The last seagoing paddle steamer in the world will return to the Bristol Channel this summer for the first time in five years. Next month, visitors to and residents of the area will be given the chance to step aboard Waverley for a nostalgic journey atop the Channel on the famous steamship.
From June 2 to June 18, Waverley will offer a number of cruises from Clevedon, Portishead, Weston, Minehead and Ilfracombe. Following her last stint in the Bristol Channel in 2018, the steamer has been given a huge multi-million pound refurbishment, with new steam boilers installed.
After members of the public generously donated £180,000 to cover dry docking fees, Waverley's charitable owners have made the decision to offer the most extensive sailing programme in more than a decade, DevonLive reports. The steamer took her first trip along the Channel back in 1979, sailing in the wake of the famous White Funnel Fleet of pleasure steamers which operated until the 1960s.
