Best Way to the Isle of Wight?

[M&NEJ]

I'm in the North West so not familiar with the south coast of England. I'm thinking of a trip by rail to Weymouth for a few days and then the Isle of Wight, some time in July.

For the Weymouth to Ryde leg, National Rail Enquiries says go to Southampton then on to Portsmouth for a sea transfer (by hovercraft?). I thought there was a ferry from Southampton - would this not be the easier option?

Thanks for any advice.

 

[John Webb]

The Southampton ferry goes, I recall, to Cowes, not Ryde. So if you entered Ryde as your destination that's why it's suggested going to Portsmouth.
There is also the Lymington Ferry to Yarmouth link towards the west end of the island - reached by train from Brockenhurst which is closer to Weymouth than Southampton or Portsmouth.

 

[M&NEJ]

Aha, thank you. I entered "Ryde" in the journey planner because that will be my destination on the Isle of Wight. I suppose the journey from Yarmouth could be interesting if there's a bus; but now I've looked at a map I can see that Portsmouth might actually be a good option.

I prefer to do as much by rail as possible; but I didn't know if, for example the Southampton ferry would require an awkward bus or taxi connection from Southampton Central.

 

[John Webb]

Can't help you in any detail - when I was much younger we had several family holidays in Totland Bay at the west end of the island - we always went to use the Lymington-Yarmouth ferry catching a train from Waterloo as we lived in SE London. From Yarmouth it was a taxi to our lodgings in Totland Bay.

 

[ANDREW_D_WEBB]

Aha, thank you. I entered "Ryde" in the journey planner because that will be my destination on the Isle of Wight. I suppose the journey from Yarmouth could be interesting if there's a bus; but now I've looked at a map I can see that Portsmouth might actually be a good option.

I prefer to do as much by rail as possible; but I didn't know if, for example the Southampton ferry would require an awkward bus or taxi connection from Southampton Central.

Ferry at Southampton would require the Quay Connect bus from outside platform 4 at Southampton Central.

Hovercraft means a shuttle bus from Portsmouth and Southsea, but drops you at the main Ryde bus station in the town centre.

Catamaran from Portsmouth Harbour is part of the station, but rail connections at Ryde Pier Head can be tight meaning a long wait.

The island enjoys a good (although somewhat expensive) bus service so Yarmouth is also possible

 

[M&NEJ]

Again, thank you. This is very useful detail. I'm particularly drawn to the Quay connect bus at Southampton because I'm imagining that the ferry sailing along Southampton Water could be quite interesting and more sedate than the crossing from Portsmouth.

 

[joncombe]

There are two ferries from Southampton to Cowes. The catamaran (Red Jet) which goes to West Cowes and takes about 25 minutes and the slower car ferry, which also takes passengers, to East Cowes. Due to the speed of Red Jet you might not see a lot due to spray and there is no outside area accessible during the crossing so you might not get to see all that much.

You would see more from the car ferry but it is slower and goes to East Cowes. You can take no 4 bus to Ryde from East Cowes. From West Cowes it will be bus to Newport and another to Ryde but it may be quicker depending on connections. There is also a ferry(called the floating bridge) between them, though it is not all that reliable.

 

[Gloster]

Options are:

Train to Brockenhurst, change for Lymington Pier, ferry to Yarmouth, and then bus (7 then 9) to Ryde. Advantage: probably cheapest and fairly direct. Disadvantage: nothing seems to connect with anything else.

Train to Southampton, bus or walk to RedJet terminal, RedJet to (West) Cowes, walk to bus, bus (1 then 9) to Ryde. Advantage: none really, if you are heading for Ryde, Disadvantage: nothing connects with anything else.

Train to Southampton, bus or walk to car ferry terminal, car ferry to East Cowes, bus (4) to Ryde. Advantage: probably the most direct. Disadavantage: connections still a problem, the bus service across Southampton is designed for the RedJets.

Train to Southampton, change for Portsmouth Harbour (possibly change additionally at Fratton), FastCat to Ryde Pier Head, train to Ryde Esplanade. Advantage: all changes of transport mode are only a few yards. Disadvantage: indirect (although not necessarily slowest).

I can’t comment on the Hovercraft as I have never used it, but that involves a bus from Portsmouth & Southsea to the terminal, but the then the hover dumps you the other side of the railway at Ryde.

 

[Ken H]

Again, thank you. This is very useful detail. I'm particularly drawn to the Quay connect bus at Southampton because I'm imagining that the ferry sailing along Southampton Water could be quite interesting and more sedate than the crossing from Portsmouth.

Check out the IWO bus company Southern Vectis. Islandbuses.info (takes you to bus company website with bus times etc)

 

[ajs]

The island enjoys a good (although somewhat expensive) bus service so Yarmouth is also possible

The £2 bus fare stops at the end of June but Southern Vectis do offer a day ticket for £10 adult and a day plus breezer ticket for l think £14 adult although the 2 day rover plus breezer ticket is something like £17.50.

The Breezer Bus includes the open top bus from Yarmouth to The Old Battery.

See the Southern Vectis web site fir full details of routes, maps and fares.

I have travelled on the car ferry from Southampton to Cowes and it is quite a leisurely journey. I think speed limits apply along Southampton Water and these would apply to the Red Jets but have no idea what view you would get from one of them.

 

[ajs]

At the moment there are no trains from Ryde Pier Head to to Ryde Esplanade because of work on the pier.

It is hoped to have the trains running no later than the 10 June 2023 according to the Island Line website.

 

[M&NEJ]

Train to Southampton, bus or walk to car ferry terminal, car ferry to East Cowes, bus (4) to Ryde. Advantage: probably the most direct. Disadavantage: connections still a problem, the bus service across Southampton is designed for the RedJets.

