As a wean I was a sucker for paddle steamers. And the romance of it all doesn’t fade in adulthood.

It’s why I hope the Maid of the Loch gets to do again what boats do best. And why I was delighted to see £1 million from the Scottish Government added to the fund for the repairs essential to let the PS Waverley resume its touring schedule.

I’ll own up to a particularly selfish motive here too, since the glorious sight of her berthing at Kilcreggan pier to disgorge visitors and pick up passengers has been a summer Friday treat for as long as I’ve lived on the Peninsula.

But I recognise the picture is rather more complex in terms of her returning to Helensburgh, given the parlous state of the pier.

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The estimate to keep it in the kind of shape necessary to guarantee safety is apparently an eye-watering £250,000 a year. That’s a massive ask for a local authority already struggling to identify savings in its annual budget.

Before the boiler problems loomed, it had been mooted that there would be a bus laid on to bring Waverley passengers from the Burgh round to our village allowing them to embark there. And of course there would be others with their own wheels, just driving round.

Cue a flurry of protests about the impact on local car parking etc. And it’s true that our spaces are already over-subscribed, though I can’t image the local shopkeepers would worry about that set against the prospect of new custom.

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And added parking pressure would surely be a small price to pay for the joy of getting aboard the old girl again.