The age of steam-powered paddle steamers returns to Ryde Pier
16th August 2023
Wightlink will welcome back the world’s last seagoing paddle steamer when the Waverley visits historic Ryde Pier in September 2023.
Waverley will make three calls at the Pier during the month to embark and disembark passengers for excursions to the Solent forts, the Needles and around the Isle of Wight.
The Clyde steamer was launched in 1946 to serve the communities of Lochgoilhead and Arrochar in the Scottish Highlands. In 1974, after a lifetime of service, she was sold by Caledonian MacBrayne to the Paddle Steamer Preservation Society for £1 and began a second career as a much-loved tourist attraction. Since then, she has carried more than six million passengers from over 60 ports around the UK. Waverley first visited the south coast in 1978 and last called at Ryde almost 10 years ago.
“We always enjoy seeing Waverley out and about on the Solent and she has frequently called at our FastCat terminal in Portsmouth Harbour,” says Wightlink Chief Executive Keith Greenfield. “It will be wonderful to see her once more at Ryde Pier on the year we completed work on our pedestrian walkway from the Pier Head to the Esplanade.”
Steam-powered paddle steamers were once a familiar sight at Ryde Pier. Southern Railway’s fleet carried many thousands of holidaymakers as foot passengers to and from the Isle of Wight in the days before mass car ownership.
During the second world war, several were requisitioned by the Government and converted into minesweepers. They went on to play significant roles during the evacuation of Allied soldiers from Dunkirk in 1940 and at the D-Day landings in Normandy in 1944.
Will Myles, MD at Visit Isle of Wight adds: “To see the iconic and much-loved PS Waverley, the last seagoing paddle steamer in the world stop once again at England’s oldest surviving pier will be an incredible sight – and to head down the pier on the new pedestrian walkway to explore the beautiful Victorian town of Ryde will be a fantastic experience!”
Notes to editors
Waverley will call at Ryde Pier on Tuesday 5 September, Wednesday 13 September and Saturday 16 September. She will also call at Yarmouth during her time on the South Coast. Excursions from local ports will include circumnavigations of the Isle of Wight.
To book tickets visit www.waverleyexcursions.co.uk or call 0141 243 2224. Tickets will also be available on board however, as spaces are limited, passengers are advised to book in advance.
For more information about Wightlink, please contact:
Duty Media Officer
07870 906 189
[email protected]