THE paddle steamer Waverley will sail on two cruises to Anglesey from Llandudno this summer.

But the excursion steamer Balmoral will not be seen sailing along the North Wales coast, as she is laid up in Bristol awaiting essential maintenance and refurbishment.

Waverley will sail from Llandudno pier on Tuesday and Wednesday, 28 and 29 August, at lunchtime on both days, steam to the north Anglesey coast before returning to the pier in time for tea.

The voyages start and return in Liverpool and call at Llandudno en route. A spokesman for the Waverley said: “These cruises have proved very popular in the past when we have had a large turnover of passengers at Llandudno Pier with hundreds of passengers from Liverpool disembarking to spend the afternoon in Llandudno before re-embarking later on for the return trip to Liverpool .”

Waverley is the last sea going paddle steamer in the world. Built in 1946, she originally sailed in Scottish waters but now operates passenger excursions around the British coast.

Passengers can look into the engine room and see the massive piston rods driving the cranks to turn the shaft which turns the paddle wheels on either side of the ship, giving a nostalgic of the early days of steam.

Waverley has two bars, dining saloon and can accommodate more than 900 passengers.

The diesel engined MV Balmoral is a more familiar sight along the North Wales coast each summer season, and in the past has conducted extensive programmes of cruises from Llandudno to Anglesey and into the Menai Straits, as well as sailing elsewhere around the UK coast.

Currently she requires some hull re-plating, work to improve educational facilities, restore heritage features and to improve crew accommodation to comply with the latest regulations