Drop in users sinks tourist boat

The Lagan Belle attracted about 4,000 customers in its first year

One of Northern Ireland's newest tourist attractions is to shut down after only 18 months.

The Lagan Belle narrow boat has been taking tours on the Lagan canal but will make its last journey later this month.

William Wallace began the service after Lisburn City Council invited expressions of interest.

He said about 4,000 people used the service in the first year, but numbers have since dropped.

"The first year was very successful, but this year has seen a downturn," Mr Wallace said.

"My wife and I have taken time out of our regular jobs and we thought we would see if it works.

"Had we been retired, yes it would have been sustainable, unfortunately that's not the case so we have to let her go."

The Wallaces bought the 40-foot Lagan Belle from its original owners on the Grand Union Canal.

It meant a dramatic change for the boat. Instead of the 145-mile London-Birmingham route it has been confined to three miles of navigable water near Lisburn.

William provides a detailed commentary for most of the 90-minute trip which takes about a dozen visitors along part of the route used by the old horse-drawn barge traffic.

Scope

Lynda Crymble, Lagan Corridor programme manager for Lisburn City Council, said she believed as development took place along the river and more waterways were opened there would be increased scope to develop river tourism.

"We're maybe just a little bit soon in that we haven't got a big enough destination," she said.

"We see huge potential in it, but it is only the start of something big that's going to happen to the Lagan navigation."

The boat sails a three-mile round trip

Erskine Holmes is chairman of the Ulster Waterways Group which has been campaigning for years to have more canals reopened.

He echoed the view that William Wallace was a pioneer in terms of Lagan tourism who had been "a little ahead of his time".

"A longer destination route would have been so much better for him. Possibly also a boat twice the size would have been an asset to him," Mr Holmes said.

"It's more the Amsterdam waterbus we need on the Lagan at Lisburn."

However, he also saw a bright future for Lagan navigation with a number of local councils now pooling resources.

"Belfast City Council has committed itself to opening up the first lock at Stranmillis," he said.

"A trust with which I'm associated, Ulster Garden Villages, has made £1m available to Belfast Council on condition they go ahead with a £2.5m scheme there. And they've agreed to do that."

All that was needed, he added, was more entrepreneurs like William Wallace to take advantage.