Isle of Wight Transportation

  The Lymington Branch Train
by devat81
 
  • The Lymington Branch Train
      The Lymington Branch Train
    by devat81
  • Old Wooden Coaches
      Old Wooden Coaches
    by devat81
  • Island Breezers Bus
      Island Breezers Bus
    by devat81
  • Island Breezer Tour Map
      Island Breezer Tour Map
    by devat81
  • Wightlink Ferry
      Wightlink Ferry
    by devat81
 

Reviews from VirtualTourist Members

Wight Link Ferry

by devat81

We used the service from Wightlink car and passenger ferry from Lymington on the mainland to Yarmouth on the island. The journey took around 45-50 minutes. There is an open deck as well as covered area for sitting. We preferred the open deck on both inwards and outwards journey. There is a refreshment & toilet facility inside the cabin section of the ferry. The frequency of the vessel is about every 30 minutes during peak time. The fare is about 29 GBP for 2 persons for return in 2008 July.

Tip Photo
Island Breezers Tour Bus

by devat81

The island is covered by a wide but expensive bus service run by Southern Vectis, including spectacular open-top services in West Wight and near Ryde called "Island Breezers". Tickets can be bought from drivers and options include singles (up to £4.50), all-day "rover" passes (adult price of £10 for one day), evening "NightRider" passes (£4 after 7 PM), and various discounts to cater to students and the island's retired population.You can use the bus as hop off and on throughout the island. The Needles Breezer starts at Yarmouth and stops at the Needles and at Old Battery. The same ticket can be used within the island

Tip Photo
Trains to Lymington

by devat81

We used Lymington to our gateway to Isle of Wight. Lymington is the terminus of a branch rail line from Brockenhurst in the New Forest, where it connects with direct main line service in the route between London and Weymouth. We took the South-West train from Bournemouth to Brokenhurst and then used the branch line. The coaches are old wooden types and would remind you the heritage days travel experienceThere are two stations in Lymington; Lymington Town best serves the central area and marinas, whilst Lymington Pier is part of the ferry terminal complex.

Tip Photo
Aircraft of the Isle of Wight: 1920-1945

by budapest8

Air ServicesIn 1928, Oliver Simmonds started his own company in Weston, Southampton. He had worked for Southampton's Supermarine company, most famous for building the Spitfire. Oliver Simmonds company was known as Spartan, and built club planes and air taxis. Building the planes had been sub-contracted to Saunders-Roe, and soon Saunders-Roe had a controlling stake in the company, transferring manufacture to East Cowes.Saunders-Roe continued using the Spartan name, and built 13 Arrows, a small two seat biplane. They then designed the Mailplane, a plane for mail carrying services. Only the prototype was built, as it was developed into the Cruiser, a passenger carrying aircraft. Fifteen were built, and sold as far away as Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, Egypt and India, but the majority were kept by Saunders-Roe, who started an air-travel company, Spartan Airways, from Somerton in 1933. By the...

Tip Photo
Fast nippy cat

by LouiseTopp

Catch a train to Portesmouth Harbour from London Waterloo, & you can reach the fast Cat service. There's a cafe & toilets at the terminal, also a reception for enquries. On board you can feel the boat swaying upon the water, but it's nothing to worry about. two TV screens @ the front tell you about life jacket procedures which you will find infront of your seat. The seats are blue & comfortable, there's safety leafletts in the seats.You can watch a short programme about island life, althrough I couldn't really hear what was being said. There's loo's on board, althrough you are advised not to stand up. The Spinnicre Tower can be seen on the horizon which is quite impressive.Please visit the website for ticket prices, as they vary. The journey to Ryde doesn't take very long, althrough it can be a bit choppy in bad weather. Wheelchairs & pushchairs can be brought on board, they use ramps &...

Tip Photo
Take the Ferry

by Chiliweenie

The Red Funnel Ferry is a blast in warm sunny weather !! It leaves the waterfront in Southampton. If you are lucky, you'll see the QE II when in port for repairs. This is the harbor where the Titanic sailed.Not recommended in winter.

