Must say I'm surprised by the size of that ship and the capacity numbers point towards a very popular route. Would love to explore that area, looks right up my street and I think you and me both love a wee ferry crossing! A wee bit shorter than the Santander route, but a very enjoyable watch, cheers.
It's not so much a popular route Steve as an essential one for us Isle of Wighters. The passenger ferry and the hovercraft from Ryde to Portsmouth don't run beyond 9.00 pm in winter and that means the Fishbourne ferry is our connection to the mainland.
Cheers Steve, certainly do love the ferries and this one was right up there despite only being 45 minutes journey time. Really quiet noise-wise, clean, everything you need on board and some lovely deck space.
That's a lovely video. I think cross-Solent travel is different for the holidaymaker than it is for the resident. The ferries are big, spacious, clean, new and well supplied. As a start to someone's holiday it is great. As a resident who regularly uses Wightlink's services, we just want a more regular and cheaper service. It is an essential service for IOW residents. Glad you enjoyed your visit to the Island.
Cheers Tony, yes totally agree it’s different for us tourists. On a slightly different subject, I often wondered whether anyone had ever considered the feasibility of a small commercial airport (have to say I haven’t really researched this, just seems like a potential option but again for holidaymakers rather than regular commuters obviously).
@@LetsMakeaTrip There are 2 working airports on the Island at Bembridge and Sandown but they are purely for small private aircraft. What has kicked around for what seems like ever is the fixed link debate. The Island really needs a permanent like. As nice as Wightlink's (and Red Funnel) ferries are, we can't rely on them but the campaign for a link doesn't have support of our MP.
I use wightkink alot and the ships even the older ones are all kept well and have good facilities. The crews are friendly too. Just a shame that its normally far cheaper to sail to France than take a car to the Island
Cheers mate, yes I’ve been on one or two of the older Wightlink ferries myself. This latest/largest is fantastic though. I can’t remember how much I paid to take my car on them Years ago but no I don’t think it was particularly cheap.
I always find Lymington to Yarmouth the most scenic crossing. Then straight onto what must be the most scenic bus route in Britain up to the Needles Battery.
Have to agree with the comments , was chatting away and didn't even realise we were moving, no noise, vibration like most ships. Now have the 2 P&O hybrids to compare and have to say it is certainly the way to go for short sea crossings.
I use this route once most years to get to the steam railway. It seems to get very few foot passengers, maybe 4-6 typically, and sometimes I have been the only one. An exception was one year when I shared it in both directions with an entire women’s football team. The first generation of catamaran ferries on the Ryde pier route could not operate in rough seas, so at those times a special bus was laid on to take passengers between the termini in Portsmouth and another between Ryde and Fishbourne. I don’t know if this still applies now that we are on the third generation catamarans.
Live in Portsmouth and holiday on IOW every couple of years or so. Only thing that spoils it is the cost of taking the car . A little tip. If you stay at one of the two Warners sites you can get a ferry for about £30 -£60 return when you book with them otherwise it's around £150 and upwards and really expensive during school holiday rip off times
Pompey local here. Great vlog Mark. Little fact, Robbie Williams filmed part of his video for Road to Mandaley on the Isle of Wight ferry back in the day. Not the one you travelled on, sadly.
Are you planning another trip to the IOM when the new ferry Manxman is in service. It finally arrives at Douglas today after its long journey from the builders in South Korea
To get a cheaper ticket, move to the Island (called a Multilink) - then you can join us in complaining about the ferry prices when you need to get to the mainland with your car in the tourist season! lol. We are off the Island for a few days at the end of August going on the shortest route (Yarmouth - Lymington 30mins), booked well in advance - a snip at £180.50...
Southern Vectis advertise that bus 9 leaves Fishbourne only once a day, (sometime before 1am). Thats so the bus doesn't get in the way of other traffic when the ferry is loading.
Fishbourne brings back memories from long ago! The Ferry seems to have grown a lot over the last 50 years! Still think I'd take the Hovercraft if I didn't have a car though!
Great day out sir; you will have to try the other routes and options to the Island including the Cats to Ryde pier ( and the unusual train) and the " white" class ferries on the Lymington to Yarmouth run... not forgetting the options from Southampton to Cowes with Red funnel... Thanks for your vlogs !!
Thanks for the comment Richard - appreciated. There are a few options left to try yes. If I had to choose, it’d be the Southampton- Cowes route purely from a tourist, sightseeing perspective 😊👍
That’s the crossing we used to do back in the 80’s on our family holidays. Often the weather on the Isle would be much better than Portsmouth. As a child always exciting to cross.
