Fancy a trip across The Solent to the beautiful natural landscapes of the Isle of Wight? It is a lot more accessible than you think! Read more to find out how to get to and around the island.

Train

Take a train from London Waterloo directly to Portsmouth Harbour (1h30m-2h). Simply walk over to the passenger ferry and in less than 30 minutes later you find yourself on the Isle of Wight! Take a short tube train into Ryde, the largest and main town of the island.

The Isle of Wight is easy to access by train and ferry from anywhere in the UK, not just London. The average travel time including ferry from Brighton is 2 hours, from Oxford is 2h30m, from Bristol is 2h45m, from Birmingham is 3h30m, or from Cardiff or Exeter is 3h45m. The majority of the trains are operated by South Western Railway.

Tip: Buy a joint train and ferry ticket and check-out the timetables beforehand.

Ferry

Regular services depart from the south coast of England to the north side of the Island. Hovertravel, Red Funnel and Wightlink are the main ferry providers. The local bus and train services correspond to the ferry arrival times, so getting there is hassle-free. Portsmouth Harbour to Ryde Pierhead typically takes 20-25 minutes. At the end of the Pier, there is a train station with services running as far as Shanklin on the south coast of the Island. At the top of the Pier, you can find a bus station linking the rest of the Island to the main town.

Flights

It is also possible to fly into the Isle of Wight if you are travelling from outside of the UK. Flights connect via the major London airports, Heathrow and Gatwick. Skyscanner gives an overview of available flights for your travel dates, and Rome2Rio helps plan your full journey.

For more information please visit Visit Isle of Wight where you can find more detailed information that may be useful when planning your travel arrangements, and keeping sustainability in mind! If you would like to ask our team of specialists any questions about this fantastic coastal trail, please don't hesitate to contact one of our Destination Specialists, who will be more than happy to help and share their walking experiences!