Tip Photo
Southern Vectis - The Island's bus service

by magyarozag

Vectis is the name the Romans gave to the Isle of Wight, and despite the name "Southern Vectis" it does cover the whole Island. Southern Vectis has been running for around 70 years and has some of the old models to prove it. The company is cheap and very relaible. There are services which cover tourist areas, and double decker orange buses which go from Ryde to the Needles Battery and Freshwater. Earlier in 2007, Southern Vectis launched it's new ranch of Mercedes buses, which run from Ryde to Newport and back. They may only be single deck but are state of the art, with pavement height ramp, for the disabled. Also this year the Newport bus station had an overhaul and now has a better layout and facilities. They also have a new website with an interactive bus guide. Anywhere you need to go on the Island, Sourthern Vectis will go there.

A quirky little train.

by planxty

Getting off the FastCat at Ryde Pierhead (see seperate tip for FastCat information), I could have been forgiven for thinking that I had mysteriously been transported back to London and considerably back in time. Almost the first thing I saw was a two carriage electric train that looked for all the world like a small, old version of a London Tube train. What I was actually looking at was the Island Line, a quirky little service from the Pierhead to shanklin via smallbrook, Sandown, Brading and Lake. The complete journey takes about 25 minutes.It's not surprising that I thought the train looked like a Tube train because that is exactly what it was - 1938 stock for the railway enthusiasts amongst you, brought over on car ferries.Initially opened between Ryde St. John's and Shanklin in 1864 the line was extended to the Pierhead in 1880 and subsequently electrified in 1965 after being saved...

Tip Photo
Catch the bus (when it arrives!)

by planxty

A cheap way of getting round is by bus. Southern Vectis are the company and they run services to all the main centres on the island. I have to report, in the two days I was there, I found the buses to be considerably less than punctual, although they are clean and the drivers seem friendly. It wasn't too much of a problem for me as I was just enjoying the relaxed pace of the place, but I did speak to a few locals who complained bitterly about the situation.Rover / freedom tickets are a good option for the traveller. For example, an adult 7 day go anywhere ticket costs just £20. You can buy unlimited travel tickets from the driver or from a number of shops on the island.Interestingly, the drivers will accept euro notes but will only give change in sterling.The system is centred on Newport, the capital of the island so if you were going from, say Ryde to Yarmouth you would need to change...

Tip Photo
A very fast cat.

by planxty

The FastCat service of Wightlink are comfortable catamaran vessels which ply the Portsmouth Harbour to Ryde Pierhead route in a brief 18 minutes. The vessels are clean and well-maintained and run from 0415 in the morning weekdays (0615 Sundays) until 2315 weekdays with the last one returning to Portsmouth at 2315 (2345 Sundays).Bicycles are permitted on board and a day return for a foot passenger is £13.

Tip Photo
Getting Around Isle of Wight

Top 3 Hotels in Isle of Wight

The Channel View Hotel  Shanklin

 1 Review and 68 Opinions  We have just returned from a most excellent stay in this hotel, excellent in ALL respects. The... 

 Hotels in Shanklin

Channel View Hotel  Sandown

 1 Review and 67 Opinions  Unfortunately I received a very nasty bout of food poisoning whilst staying at this hotel. I missed... 

 Hotels in Sandown

Lakeside Park Hotel  Ryde

 135 Opinions

 Hotels in Ryde

200 Hotels in Isle of Wight
 
Explore the World
Travel Destinations
Travel Highlights

The Place

Reviews and photos of Isle of Wight attractions posted by real travelers and locals. The best tips for Isle of Wight sightseeing.

Experience Isle of Wight
Transportation: Cities in Isle of Wight
  1. Sandown Transportation
  2. Ventnor Transportation
  3. Newport Transportation

More Cities in Isle of Wight

 

Questions and Answers

northeast80 profile photo

Q:  Hi All Has anyone ever cycled round the Isle of Wight? I've found a few routes and wondered if anyone had any suggestions. We... 

puerto_lover profile photo

A: IOW is a brilliant place to explore and especially out of school holiday season. I don't think it matters which way round you go as it is a circle and sooner or later you... 

Read 2 Replies

postQuestion_button