Maritime guided tours under way
KNOWLEDGE: Accredited White Badge tour guide Sam Wright with a party near Hull’s tidal barrier
By Simon Bristow, Co-Editor
The next series of guided tours telling Hull’s maritime story will start during the half-term school holiday from Saturday, February 10.
The group of 17 volunteers, who are White Badge accredited tour guides, will lead the free tours exploring our maritime city.
The tours will take place every Thursday and Saturday at 10.30am, complemented with Sunday walks at 11.30am and 1.30pm.
Starting at the Museum Quarter gardens, outside the old Arctic Corsair unit and the Hull and East Riding Museum, the full route lasts about two hours and 30 minutes.
The tour stops at the future home of Arctic Corsair at North End Shipyard, at Queens Gardens, the exterior of the Maritime Museum, and the new home for Spurn Lightship in Hull Marina. Other key landmarks include Blaydes House, Trinity House and Hull Marina.
The shorter walk takes place on Sundays at 1.30pm, lasting about 90 minutes and covers half the full route.
In 2023, the maritime guided tours saw a 50 per cent increase in visitors with more than 660 people taking part.
Councillor Mike Ross, leader of Hull City Council, said: “I would thoroughly recommend anyone who wants to learn more about Hull’s maritime past to go on one of the tours. As part of the guided tours, you will discover some fascinating nuggets of information and facts about Hull’s maritime heritage.
“If you have lived in Hull for years or are new to Hull, you will learn something new about our wonderful city. The walks will also provide you with all the latest updates from the maritime project, creating a brand-new maritime experience for Hull, our residents, and visitors.”
Tour guide Sam Wright said: “I absolutely love helping people explore the rich maritime history of this wonderful city. Being an access point for people to be able to engage with stories from Hull’s past is a real privilege, and one of the main reasons I love tour guiding so much.
“There’s no better feeling than helping someone make those historic connections to the modern city, regardless of whether they have lived in Hull all their lives, or if they are visiting for the first time.
“There’s something for everyone in Hull! I can’t wait to get started again in what will be a really exciting year for the project, especially with the re-opening of Spurn Lightship. There really is no better time to come along and explore Hull’s maritime history, and I can’t wait to meet you there.”
Booking for the free tours is recommended although a small number of places will be available on the day.
Book a place or find out more here.