Bristol Packet Boat Trips facts for kids
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Trade name
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Bristol Packet |
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| Industry | Boat trips and excursions |
| Founded | Bristol, England (1973) |
| Headquarters |
Wapping Wharf, Bristol
BS1 6UN |
Bristol Packet Boat Trips is a company that offers fun boat trips in Bristol. You can explore the famous Bristol Harbour and the beautiful River Avon with them. They have four special boats: the Tower Belle, a traditional narrowboat called Redshank, the glass-topped Bagheera, and the Flower of Bristol. This company also helped create a special ferry boat that runs on hydrogen power.
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Exploring Bristol's Waterways by Boat
Bristol Packet Boat Trips is a company that lets people take boat rides around Bristol Harbour and on the River Avon. They offer trips for everyone, and you can also hire a boat for a private party or event.
How Bristol Packet Boat Trips Started
The Bristol Packet company began in 1973. It was started by Nick and Corrina Gray. Back then, there were no other passenger boats in Bristol's docks or on the River Avon. The docks were quite old and not many people visited them.
The first trips were offered on a narrowboat called Redshank. Nick and Corrina brought Redshank and another boat, Greenshank, all the way from the Midlands. Nick was known for his interesting stories and facts during the trips. This made the boat rides much more fun and educational.
In 1976, a river boat named Tower Belle joined the fleet. This boat allowed trips to go further upstream to Hanham. It also made it possible to travel downstream into the amazing Avon Gorge. Before this, public trips to the Avon Gorge had stopped in the 1970s. The Grays eventually sold the company in 1980. Tickets for the boat trips were sold from a cool old showman's wagon from 1910.
In 1995, the Flower of Bristol boat started operating. This helped the company offer more evening trips for private groups. The newest boat, Bagheera, joined the company in 2002. It was built in Amsterdam.
Meet the Bristol Packet Boats
Bristol Packet has a fleet of unique boats, each with its own history.
The Redshank Narrowboat
Redshank is a classic English narrowboat. It was built in 1936 by a company called W. J. Yarwood & Sons in Northwich, Cheshire. Its first name was Reading. It was used by the Grand Union Canal Carrying Company. In the 1950s, another company bought it and renamed it Redshank.
The Tower Belle River Launch
The Tower Belle started its life as a river boat called Wincomblee. It was built in 1920 by Armstrong Whitworth to work on the Tyne. After the Second World War, it moved to the Thames. Then, in 1976, it came to Bristol to join the Bristol Packet fleet.
The Flower of Bristol
The Flower of Bristol was built right here in Bristol. It was made in 1980 by Abels Shipbuilders at the Albion Dockyard. It was originally for another company called Avon River Cruises. Bristol Packet bought it in 1995.
The Bagheera Glass-Topped Boat
Bagheera is a special tourist boat with a glass roof. It was built in Amsterdam in 1973. Bristol Packet bought it from a company in Ghent, Belgium. That company used it for canal tours to the Antwerp Zoo. Before that, Bagheera also worked in Switzerland and the Netherlands.
Bristol Hydrogen Boats
Bristol Hydrogen Boats is a group of three companies working together. These are Number Seven Boat Trips, Auriga Energy, and Bristol Packet. With help from Bristol City Council, they built a ferry boat that runs on hydrogen. This special boat is called Hydrogenesis.
It started operating in the spring of 2013. It was even called "Britain's first hydrogen-powered ferry." For six months, it worked as a public ferry. However, the fuel was quite expensive. So, the boat was then moved to Bristol Packet for private hire.
