Isle of Wight Ferries
Can anyone give me a guide as to what sort of price I should expect to pay for the ferry to/from the Isle of Wight in June with car and caravan? I don't mid whether it is from Portsmouth or Lymington. Thanks.
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The best way is to check the Wightlink and Redfunnel ferry websites and maybe do dummy bookings, John. Prices vary depending on the type of ticket, day and time.
The club also can book ferries for you together either a pitch at Southlands. (I think they still book Redfunnel out of Southampton too.) Check out the offer -
https://www.caravanclub.co.uk/membership/member-offers/wightlink/
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John
When we went in July, via Lymington it cost £155 booked with the Club. Even though discounted I thought it was a bit steep but we were in the New Forest prior to going to the Island so it was a bit more convenient. I don't know but would imagine the Portsmouth route would be a similar price. If you check out Red Funnel you may find them a bit cheaper. BTW our crossing was with a 6.6 metre motorhome. I quite like the Southampton to East Cowes route, it takes a bit longer but not much.
David
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A bit of useless I formation. Most think the the crossings to the I.O.W is the most expensive for the miles , but evidently according to my Bruv still an incomer although moved there in 1973
The crossing is the ninth most expensive and he did a stint on the ferries when they were part of British Railways Sealink fleet
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I paid £146, Portsmouth to Fishbourne on Aug 20th for my 6.99m motorhome & £240 for an additional vehicle as my daughters were joining us for 1 of the weeks.....
You only get discounted price on 1 vehicle.
I have already booked my ferry for Dover - Calais for June next year using my credit from last year, increase of £25 but at a total cost of £199-50, slightly better value than IOW considering the distance.....
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That seems expensive. Did you book via the Club or one of the campsites which usually gets you the discount. What they really need is a bridge over to the Island but there are a lot of vested interests in not allowing that to happen, I will say no more!!!
David
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The Portsmouth/Wootton ferry is within the new CAZ, so add a few quid to your calculations if you are a "smoker"
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Thanks, everyone for your replies. I've used Tinwheele'rs link to CaMC and got a price of £256.80. We're finding it difficult to find a two week slot at a CL in June / early July, apparently there is a big festival on which we didn't know about so we're thinking of going September instead. I hope the weather is still OK then.
Re CY's comment about CAZ we are Euro 6 so very 'clean'.
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We stayed at https://www.whitefieldforest.co.uk/offers/ arriving on Sept 1st with car and caravan, 2 adults, no children or dogs. Pricing was confusing as deals available through club, ferry company and with campsite. The deals differ depending upon duration so I really would advise contacting all parties. The 7 day deal had in our case was best done through the campsite.
£145 site + £125 ferry [Red Funnel]
Sept 1st - Southampton - East Cowes 11:00 - 12:00
Sept 8th - East Cowes - Southampton 12:30 - 13:30
Colin
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Goodness, yes, don't clash with the festival!
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There are several festivals each year on the IOW, or there used to be. They do tend to make everywhere very busy, even at the departure points to the Island. Probably best to avoid if you can. We made the mistake of going when the Bestival was on. They tend to last three or four days so maybe not a major distraction unless you are next door to one!!!
David
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May I ask why people seem reluctant to travel via Southampton?
David
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We used Southampton last time we went as Redfunnel was the only ferry the club booked with at that time (2019) and the return fare of £68 was a no brainer. That was for a 6m van and 2 of us but no refunds given.
The docks are easy to find in Southampton and well signed from the dual carriageway. It was also easy to pick our way out of Cowes at the other side.
We've used all 3 crossings and Portsmouth is probably our least favourite.
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Having used Lymington earlier this year I am not sure I would agree. OK I can see if someone is staying in the New Forest prior to departure then its a shorter journey. But as TW says access to the ferry terminal in Southampton is very straight forward and leaving in East Cowes is also easy. The only issue with either Lymington or Southampton is that you have to go through Newport, assuming you are heading for Southlands. Not sure the journey via Portsmouth is any easier?
David
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The area around Commercial Road, Arundel Street and all of Old Portsmouth is a bit of a nightmare. Whilst it didn't create the pollution issues they have now, the tsunami of "dockies" bikes at out muster back in the fifties and sixties was a sight to behold.
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We visited the IoW this summer and used Portsmouth - Fishbourne. Booking through the Club is substantially cheaper than the ferries’ direct price and you can also get discounted fares through site bookings. Portsmouth is not ideal; very tedious both on approach and navigating the old town. Also, be aware that there is limited parking at Fishbourne. We arrived early but were turned away and had to drive about 5 miles to find a lay-by to wait in.
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