With three short blasts on her steam whistle Waverley springs round the end of Ardrishaig pier
Past President Robin Copland sailed aboard Waverley from Largs to Ardrishaig on the recent CRSC Nominated Excursion. Here is his report on the sailing.
It was hot on Sunday 17th August; meltingly hot. It was so hot, the very wind was sweating. And there we were, gathered on the pier at Largs, watching the comings and goings of Loch Shira as she sailed back and forth between the slipways at Largs and on Cumbrae. The queues of cars were building on either side – up to 30 minutes on the Largs side, we were told. A pleasant chat with John Newth, his wife Barbara and friends now living in Mexico to escape the land of free speech that is currently Trump’s USA.
Whenever you meet John, you just have to ask him questions! He is an encyclopaedia when it comes to the movements of the current fleet. “Which ship has replaced Isle of Cumbrae on the Tarbert-Portavadie route?” I asked.
“Loch Tarbert” was the response. And I thought, well that’s apt – why not? There’s a wee bit of synergy at play there! Tarbert; Cumbrae – you get the picture. Loch Shira rumbled onto her slipway and someone observed, as she towered over Isle of Cumbrae, “Remember when we thought Isle of Cumbrae was big?”
Waverley approaching Largs as Isle of Cumbrae takes a break
And then round the corner, making good time on her sail from Glasgow and Greenock, came Waverley, shining in the sun as she paddled towards Largs. Last week, on the same day, she had sailed south before making a leisurely turn to port to berth facing north. This time it was different. She glided straight onto her berth at the end of the pier, for all the world (though less noisily!), like Talisman on her way back to Millport, or Caledonia heading back to Ayr.
Waverley looked magnificent and still as good as she had in spring in the West Highlands. A testament to all of the behind the scenes work that goes on quietly by an attentive and hard-working crew – perhaps the real heroes in the ongoing Waverley story.
Off comes the club’s indefatigable Review Editor/Membership Secretary, Stuart Craig. He, I learned earlier, represents the very best kind of Waverley passenger! Well, we knew that of course, but this is more from a revenue enhancement perspective. There is nothing that Paul Semple, the General Manager of Waverley Excursions, likes more than a passenger on a single journey. So, and to explain, your single passenger embarks at Glasgow or Greenock, let’s say, pays their £37 and disembarks at Largs. To be replaced by the likes of me, who is sailing to Ardrishaig. Actually, I stayed on for the cruise into Loch Fyne. In an absolutely perfect world, I would have enjoyed the delights of Ardrishaig for 90 minutes and would have been replaced by an Ardrishaig cruiser, who would have paid £30 to take my place. In case you think that this is profiteering, do not be fooled. As Paul puts it, “I spend all summer earning money and all winter spending it”! Every pound earned goes towards maintenance, upkeep, parts replacement and other costs. It’s a tight ship, right enough.
On we boarded. A noticeable change in Waverley today compared to, say, ten years ago is the warmth of the welcome you get. You just sense that everyone is pulling the same way; every member of the crew has pride in the job and knows that they are custodians of a heritage legend. That’s testament to senior management, to the master and his team and to the personalities that Waverley has managed to attract to work.
On board there were many friendly and familiar faces. Club President, Gavin Stewart and his wife, Shelagh were in their accustomed places on the steps to the landing deck on the paddle sponson. An old and valued friend, John Crae took the cruise with his son. Jane Ann Liston, she of ‘A Song of the Clyde’ fame (you had to be at her club presentation to understand the reference!) had travelled from St Andrews to be with us. And there was Past-President, Graeme Hogg. Excuse me – was he not supposed to be joining at Tighnabruaich? And it was then I learned of the accident that befell the old pier when Waverley (with me aboard, let it be said, but completely ignorant of any mishap) had tangled with a bollard that had been attached to a weak piece of wood. A real shame for those who care for the pier and for those who might have joined there today. The pier is out for the rest of the season but will hopefully be back again next year.
Away we went. Everyone has their favourite spot onboard. I always like to stand at the rail towards the bow and underneath the bridge deck. Somehow the beat of the paddles rings particularly clearly there and, if the weather is inclement (but see the first paragraph!), you get a bit of shelter too. It’s nice just to spend ten minutes watching the world go by.
Largs to Ardrishaig in one go! In times gone by, you might have expected a stop at Rothesay and certainly at Tighnabruaich. Not today. Iain Quinn was giving the commentary and did so with his usual aplomb. Chat there was aplenty. Graeme’s brother, Fraser, like myself a keen curler, was outlining his programme for next season. I’m already knackered and it’s not me that’s doing it! Colin Smith was telling me about his trip to watch Aberdeen and how his friend had taken Waverley from Glasgow to Greenock, there to watch his team play Greenock Morton. The first commute to a football match by paddle steamer in fifty years, he ventured. And who am I to argue?