Train to Southampton, change for Portsmouth Harbour (possibly change additionally at Fratton), FastCat to Ryde Pier Head, train to Ryde Esplanade. Advantage: all changes of transport mode are only a few yards. Disadvantage: indirect (although not necessarily slowest).

Thank you for all the information. I like these options but I need to consult someone else before making a decision!

 

[30907]

Despite your preference to avoid buses, I would go for Lymington-Yarmouth in this case, and return to the mainland by whichever of the other routes suits your journey back to Lancs. On a busy day, though, the ferries may from experience run late.

The crossing is very pleasant and rather a contrast to the other two, and the bus ride is nice; changing at Newport is straightforward now the bus station is back to normal, and the no.9 to Ryde is every 10min. Total bus travel about 1hr.

 

[Gloster]

At the moment the bus fare Yarmouth-Ryde is £4.90, a Day Rover £10 or £14 if including the open toppers. ENCTS cards are not valid on the open toppers, but there is a fare of £8.50 for ENCTS holders. All fares are the current ones ignoring the £2 special and any possible price rises.

I would add that it is quite a walk from Southampton station to either terminal.

 

[themeone]

I've only been on the Red Funnel from Southampton in the recent past and found it very pleasant and relaxing. It docks at East Cowes which doesn't have that much in it, unless you want to shop in Waitrose, but there's a decent bus service to Ryde and Newport, and a chain ferry across the Medina to West Cowes where most of the shops and other attractions are.

All I would add, which can impact your return journey, is that island roads can get very busy in rush hour and if you get caught in the traffic you can easily miss your return ferry.

 

[Chris125]

The most visually interesting route - by a country mile - would be ferry to Yarmouth, a very pleasant place to break the journey, and then taking the bus to Newport and again to Ryde. Double deckers are a great way to see the island.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Doesn't the "best way" to the Isle of Wight, to a certain extent, not depend on where one is travelling from on the English mainland, how you're getting to an appropriate South Coast ferry terminal (by car / motor bike, by train, by bus / coach, etc), whether you'll be wanting to bring your car / motor bike with you, if that's actually possible, and finally where it is you're staying on the Isle of Wight.

There won't always be just a single solution.

 

[michael8]

Through tickets are available to your final destination, which can easily be seen on nationalrail.co.uk. This makes it super easy to buy one ticket for the entire journey:

If you enter East Cowes (or Cowes East on a TVM I believe) you will be routed via Southampton Central then the Quay Connect bus (included in price) and vehicle ferry. This is a 1 hour crossing but is very pleasant, with a good canteen, seating areas and outside decks, and a premium lounge (extra price payable on arrival at the lounge) which offers complimentary snacks in a hotel-like lounge area - worth it in my opinion!

If you enter West Cowes (or Cowes West on a TVM) you will be routed via Southampton Central, Quay Connect bus (included in price) and fast passenger ferry.

If you enter Ryde Hoverport (XRD) you will be routed via Portsmouth & Southsea, Hoverbus (included in price) and hovercraft crossing to Ryde. Fun and exciting!

If you enter Ryde Pier Head you will be routed via Portsmouth Harbour which is actually a pier, at the end of which docks the fastcat foot passenger ferry which will take you direct to the end of the pier at Ryde. The pier can be walked along or if you select your final destination as Ryde Esplanade instead of Ryde Pier Head it will include travel along the pier by minibus or train when it reopens (10 June). This ferry has a sun deck and gives a nice view of the historic Old Portsmouth area.

As far as I know it's also possible to do similar with Yarmouth as your final destination.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

Regarding the various comments above about the Hoverbus connection, it starts back at Portsmouth Harbour station these days, although of course you'd be passing through Portsmouth and Southsea first anyway if you were intending to use that...

Another thought occurs to me: Do Lymington to Yarmouth then the bus from there to Ryde*, which will allow you see quite a bit of the island scenery on the way.

*Might be a change of bus in Newport as I'm not sure if the circular route that runs all the way round the island still does or if they now split it into a series of connecting routes.

 

[Snow1964]

If you are coming from Weymouth by rail, then changing at Brockenhurst for Lymington pier and the ferry is probably the prettiest. The branch runs through New Forest heathland, then alongside the yacht harbours. The journey along Lymington river is fascinating.

Going via Southampton is a long way to Town pier, you might get to see cruise ships, otherwise it will be past the oil refinery (if you can see through any spray).

Portsmouth-Ryde is the least scenic crossing in my view. The rail journey is fairly slow Southampton-Portsmouth as the line snakes around the various river inlets.

Don't know your travel date but if you choose Southampton then always worth looking at the cruise ship schedule, just scroll down to date you need

Cruise Ship Schedule - Southampton VTS - ABP Southampton

The web site of Southampton VTS (ABP Southampton). ABP is the Statutory Harbour Athority for Southampton Water, and VTS Authority and Pilotage Authority for the Eastern Solent and Approaches. Information about safe navigation, pilotage and harbour rules and regulations. Live data covering...

www.southamptonvts.co.uk

 

[Gloster]

*Might be a change of bus in Newport as I'm not sure if the circular route that runs all the way round the island still does or if they now split it into a series of connecting routes.

From Yarmouth it is 7 to Newport and 9 on to Ryde. There are buses that run in season all the way round the south and east side of the island. The Island Coaster is one bus at 16.20 from Yarmouth to Ryde until 21 July, thereafter two at 14.50 and 15.50 taking two and a half hours (there is a third at 16.50, but you will have to change in Sandown). There are two morning buses in the opposite direction that take nearly three hours, plus one starting at Sandown.