The world's last seagoing paddle steamer leaves Newhaven Harbour at 10.30am on Tuesday, her first sailing from the port since the 1980s. It is sold out.

The last seagoing paddle steamer in the world calls at Newhaven on Tuesday, and her operator’s own timetable says it is the first sailing from the port since the 1980s.

PS Waverley leaves Newhaven Harbour at 10.30am on Tuesday 22 September for a cruise along the Sussex coast to the Solent and the Needles. Waverley Excursions’ South Coast timetable prints the day under a banner reading “FIRST SAILING FROM NEWHAVEN SINCE 1980s”.

It is sold out. The sailing update Waverley published on 19 September says the cruise “is fully booked from Eastbourne and Newhaven”, and that the coach connections from Brighton and Worthing “are now fully booked” too.

If you already have a ticket

You cannot drive or walk to the ship. Newhaven Harbour is a working port and the quay is not open to the public, so Waverley lays on transport into the docks.

  • A shuttle bus is mandatory. It departs from Newhaven Town Station between 9.45am and 10.15am. Waverley’s notice says passengers joining at Newhaven “must take the shuttle buses provided”.
  • The ship leaves Newhaven Harbour at 10.30am.
  • Passengers coming from further along the coast travel by coach, not by sea: the connections leave Worthing Pier bus stop on Marine Parade at 9.15am and Brighton Palace Pier, Stop CS, at 9.30am, and join the steamer at Newhaven.

Waverley herself starts the day at Eastbourne at 9am, then calls at Newhaven.

Newhaven Town is on the Seaford branch, so the shuttle pickup is reachable by rail from Lewes and Seaford. Be aware that the weekday off-peak timetable to London is still cut back: see Lewes train times and the branch service and our roadworks and travel page for what else is moving this week.

Waverley's Newhaven day, Tuesday 22 September 2026 A timeline. The shuttle bus leaves Newhaven Town Station between 9.45am and 10.15am. Waverley leaves Newhaven Harbour at 10.30am. The tender leaves Ryde Pier Head at 2.15pm. The cruise ends at Portsmouth Harbour at 7pm. The timetable lists a Newhaven arrival at 9pm by road connection. Waverley's Newhaven day, Tuesday 22 September Sold out from Newhaven. The shuttle bus into the docks is mandatory. 09.45 to 10.15 Shuttle bus, Newhaven Town Stn 10.30 Waverley leaves Newhaven Harbour 14.15 Tender out from Ryde Pier Head 19.00 Cruise ends, Portsmouth Harbour 21.00 Newhaven arrival, by road connection Waverley starts the day at Eastbourne at 09.00. Coaches from Worthing (09.15) and Brighton (09.30) join her at Newhaven. The 21.00 Newhaven arrival is a road connection, not the ship: the cruise itself finishes at Portsmouth. Source: Waverley Excursions sailing update, 19 September 2026, and the South Coast and Isle of Wight 2026 timetable. Graphic by The Lewes Post
The published timings for Waverley's Newhaven call on Tuesday.

Where she goes, and how you get back

The timetable runs the day as three cruises: the Sussex coast with a view of the Solent forts, then the Solent and the Needles lighthouse.

Waverley does not come alongside at Ryde. The times printed against Ryde are the tender that ferries passengers out to her: 2.15pm and 2.40pm in the afternoon, and 5.30pm and 6.10pm in the evening. Waverley’s own notice confirms the first of those, the 2.15pm departure from Ryde Pier Head, and says nothing about the rest.

The cruise ends at Portsmouth Harbour at 7pm. The timetable then lists arrivals at Worthing at 8.30pm, Brighton at 8.45pm, and Newhaven and Eastbourne both at 9pm. Four ports cannot be reached by one ship within half an hour of each other, so those are return connections by road rather than by sea. Waverley’s published notice for the day does not spell out the return arrangements, so anyone holding a ticket should confirm them with the operator rather than rely on the timetable grid.

Tickets are still available, but only from the Isle of Wight

The one part of the day that has not sold out is the afternoon. Waverley says tickets from Ryde for the Solent and Needles cruise can still be booked online or by calling 0141 243 2224 during office hours, Monday to Friday, 9.30am to 4.30pm.

Passengers joining at Ryde take a tender vessel from Ryde Pier Head at 2.15pm. Waverley’s notice adds a warning worth repeating: passengers in wheelchairs cannot transfer by tender.

What it means for you

If you live in Newhaven, the practical position is simple. You cannot buy a ticket for Tuesday, and you cannot get onto the quay to see her alongside, because the berth is inside the port estate and the shuttle bus exists precisely because the public cannot walk in.

What you can do is know the timings. Waverley is easy to pick out: two funnels, and paddle boxes on each side rather than a propeller. She was launched on 2 October 1946 and made her maiden voyage on 16 June 1947, built to replace the 1899 Waverley, which was sunk at Dunkirk in May 1940. She is due off Newhaven Harbour at 10.30am, returning to the area in the evening. Her movements are published for the day on Waverley’s sailing updates page, which the operator refreshes the afternoon before each cruise. That page is also where a cancellation would appear: the ship is weather-dependent, and this is late September.

We have not found a published explanation from either Waverley or the port for why the gap since the 1980s has ended now, and neither Newhaven Town Council nor the port has published anything about the call. If that changes we will update this page.

Sources