Getting to Isle Of Wight without your car.
So where is the Isle Of Wight. First its not off the coast of Blackpool. That is Isle Of Man. Nor is it Jersey. The Isle Of Wight is just off the south coast of the Southern mainland England. A few miles off the coast of Portsmouth.
If you are coming by train then you can get a train into Portsmouth Harbour station and there are high speed cartamaran ferries run by Wightlink which take you to Ryde Pier Head where a vintage London Underground train run by Islandline will take you to Ryde Espalande for onward buses or on to Sandown and Shanklin. They take normally about 15-20mins to make the journey. Portsmouth Harbour is about an hour and half direct train from London Waterloo. Trains are run by South West Trains You can also go from London Victoria but its about an extra half hour. These are run by Southern Trains National Express also run coaches into Portsmouth Harbour (or The Hard as its often know). There also is a number of cheap buses between London and Portsmouth. Greyhound is cheap if you book in advance and travel off peak and is far superior to National Express. If you are travelling to Southampton then you need to get to Southampton Quay which is just 10min walk for the Red Jet run by Red Funnel This takes about 25mins and will take you to Cowes where buses will take you to Newport. Personally I would go to Portsmouth Harbour as its more geared for tourists with luggage and the most popular way for people who arrive by foot.
If you want to arrive in style by foot then I recommend the Hovercraft. Run by Hovertravel It literally flies on top of the water (far better if you suffer from sea sickness) and takes you right into Ryde seafront. Faster and much more exiciting and unique. It goes from Southsea which is 20min walk from Portsmouth or there is a "Hoverbus" from the city and Harbour stations. It takes about 10mins normally.
You can also travel by foot on the car ferries. See the Arriving By Car page for more info. A word of warning. While Wightlink's car ferry to Yarmouth stops near the bus station there the one to Fishbourne has no public transport. You will need to get a taxi or its about a 25min walk to the road to get a bus to Ryde or Newport. In Portsmouth it goes from about 15min walk from the Harbour. Far more accessible is Red Funnel's car ferry. It goes from Southampton Quay which is about 10min walk from the city centre or there are buses. Buses to Newport and Ryde are literally a few mins walk from the ferry. It takes about an hour but there is a coffee shop and restaurant which does surprisingly good food. You can sit on the top deck outside. In the summer they do a BBQ.
Once on the Island Southern Vectis runs buses all over the Island. A mix of double decker buses, single decker buses and smaller buses. On most routes buses run twice an hour or better 7 days a week. Some smaller places are only served every hour. They also run open top tour buses during peak season. Drivers are mostly friendly and happy to answer any questions or give you a shout when you get to your stop. Remember you normally have to signal on the bus you want the stop by pressing the bell or asking the driver for the next stop. At the bus stop just raise your hand when the bus approaches so the driver knows you want that bus. If they are late they will sail by if you don't. They only do single fares and this can work out expensive so a multi-journey ticket is best. They are called Rover tickets or freedom passes. You can get one day, two day, week or monthly. If you make more than a few journeys it will save you money. They can be brought on the bus from the driver or from shops showing "Paypoint". If you prefer taxis despite the name Ryde Taxis operate all the Island and are cheap and very friendly drivers. The train service run by Island Line is limited but still exciting and cheap.
Ferries are expensive. If you are travelling via Wightlink from Portsmouth Harbour then remember you can get a train ticket to any train station on the Island and get a railcard discount. It is worth getting a railcard. Info at http://www.railcard.co.uk/ as you will save about 1/3 on the railcard. There are railcards for senior, families, disabled and young people (up to 25 years old) but also there is a railcard just for use in the South East area off peak for anyone. This will pay for itself after the first or second journey. As long as your ferry ticket includes a train journey with a railcard you will get 1/3 off the whole journey not just the train bit. Its worth going on on-line train ticket websites to play around and see if you can get a discount even if you are not travelling by train. Buying a train ticket from Portsmouth Harbour to Ryde Esplanade should get you a 1/3 off the whole journey including ferry. You can buy this ticket on-line or at any train station.
So get a train ticket to Ryde Espalande. Get off there (or stay on the train if travelling to Brading, Sandown or Shanklin) and then get a rover ticket which will allow you to travel on Southern Vectis buses all over the Island.
If you want any more information or assistance please feel free to contact me.