Excellent as usual, and a fantastic day for it! I must explain my amusing story of that ferry. Taking the car a few years ago with very young kids, our eldest (4yo) needed the loo as we pulled up at the waiting area at Portsmouth. I got out with him to use the facilities in the terminal. By the time we came out, the ferry had gone, along with our car, my wife and younger child! Quick turnaround, certainly! She'd mentioned us to the staff but they told her to drive on, we then were told to walk on the next ferry! No tickets or anything, as all the paperwork was in the car! At least we made it in the end, she'd pulled up by the Fishbourne port.
My worst nightmare that. Doubt it would happen as my partner doesn’t drive. Sitting in line to board ferries though, there’s always one or two cars whose occupants haven’t come back from the toilets or cafe or somewhere and everyone’s driving around them 😂Great story mate (with a happy ending) 👍
I am old enough to remember not being allowed out of the car on this crossing as the ferry had no facilities for passengers travelling on their own. All foot passengers had to use the ferry from Portsmouth to Ryde which was a passenger only ferry.
Yeah I think that's how I was told about it. No facilities. Tbh I thought that was still the case. I went to IoW once in 1989 on the catamaran and one broke down 😮 unsure whether people where on it though but was the one I was booked on. This was sealink.
I have done the Fishbourne one but not many people on foot know about it.I think that foot passengers mainly use the West Cowes Southampton, the Ryde Portsmouth and in the west of island Yarmouth Lymington.I walked to Fishbourne when I used that ferry but maybe Southern Vectis do a bus to it from other places on the island?The East Cowes to Southampton is the longest one I'd imagine.
I’d like to try the Cowes - Southampton one from a tourist, sightseeing perspective tbh. Someone did mention the bus calls at the ferry terminal in the early hours apparently to meet one of the ferries 😊👍
Great video, living near Portsmouth I love going down to the old part to watch the ferries come and go. Have been on that one before and going back in August for a holiday, it’s very relaxing and fishbourne is really good. Staff are always excellent, can get very expensive at peak times though.
Cheers Tony, yes the old part of Portsmouth is fantastic isn’t it. So atmospheric in the evening watching the boats going past. I could easily have a holiday there without actually going anywhere else!
When I've gone to the island from Portsmouth, I've always gone to Ryde on the ferry. Not done that trip for over 20 years. Years ago when you were booked on the car ferry, you had to give a return time.
One journey on the 9 comes to the terminal each way in the early hours of the morning, 0046 a 9 to Newport, and 0050 a 9 to Ryde, as normally foot passengers would use the Ryde catamaran which has last crossing at 2245 from Portsmouth so those trips allow foot passenger connection off the 2359 car ferry sailing
@@LetsMakeaTrip probably because of the foot passenger catamaran link, but a lot of folk have said it would make sense to divert one bus an hour even, or just the 4s, which run every hour anyway
I got this ferry as a foot passenger myself last year, I personally didn’t mind it, I find the ferry more handy as it runs later than the hovercraft, I walked down for the number 9 bus too 😂
Have travelled this route back in the 80s, quite a few times also Lymington/ Yarmouth and also Red Funnel - a longer journey from Southampton to Cowes...great to see again...
Excellent video. It reminds me of crossing between Malta and Gozo onboard the Gozo Channel Ferry (a conventional ferry too). My longest ferry trip was six years ago between Malta and Catania, 8 hours. Will definitely pay a visit to the isle of wight someday
Hello mate long time no see great content just like I expected I got some news for you apparently I'm going to Brighton on holiday on the 24th of July now you might think that i would take the train right? WRONG! I will be taking national express so basically I live in Northampton right and Brighton is near the end of England so it would take me six hours to get there another thing is that I would be taking two national express coaches I would be taking the first coach route 455 to London Victoria and the second coach route 025 to Paul valley coach station which is basically in Brighton as you might expect anyways sorry this comment might not be about your amazing video it's just that I want to share the news to someone who's been on national express before
It was! Only a small ferry crossing this time but definitely worth it. Especially with the weather and there’s lots to see as well. If I wasn’t filming, I’d have just been on deck I think, relaxing 😊
Great video! Yes it is easier to walk from kite hill on the no. 9 bus as the bus does stop in the Wightlink car park but that is only once in the middle of the night at 00:35
@@LetsMakeaTrip Yeah it's for the night ferry, just strange how it doesn't go there at other times because I expect the service will be used alot for people if they are getting off at the terminal even if it just serves it 2 or 3 times a day
@LetsMakeaTrip I bet. I went many years ago before hand and the seacat broke down. I think people had to be rescued from it. Sealink though. I'm old seemingly
As a regular on this route as my mum lives on the iow i can confirm it gets soo busy during the summer holidays etc that you struggle to find a table! Nice video. I also love going on the hover too
Cheers Hannah, thanks for the info. Yes I can imagine summer holidays all over the island can get a bit fraught! Brings money in I guess but for me, yep, I’ll come back when it’s quiet again I think 😊
