Sail Away: the Forgotten Pleasures of Travel by Sea
It’s a Sunday, 10.45am on a bright and windy day in early June, 2023. I stand close to the front of a large queue at the end of a preserved Victorian pier with my father, waiting with other excursionists to be picked up by paddle steamer Waverley, the last ship of its kind to venture out to open sea, for an eleven hour return trip to Lundy Island. Once the haunt of pirates and smugglers, it is now managed by the Landmark Trust and marks the point where the Bristol Channel ends and the Atlantic Ocean begins. The next opportunity to touch land should you continue in the same direction would be the north coast of America.
This is a journey I have made many times as a youngster with my family but it’s only now in adulthood that I fully realise what all the fuss was about. Our cruise will provide us with an unspoiled view of the South Wales, Somerset and Devon coasts respectively before we finally reach our similarly picturesque destination, completely unspoiled by the intrusions of the modern world. The ship we will be travelling on is truly a relic from a bygone age, a floating time capsule, which I ponder as the Waverley, looking resplendent as her funnels gleam in the morning sunshine, pulls cheerfully away from the pier and heads out to sea, paddles beating gently against the calming water.
There was a time when journeys like this were carried out by the masses from coastal resorts, seaside towns and port cities up and down the country. From the beginning of the twentieth century paddle steamers operated by a multitude of different companies would compete for business amongst a largely working class population wanting to flee the drudgery of life in the factory or the coalfields. For them, a chance to enjoy the beauty of the open sea whilst breathing fresh air and experiencing the delights of a seaside town or far away island must have seemed like a brief but tangible form of paradise.
Before motorways and mass car ownership the only way to travel to these destinations would be either via railway or ship. The two would often work in tandem, with special railway connections directly linking inland towns with departure points nearer the coast. There, people would be met with fleets of sturdy vessels eager to carry them to their preferred destinations at an affordable price before bringing them safely home again.
The cruise itself would have provided the sense of adventure and romance that accompanies all epic journeys especially those taken by sea, giving those on board a chance to take stock, ponder, mull things over, contemplate and generally relax as the ship sauntered its way at a leisurely pace along the coast. It would have also been an opportunity to embrace nostalgia, relive old memories whilst creating new ones with friends and family.
Should these wholesome activities have become too much to bare it also would have been a grand opportunity to avoid the strict Sunday licensing laws which at the time restricted the serving of alcoholic drinks on land. Unsurprisingly It’s around this time that the term “steaming” became a popular expression to describe someone hopelessly inebriated.
But most importantly it would have been the chance for people with seemingly no means of doing so to escape, even for a short period of time.
The attraction of coastal excursions during its golden age is summarised beautifully by Welsh author and journalist Gwyn Thomas in a wonderful piece of archive footage documenting a trip from Cardiff to Tenby during the 1960s, just as the era of day excursions by sea was sadly coming to an end:
“There is nothing quite like the sight of the sea for people whose horizons for months have been cosseted by narrow valleys or dirt bound streets. As the ship pulls out a million old promises seem to be renewed. Life grows large with a sense of renewal, of a clean new start. Amongst the sound and movement of sea birds dreams of liberation sing again. In the eyes of the old there is a shadow of regret, in the limbs of the young the surge of adventurous passion. There may be a wish that the journey could go on forever.”
As an inhabitant of the Welsh valleys and a chronicler of life within its “dirt bound streets”, Thomas knew better than most the desire for its people to experience this temporary escape, to breathe fresh air and gaze longingly at a seemingly limitless horizon. For those living in industrial cities a day at sea must also have felt like near total freedom; a way of cleansing the mind and body from the oppressive nature of their immediate surroundings. For a time the smoke and grime of the city would be replaced with clean sea air, the shadow of factories and warehouses with glorious views of rugged coastlines, shimmering water and crimson sunsets. It’s not hard to see why demand for such excursions was so high.
But the beginning of mass car ownership, followed later by the popularity of cheaper air travel began an irrecoverable decline in travel by paddle steamer. Once thriving docklands became derelict and the ships that provided joy to thousands were sold for scrap when holidaying abroad and travel by road became cheaper and more convenient.
It is now down to preserved ships like Waverley, operated by historical societies and reliant to a great extent on charitable donations to keep the tradition going. And each year poses new challenges that threaten the ship’s ability to operate, namely the startling cost of fuel and maintenance to keep functioning coupled with the unreliability of the British summer. A season marked by poor weather means low passenger numbers, making it all the more difficult for the ship to generate income and recoup costs. These problems have always existed since the Waverley began her first cruises as a preservation vessel in the 1970s but have become more challenging in recent times. Each new season brings the possibility of the ship being unable to sail due to spiralling costs and yet somehow the Waverley manages to keep going, bringing the much needed benefits of a day trip to sea to new generations.
As our long day out comes to end and we wait to disembark, I feel tired but invigorated by the sea air, sun and the chance to visit such a unique and exciting destination via such unconventional means. I think about how people need the escapism that day trips at sea provide more than ever. Cities are becoming dirtier, crime ridden and infested with soulless and oppressive corporate tower blocks whilst independent shops and businesses close at an alarming rate; people are seeing their wages fall whilst everyday living becomes more expensive; the population feels more disconnected from each other now more than any time in our history. Unsurprisingly all of this is contributing to a worsening mental health crisis leading to record numbers of prescriptions for anti-depressants and anxiety medication. And worst of all is the apparent inability or unwillingness of our elected representatives to do anything about it all.
I was not surprised to see the ship close to maximum capacity which is an encouraging sign for the future of the Waverley. In these times of difficulty and hardship the need for people to get away from it all is crucial for people’s wellbeing and motivation. During the trip the atmosphere on board was jovial - people chatted and looked out for one another, sharing stories about their lives and past experiences and generally making the journey seem like one being taken with friends. This sense of community spirit and shared endeavour, coupled with benefits of fresh air, open space and the chance to experience something just a little out of the ordinary appears to be what is missing from many people’s lives. The golden era of journeys by paddle steamer may be over but the pressing need for the sense of wellbeing and happiness they provided very much continues.
https://waverleyexcursions.co.uk/