstration before retirement.
Campbell pushed K7 beyond its limits chasing 300mph and paid with his life. The boat spent 34 years underwater, six years being rebuilt, six years in legal limbo, and eight years waiting to return home. In May 2026, it finally runs again on the water where Donald Campbell died doing what he loved. Whether that's closure, celebration, or just another chapter in a story that refuses to end depends on who you ask. The jet engine will fire up either way.