This has been a momentous year for Steamship Shieldhall and her volunteers in Southampton, as she marked her 70thanniversary in style.
Shieldhall’s volunteers were presented with the ‘The King’s Award for Voluntary Service’ and are now looking ahead to 2026, with the publishing of the first tranche of its sailing programme. Also released are dates covering Open Days, Gold and Silver Steam Experiences, Youth Heritage Training Days and ashes scatterings at sea. Whilst the main programme dates have been published, Steamship Shieldhall promises some further exciting news in the New Year, including the return of some popular cruises and special anniversary sailings.
Shieldhall is offering a 20 per cent ‘Early Bird’ discount on selected 2026 cruises, simply through entering the code EARLYBIRD at checkout. ‘Early Bird’ bookings must be completed by 31 January 2026, when this time-limited offer will close. The ‘Early Bird’ discounts are available on the following trips:
- 7th June – Eastern Solent Cruise to Sandown, The Forts, Osborne House & Ryde
- 26th June – Evening ‘Dinner Set’ Music Cruise
- 11th July – Round the Island Race
- 9th August – Cruise to Portsmouth Harbour
- 5th September – Steam to the Solent cruise and watch 4 cruise ships depart & Merchant Navy Day Service
Shieldhall’s ever popular shanty themed cruises are being extended in number in 2026, including the staging of a first ever ‘Shanty Weekend’ when Shieldhall welcomes – on back-to-back sailing days – the Kings Pond Shantymen and Selsey Shantymen, on Sat 13 and Sun 14 June respectively. There will also be the return of the popular Southampton Salty Dogs and Jim Splice and The Main Brace, whilst two cruises out of Poole will see the Dorset Mutineers and Wareham Whalers perform on board.
Commentaries on board Shieldhall in 2026 will reflect significant anniversaries that will be marked on the water – the 90th anniversary of the maiden flight of the Spitfire; the 200th anniversary of Cowes Week and the 250th anniversary of American Independence – all with notable links to the Solent!
One of the beauties of steam propulsion is that Shieldhall does not tend to vibrate or roll, and as such she makes a great viewing platform, perfect for photography. For 2026, Shieldhall will steam to the Solent to watch the spectacle of the Round the Island Race on Sat 11 July and will enter Portsmouth Harbour on Sun 9 August and Sun 5 September, passing close to the shore. An early season cruise to the Eastern Solent is being extended to view Sandown, with opportunities to sail close to the Solent Forts.
Shieldhall Chairman Martin Phipps said: “We are delighted to launch our 2026 sailing programme, full of returning favourite excursions, but with a number of new trips, including the marking of significant anniversary events; festivals and special occasions. In addition to our cruises we will be staging several free, alongside visit days, where guests can find out more about Shieldhall and what is involved in taking a heritage steamship out to sea. We will also be hosting Heritage Adventure Training Days for Youth Groups, and running one and two-day ‘Steam Experience’ courses for enthusiasts.
“We encourage people to keep an eye out in January too, as there will some additional, exciting announcements in the New Year. Our volunteers put in over 25,000 hours annually of voluntary commitment, and we like to think that Shieldhall has never looked better. Our volunteers are justly proud of Shieldhall’s rating as ‘No 1 Thing to Do in Southampton’ on TripAdvisor, and can’t wait to start welcoming guests back on board!’
To view Shieldhall’s complete 2026 sailing programme, list of Open Days and dates for Heritage Adventure Training Days at Sea, Experience Days and Ashes Scatterings at Sea, please visit: www.ss-shieldhall.co.uk
Key trips for 2026 include:
Sat 23 May, Steam to the Solent Cruise, 3.30pm – 7pm
Sat 6 June, 1pm – 5.30pm, Cruise to the Isle of Wight and the Medina River
Sun 7 June, 11am – 6pm, Eastern Solent Cruise to Sandown, passing Osborne House, Ryde and the Solent Forts
Saturday 13 June, 3.30pm – 7pm, Steam to the Solent Cruise with The Kings Pond Shantymen – part of our Sea Shanty Weekend!
Sun 14 June, 2.30pm – 6pm, Steam to the Solent Cruise with The Selsey Shantymen, – part of our Sea Shanty Weekend!
Fri 26 June, 6.30pm – 9.30pm, Midsummer Music Cruise with The Dinner Set
Sun 28 June, 2.30pm – 6pm, Steam to the Solent with the Southampton Salty Sea Dogs Shanty Band
Sat 11 July, 10am – 5pm, Round the Island Race sailing, heading east to Bembridge
Sun 12 July, 2.30pm – 6pm, Steam to the Solent with Jim Splice and The Main Brace
Sun 19 July, 2.30pm – 6pm, Steam to the Solent with The Steam Town Shanty Crew
Sat 8 August, 3.30pm – 7pm, Steam to the Solent and see four cruise ships depart
Sun 9 August, 12.30pm – 6pm, Cruise to Portsmouth Harbour
Thurs 13 August, 11am – 5.30pm, One way trip from Southampton to Poole Harbour with the Shieldhall Stompers Jazz Band
Saturday 15 August, 11.30am – 4pm, Cruise from Poole Quay to the Jurassic Coast, with the Wareham Whalers
Sunday 16 August, 12 noon – 5pm, Cruise from Poole Quay to The Needles, passing Old Harry Rocks with the Dorset Mutineers Shanty Band
Monday 17 August, 11.30am – 7pm, One way trip from Poole to Southampton
Saturday 22 August, 3.30pm – 7pm, Liners Day and Steam to the Solent to view four cruise ships depart.
Sat 5 September, 3.30pm – 7pm, Steam to the Solent Cruise and watch four cruise ships depart, with Merchant Navy Day Service
Sun 6 September, 12.30pm – 6pm, Portsmouth Harbour Cruise
Sun 13 September, 4pm – 6pm, Heritage Open Day Docks Cruise
There will be further announcements and additions made to the sailing programme in the New Year.
Early bird savings of 20% are available on selected cruises until 31 January 2026 – bookable at www.ss-shieldhall.co.uk
