There's one ship left in the world where you can watch huge red paddles churn the sea from a deck chair, and it's British. The Waverley, built on the Clyde in 1946, is the last seagoing paddle steamer anywhere on the planet, and every summer she carries passengers on day trips and coastal cruises around the UK.
The ship was originally built for the London and North Eastern Railway to run services from Glasgow down the Firth of Clyde, a route she still sails today. Retired from regular service in the 1970s, she was famously bought for just £1 by the Paddle Steamer Preservation Society, then restored and relaunched in 1977 for heritage cruising. She's since become a much-loved floating piece of maritime history, complete with her original telescopic funnels and saloons.
Each season the Waverley operates from several bases around Britain. Her home waters are the Firth of Clyde, with sailings from Glasgow's city centre quays and towns along the Scottish coast, including trips to islands like Bute and Arran. As summer moves on, she relocates to other regions — the Bristol Channel, the south coast of England from ports like Southampton and Portsmouth, and the Thames, where she runs cruises from central London piers past landmarks such as the Tower of London and out towards Southend.
On board it's a proper retro outing: tea room, bars, observation decks, and the constant low thump of the paddles. Engine room tours are usually possible, letting you see the machinery at work, and many sailings pass genuinely dramatic scenery — steep Clyde sea lochs, chalk cliffs, or the piers of the Thames estuary. Fares are typically modest for a full day afloat, and you can often book single legs rather than a round trip, hopping between coastal towns by sea instead of road.
Why bother with a paddle steamer in an age of catamarans? Partly for the spectacle — crowds gather on quaysides wherever she docks — and partly because this genuinely is a last chance. Nothing else like her sails to sea anywhere in the world, so the Waverley is less a gimmick than a working museum you can ride. For railway-heritage fans, families after an unusual day out, or anyone who likes their sightseeing with a side of steam, it's a memorable way to see the coast.
Sailings sell out on popular routes, so checking the Waverley Pleasure Cruises timetable and booking ahead is the smart move. Bring a warm layer — even in August, the top deck gets breezy at speed.