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Isle of Wight |
General information Crossing by car Crossing on foot |
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Crossing by car...There are three options for those wanting to take their car over to the Isle of Wight. Costs and times are generally the same, so choosing a boat based on your travel needs on either side of the Solent is advisable. Return prices below are quoted as period returns – day returns are generally cheaper. Always check times before you sail, as crossing times are date and day dependent. It may be worth noting, that Wightlink will often let you exchange tickets between boats, so if one route has a particularly long wait, it may be worth trying the other route – however, always check first. Wightlink – Portsmouth to FishbourneCrossing takes approximately 40 minutes. You're advised to arrive half an hour before your sailing, although you can often get away with leaving it a little later. There's usually plenty of space to wait, and if you arrive a little earlier, they'll stick you in a waiting lane. If you're particularly early, you can pick up a coffee in the cafe on the Portsmouth side. Booking is certainly recommended, especially in the summer, bank holiday weekends and on Fridays when both the boats and the terminals can get very crowded.. A period return crossing generally costs upwards of £45, but lookout for special offers. For those that travel regularly, books of bulk tickets can be bought. The ferries themselves are fairly spacious, and serve snack foods and drinks. They generally leave on the hour and half hour from either side, but this usually slows to the hour at around 8pm, with a longer break around midnight or 1am.Wightlink – Lymington to YarmouthMost of what has been written with regards to the Portsmouth – Fishbourne crossing is applicable here. The ferries themselves are slightly smaller, and there isn't as much parking on either side. However, it's worth remembering that you can often still get a place on this ferry when the Portsmouth – Fishbourne route is fully booked. Ferries generally leave at quarter past and quarter to the hour from Lymington, and on the hour and half hour from Yarmouth. From the end of October they generally slow down from around 6pm. Ferries don't run as frequently as the Portsmouth – Fishbourne route throughout the night, so you may have to wait longer.Red Funnel – Southampton to East CowesCrossing takes approximately 55 minutes. Again, you're advised to arrive half an hour before sailing. The Red Funnel Southampton – Cowes ferry generally costs the same as the Portmouth – Fishbourne, although in some cases may be a few pounds cheaper. Their ferries are comfortable and often serve drinks and a range of meals throughout the day. The Red Funnel ferry gets very, very busy around Cowes week, and you are strongly advised to not only book, but arrive very early for your crossing. Red Funnel ferries run on the hour from Southampton, and on the half hour from East Cowes. Generally, there's only one anomaly to this, when a sailing missed at around midnight or 1am every night. |
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| The information on this site about Isle of Wight ferry crossings is provided as-is.
Information is based on personal experiences and opinion at time of print in October 2006. Any problems should be sent to help - at - iowferries - dot - co - dot - uk. Advertisiers on this site may place and read 'cookies' or 'web beacons' on your web browser to collect information in the course of the ads being served. If you want to know more information about cookies, the wikipedia article is very good. If you want to remove or manage cookies, try googling 'clear cookies', and you'll find loads of bits that will help. |