PS Waverley's September South Coast sailings

The South Coast is about to get a bit more steam in it. The PS Waverley, the world's last seagoing paddle steamer, is visiting the South Coast for a run of September sailings, with the South Coast and Isle of Wight leg running from Thursday 3 September to Tuesday 22 September. It's a long stretch of water to cover, and the ship is a proper piece of history: built in 1946 by A. & J. Inglis in Glasgow and named after Sir Walter Scott's Waverley novels, it's a fully steam-powered vessel with a 2,100 horsepower triple expansion reciprocating steam engine that carries up to 860 passengers. More than 6 million people have been on board over the years. It was built to replace the 1899 Clyde steamer Waverley, which served as a minesweeper in the First World War and was sunk at Dunkirk in 1940.

This year's season is the longest the Waverley has run in well over a decade, carrying on until Sunday 18 October, and the 80th anniversary of its launch falls on 2 October. The South Coast leg is the heart of it, with sailings from Southampton, Portsmouth, Yarmouth, Poole, Swanage, Dartmouth, Torquay and Weymouth. The first South Coast sailing is scheduled for Friday 2 September, and one of the highlights comes on Sunday 4 September at the Bournemouth Air Festival, when the Waverley meets the SS Shieldhall, the largest working steamship in Britain and a member of the National Historic Fleet, and anchors between Bournemouth and Boscombe. The popular 'Round the Isle of Wight' cruise runs on Tuesdays and Saturdays, taking in the Needles Rocks and Lighthouse, Freshwater Bay, St Catherine's Lighthouse and Cowes.

If you're looking at Swanage, the dates are Friday 4, Sunday 6, Monday 7, Wednesday 9, Friday 11, Sunday 13, Wednesday 16, Thursday 17 and Sunday 20 September. A few things to be aware of before you book: the 'Round the Isle of Wight' cruise on Friday 4 September is already sold out, with departures from Weymouth at 0900, Swanage at 1050 and Yarmouth at 1230, though an evening cruise leaves Yarmouth at 1710 and returns at 2020 after passing the Needles Lighthouse, Hurst Castle and Swanage. On Wednesday 3 September, the ship sails from Dartmouth at 1000 and Torquay at 1145 to Weymouth, then from Weymouth at 1630 along the Jurassic Coast, with a bus connection from Exeter St David's Railway Station at 1015 to meet the ship at Torquay.

Booking is done online at waverleyexcursions.co.uk or by calling the Booking Office on 0141 243 2224, which is open Monday to Friday 0930 to 1630 and Saturdays 0930 to 1300. Unless a trip is marked as 'One-Way', it's sold as a return journey, and tickets can be bought on board if there's space. On price, a fuel surcharge is added to adult and senior fares but not to child or dog fares: £2 for fares of £57 or less and £4 for fares of £58 or more. Children go free on selected sailings, including one-way trips from Southampton to Portsmouth and Yarmouth to Swanage, and afternoon cruises from Swanage along the Jurassic Coast. Seniors can use the 'Seniors Bring a Friend HALF FARE' offer, and on a few dates, like Monday 7 and Wednesday 16 September from Swanage to Yarmouth, there's a 'SENIORS BRING A FRIEND FOR FREE' offer.