Club stalwarts, Billy Tomlinson and Eric Schofield were spied from upstairs, both chatting earnestly and amiably about I know not what. Everything was interrupted by a loud car horn, followed by a steam whistle, the customary greeting between Loch Dunvegan and Waverley as we approached the Narrows. There seemed to be lots of yachts and small motor vessels out for a Sunday sail. Suddenly, we gave a particularly long whistle, aimed, no doubt, at some amateur admiral who had decided to test our patience as we were on final approach to The Narrows. Get out the way, pal; steam paddler coming through!
On past Tighnabruaich. At the time, I was chatting to Graeme Hogg, long-time resident of the village. “Tighnabruaich in the winter, discuss!” I unfairly asked him. Well, we were round Ardlamont Point by the time he’d finished telling me about line dancing, bridge, coffee mornings, meetings of the various associations that he is involved in, to say nothing of the pier! Busy wee spot, right enough.
Waverley approaching Ardrishaig on her only visit of the year
And onto Loch Fyne. To your writer’s eyes it’s a wee bit too wide! I’ll grant you that Tarbert and Portavadie are lovely wee spots, but we were in the middle! We reminisced about cruises on a Tuesday on Duchess of Hamilton. Now, I loved the ‘Duchess’; I’ll not hear a word against her. Magnificent example of a Clyde Turbine Steamer. But that long trip to Inveraray – even at her legendary pace – it seemed to take forever. And the return journey – please; spare me! The closer we got to Ardrishaig though, the more interesting it got. This was the first, and only visit by Waverley this year. Our master, Captain Jim Harris, took things very carefully as we approached our berth. The ship sits bow-in to the shore, so there is no room for error; to be fair, we were tied up on time and a goodly number decided to test their land legs ashore.
I don’t know how many came on board at Ardrishaig, but it looked to me like 100 or more – all waiting to take their one and only opportunity to see their village from the decks of a paddle steamer this year! Actually, the cruise was interesting because we went up one shoreline and then down the other. Iain Quinn kept us all informed about what we were looking at and I took an opportunity to avail myself of the Waverley dining experience. How they produce the food that they do from a galley, into which you couldn’t get the cat, never mind swing it, I‘ll never know, but they did and all was well in my world.
After her cruise on Loch Fyne Waverley returns to Ardrishaig
Back to Ardrishaig and a step off the paddler to have a picture taken in the company of many of the CRSC members on board. Eric Schofield had mounted three of his Waverley pictures from different times in her history in a lovely frame, and a presentation was made to Paul Semple. Gavin Stewart had prepared a presentation speech of some length which we were all delighted he didn’t give, because if he had, we would have missed the return sailing!
Captain Jim Harris and Waverley Excursions General Manager Paul Semple accept a montage of photographs to mark the 50th Anniversary of preservation
By this time the sun, which had been meltingly hot, had taken on an African persona and was ridiculous. The sea varied between very mild chop and millpond. We sailed down to the south end of Bute rather than travel back through the Kyles, a route made possible, of course, by the closure of Tighnabruaich pier.
The magnificent vista of the north Arran hills seens astern as Waverley heads back to Largs
I had not sailed these waters for a year or two, so it was lovely to see Arran from a new vantage point, and Bute, of course, up close and personal.
John Beveridge is another of these really interesting club members who has a wealth of knowledge – especially about paddle steamers and he was closely involved with the project to bring Maid of the Loch back to life.
We both agreed that had the ‘Maid’ been in Switzerland, she would have been plying the waters of Loch Lomond to this day (that would be the Scottish Loch Lomond – not the Swiss one!) without a lay-up and that furthermore, Dunoon pier would have been the epicentre of the town whose name she bears. It’s all very sad and makes the Waverley story all the more special.
Through The Tan we went, and by this time, I was chatting to Gavin and Shelagh about Orkney, Largs, the Wee Cumbrae and my granny’s house in Largs. See Waverley? See a chance to chat and reminisce and meet up with friends old and new.
Waverley‘s Chief Engineer Jamie Shorthouse and Second Engineer Carla Shearer on the manoeuvring platform
Listen up and listen good! The next time you see a CRSC nominated sail, drop everything – fly back from your holiday in Tenerife for the day – and go on the cruise. I promise you – you’ll come off a better person than when you boarded. They’re that good! And here’s some more good news. I was chatting to Billy Tomlinson and he made a really interesting observation: Waverley used to rely on enthusiasts, but the reality now is that she has become such an icon in her own right, that she is no longer as dependant on us as once she might have been.
The day had passed in a flash. We took Largs pier to the manor born and we lingered on the pier. Waverley is away down south at the end of the week, so this view of her paddling off into the sunset at the end of a glorious day was our last chance to see her on the Clyde until October. Aye – it had been a grand day, and no mistake.
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Published on 31 August 2025