IT was standing room only at Minehead Harbour on Sunday afternoon (June 8) when the Waverley, the last sea going paddle steamer in the world, made its first visit of the summer to West Somerset.

The crowds started gathering well over an hour before the preserved paddle steamer, which made her maiden voyage in 1947, was due to arrive from Penarth across the Bristol Channel at 5 pm.

By the time the Waverley appeared right on schedule the harbour and surrounding viewpoints were packed with locals and holidaymakers alike who turned out to watch what has become an annual feature and one of the highlights in the Minehead maritime calendar.

Waverley was originally built for sailings in West Scotland, and in 1974 at the end of her working life she was sold to the Paddle Steamer Preservation Society and the Waverley Steam Navigation Co Ltd, a charity registered in Scotland, which was set up to own and operate the ship.

Now, Waverley is one of the country’s best loved tourist attractions and annually visits several areas of the UK, offering regular trips on the Clyde, the Western Isles, the Thames, the South Coast, and the Bristol Channel, with calls at Liverpool and Llandudno.

In addition to the onlookers and well wishers, Waverley picked up a large number of passengers who were returning to Penarth and Clevedon after enjoying a trip on the West Somerset Railway, as well as those who were taking a nostalgic trip to Clevedon aboard the paddle steamer, from where they returned by coach to Minehead.

There are further sailings aboard the Waverley from Minehead on Tuesday and Wednesday, June 17 and 18, as she cruises the waters of the Bristol Channel until June 25 before sailing to Scotland.

More information about the Waverley and bookings can be found on its website.