It is extremely easy and quick to get to The Isle of Wight from mainland England. The crossings can take from a 10 minute crossing to an hours crossing (dependant on whether travel is by Hover, Fast Cat, or Red Jet (foot passengers only) or car ferry and from which port you travel from and to. Ferries run regularly right throughout the day; the most regular car ferry and shortest car ferry journey is provided by Wight link. Dependant upon where you are travelling from on the mainland, will depend on which port you will want to choose, the options are:

Route Approx Travel Time
Lymington to Yarmouth (Wightlink car ferry 30 mins
Southampton to Cowes (Redfunnel car ferry) 60 mins
Southampton to Cowes (Red Jet) (foot passenger only) 20 mins
Portsmouth to Fishbourne (Wightlink car ferry) 40 mins
Portsmouth Harbour to Ryde Pier Head (Fast Cat)
(foot passenger only) * 20 mins
Southsea to Ryde(Hover), (foot passenger only) 10 mins


* You can take the Isle of Wight train from the Ryde Pier Head which will take you through to Shanklin, the next town on from Ventnor. To complete the journey to Ventnor there is a bus from Shanklin station to Ventnor. (Shanklin is about 10 mins from Ventnor).

Travel Times
The Isle of Wight is more accessible and closer than you may think for example:

London - 2 Hours
Bristol - 3 Hours
Manchester - 5 Hours
Southampton - 1 Hour

Travel Links

Red Funnel Ferries
Wightlink Ferries
Island Line - Isle of Wight train service
Southern Vectis - Isle of Wight bus guide