Waverley paddle steamer completes a busy season and looks ahead to its 80th anniversary

Glasgow's much-loved paddle steamer has had a season to celebrate. Waverley, the world's last seagoing paddle steamer, finished its 2026 sailing season with almost 160,000 passenger journeys recorded, and the team behind the ship has thanked everyone who sailed and supported her.

The winter refit is now under way, with several projects planned, including the refurbishment of the Jeanie Deans Lounge. Updates will be shared as the work progresses.

Next year is a special one. In 2027, Waverley will mark the 80th anniversary of her maiden voyage, and details of the anniversary season's sailings will be shared through the ship's e-newsletter once the timetable is published.

Waverley was launched on a misty 2 October 1946, the last paddle steamer to be built for Clyde services. Her maiden voyage, on 16 June 1947, took her on the route she was built for, cruising up Loch Long and Loch Goil to Lochgoilhead and Arrochar.

By 1973 she was the last seagoing paddle steamer in the world. The following year she was handed over for one pound to Waverley Steam Navigation Company, formed by the Paddle Steamer Preservation Society, and on 22 May 1975 she carried her first passengers in preservation, departing Glasgow to a send-off from the Glasgow Police Pipe Band.

In the decades since, Waverley has become a symbol of the Clyde's sailing heritage, carrying generations of passengers on trips down the water and making voyages around the coast of Britain, including three seasons in the early 1980s when she circumnavigated Great Britain.

Along the way she has been modernised to keep sailing. Her original double-ended boiler was replaced with a Babcock boiler, improving speed and reducing fuel costs, and in 1978 she sailed from London Tower Pier for the first time.

For many Glaswegians, a sail on Waverley is a family tradition, and the 80th anniversary season promises to be one to remember.

Waverley's 2027 timetable is being prepared, and bookings will open once it is published. Sign up for news and visit the shop at waverleyexcursions.co.uk.