Clyde Cruise on Waverley

Clyde Cruise on Waverley

Introduction

This evening, I am reporting on yesterday’s cruise along Scotland’s Firth of Clyde in the veteran paddle steamer, Waverley.

The Waverley travelling under Erskine Bridge

Overview of the cruise

This was my third day trip on this famous vessel and possibly ranks as the best. Weather conditions were benign and progressively improved whilst the water surface was very placid. Overall, the cruise lasted about eight hours, starting and finishing at moorings close to Glasgow Science Centre.

Clyde cruising guide

As will be evident from the image above, the Clyde connects with a web of lochs interspersed with islands. The word ‘firth’ means bay or estuary and is cognate with ‘fjord’ which is very apposite insofar as the sea lochs are concerned. This region was likely ‘home from home’ to the Vikings who controlled this part of Scotland for about 400 years.

The cruise route started Glasgow and then Greenock-Kilcreggan-Blairmore-Arrochar returning the same way.

River Clyde scene on departure

We saw an incredible range of sights ranging from warships to castles to military installations, and even a wedding. Some of the cruise passengers had brief sightings of a seal and dolphins. In addition to the usual complement of waterbirds I saw two herons and a fox.

Heron

The Waverley

The vessel is a near 75 year old paddle steamer which was originally constructed as a working ferry. It now operates under the umbrella of a not-for-profit charity. On-going operations are reliant on a contingent of volunteers to assist with maintenance and similar duties. Whilst the on-board facilities for passengers could not be described as luxury they are certainly adequate.

Waverley’s Bridge with mountains around Loch Long in background

Despite the outstanding natural scenery in the Firth of Clyde there is no competitor for the Waverley. Notwithstanding this consideration cruise tickets are competitively priced at around GBP50.00 which I suggest is exceptional value.

Images

Here is a selection of pertinent images from the extensive portfolio taken on day.

Glasgow waterfront
The frigate, HMS Glasgow under construction at Govan.
Fox patrolling the river bank.
Moored warships in preparation for a military exercise.
Dumbarton Rock, home to ancient fortifications including that of the Kingdom of Strathclyde in first millennium.
The Viking Jupiter, a visiting cruise ship at Greenock.
Wedding party at Blairmore. The Waverley was used as a background for the wedding photographs.
Loch Long. (The word ‘long’ does not relate to distance but is derived from the Gaelic for ships.)
Residences at Killcreggan. Waterside residences on the firth have been popular with the wealthy middle classes since Victorian times.
Entrance to Loch Goil
Carrick Castle (a 14th century tower house) at Lochgoilhead
Newly arrived wind turbine blades from Denmark. Scotland has made extensive investments in wind farms.
Small fishing boat.
Site of the former John Brown Shipyard at Clydebank. Here was built ocean liners such as Queen Mary, Queen Elizabeth and QE2

More information

The publication, Visitors’ Guide to Scotland contains a wide range of images and helpful text. Contents include a section on Glasgow and the Clyde Coast. ISBN is 978-1-9161332-0-4. The book is also available via Kindle.

Back to news