Thousands turned out to say goodbye to a piece of Britain’s military history when the last flying Avro Vulcan, XH558 The Spirit of Great Britain, made what was likely to be its final visit to Cumbria.

The world’s last flying Avro Vulcan bomber flew over Carlisle Airport and the lakes

The distinctive delta-winged jet spent hours flying around the country this weekend to give the public a last chance to see it before it is grounded at the end of the month.

Setting off from Robin Hood Airport near Doncaster, it flew north to the Firth of Forth then south to Carlisle, low along Thirlmere and over Dunmail Raise to Windermere on its return.

The roads around Carlisle Airport were thronged with spectators long before the aircraft appeared, just before 2.30pm.

It banked turning south across the airfield, just a couple of hundred above ground, giving onlookers the perfect view of its 111ft wingspan before it headed south for the last time.

XH558 is owned by the Vulcan to the Sky Trust.

The age of its airframe and engines mean the three specialist companies that keep the bomber airborne have decided they must end their support at the end of its 2015 display season.

Although two more flights are planned in late October, this was likely to have been XH558’s final visit to Cumbria.

The Avro Vulcan bomber was operated by the RAF from 1956 until 1984.

They formed the backbone of the UK's airborne nuclear deterrent during much of the Cold War but were capable of conventional bombing to – a capability that was used only once during the Falklands War with Argentina in 1982.