Waverley: Historic paddle steamer 'more popular than ever'

The last ocean-going paddle steamer in the world is seeing near-record numbers of passengers, says its crew.

PS Waverley travels around the UK, stopping in one area for days or weeks at a time before moving on.

The ship was built in 1946 but for the majority of the last five years it has been out of action with boiler problems, and the impact of Covid-19.

But it is now regularly selling out its voyages, which are typically day trips around the coast or across estuaries.

Named after Sir Walter Scott's Waverley novels, it can carry up to 700 passengers.

During a visit to the Bristol Channel this week, the ship's purser, Andrew Comrie, told BBC West: "The support's been absolutely incredible.

"We expected she would prove a hit here, but it's really gone beyond all our expectations, which is wonderful to see.

"She has rarely, if ever, been this popular throughout her preservation era [since 1974], and we've never consistently carried this many people over this many days."

He added: "A couple of years ago, quite a few people would have said excursion steamers in the Bristol Channel are a thing of the past, but we're absolutely proving that isn't the case."

PS Waverley spent the first 26 years of its service life on the River Clyde and in the coastal waters of Scotland.

The cost of running the ship eventually outstripped the money it brought in, and owners Caledonian MacBrayne withdrew it from service in 1973.

The ship has been run by the Paddle Steamer Preservation Society since 1974, when it was bought for a pound and saved from the scrapheap by the group's now-honorary president Douglas McGowan.

Since then, around £60m has been spent in upkeep, and there have been times when the ship's future has been unclear.

Speaking on an excursion from Clevedon to Penarth, south Wales, Mr McGowan said he felt the vessel could remain running for decades.

"I maintain that the longer we can keep the Waverley going, the more special she becomes," he said.

"So I think the future's very rosy, and personally, I'd love to see her sail on to 2047 - 100 years since the first voyage."

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