One of the most economical and convenient means of travel to the Isle of Wight is via coach.
National Express runs services from many major towns in the UK down to Portsmouth, from where you can catch a hovercraft or catamaran across The Solent to Ryde.
COACH & HOVERCRAFT: A National Express through-ticket takes you from your UK departure point down to Southsea, and then a 10 minute 'flight' across the water by hovercraft, for one inclusive ticket price. It's the last commercial hovercraft service in the world, so a very unique way of travel. The coach will drop you at Clarence Pier in Southsea, directly opposite the HoverTravel Terminal. Ryde HoverPort is located on Ryde Esplanade, directly opposite the Royal Esplanade Hotel.
COACH & CATAMARAN: For a crossing by catamaran, the National Express coach will drop you at The Hard Interchange Bus & Coach Station at Portsmouth. From there it's a 1 minute walk to Wightlink’s FastCat passenger terminal at Portsmouth Harbour Station. The catamaran docks at Ryde Pier Head which is then a 10 minute stroll down the beautiful Victorian pier to the seafront where the daytime festival site is located. If you'd rather not walk, a train links Ryde Pier Head with Ryde Esplande. The pier is directly opposite Royal Esplanade Hotel. NOTE: you have to book the coach and catamaran as separate tickets.
To reach the Isle of Wight by train, the most convenient way is to catch a South Western Railway service to Portsmouth Harbour station and then take the catamaran passenger service to Ryde.
Wightlink's FastCat service to the Island is a 22 minute crossing to Ryde Pier Head. Then either walk (11 minutes) down the Victorian pier to the Esplanade, or hop on a train.
You can purchase a through-ticket, which includes the Wightlink FastCat crossing, from most mainland railway stations or online via National Rail's website.
Two ferry companies connect the mainland and the Island - Red Funnel and WightLink. The nearest car ferry port to the IoW Steampunk Festival is Fishbourne, 3.5 miles from Ryde.
PORTSMOUTH TO FISHBOURNE: Wightlink’s vehicle ferry from Gunwharf Terminal in Portsmouth will bring you to Fishbourne in under 45 minutes. From there it's an 11 minute drive to Ryde.
LYMINGTON TO YARMOUTH: Wightlink also runs a vehicle ferry service from Lymington to Yarmouth. The crossing takes 40 minutes and then it's a 35 minute drive to Ryde.
SOUTHAMPTON TO EAST COWES: Red Funnel's vehicle ferry from Southampton to East Cowes takes 1 hour and then it's a 30 minute drive to Ryde.
We have negotiated discounted vehicle ferry travel with both companies. Click the links below.
If want to cross the water to Ryde on foot, the two most convenient options are the catamaran from Portsmouth or the hovercraft from Southsea.
PORTSMOUTH TO RYDE: Wightlink's 'FastCat' catamaran from Portsmouth Harbour station brings you to Ryde Pier Head, from which it's just 11 minutes on foot along Ryde's Victorian pier to the daytime festival site on Ryde Esplanade. Or you can take the train from the pier head to the Esplanade Station.
SOUTHSEA TO RYDE: The hovercraft from HoverTravel's Southsea Terminal 'flies' you to Ryde Esplanade in under 10 minutes. It's the last commercial hovercraft service in the world, so a very unique way of travel
Or if travel from Southampton or Lymington is better, these are your options.
SOUTHAMPTON TO COWES: Red Funnel runs its 'RedJet' Hi-Speed service from Southampton to Cowes (that's Cowes Old Town, not East Cowes). It's only 28 minutes, but you'll have to hop on a bus or catch a taxi to Ryde.
LYMINGTON TO YARMOUTH: Quay2Quay runs a crossing from Lymington Town Quay to Yarmouth. It's a fixed price of £20 for a 7-day return so is excellent value. It's only 35 minutes, but you'll have to get yourself from Yarmouth the No7 Vectis Southern bus to Newport and then the No9 to Ryde.
You can also travel as a foot passenger on the vehicle ferries from Portsmouth to Fishbourne (Wightlink), Lymington to Yarmouth (Wightlink) or Southampton to East Cowes (Red Funnel) but you then have to rely on public transport or a taxi to reach Ryde.
We have negotiated discounted foot passenger ferry travel with Red Funnel and Wightlink.
Once you're in Ryde, everything going on at the IoW Steampunk Festival happens within town and along the seafront. If you wish to visit other places on the Island, a number of choices are available.
BUS: The main bus terminal is on Ryde Esplanade near the railway station. The Isle of Wight's bus company, Southern Vectis, serves most towns and villages across the Island. Timetables are available on their website and their app. Payments are Tap-On-Tap-Off, using your contactless bank card or smartphone. You can also purchase paper tickets on the bus with cash or card.
TRAIN: Or hop on a train if you wish to travel down the east side of the Island from Ryde down to Shanklin. The Island Line (South Western Railway) station nearest the festival is Ryde Esplande, but there are also stations at Ryde Pier Head and Ryde St Johns Road. You can buy train tickets online, from the ticket office, a self-service machine or through their app.
TAXI: There are also taxis on the Esplanade near the railway station, or you can Google a local taxi company. Uber does not operate on the Isle of Wight.
VINTAGE BUS: Ryde has a fabulous vintage bus and coach museum, and during the festival they are operating a free shuttle service from our dedicated bus stop outside Royal Esplanade Hotel to and from their museum. The service is free, but please do throw some coins or notes into the donations tin on the bus. All proceeds go towards restoring their collection of wonderful classic buses and coaches.
Ryde has a good choice of pay-and-display car parks, and some on-street parking with daytime restrictions. The closest car parks to the centre being St Thomas Street (short and long stay), Victoria Street (short stay) and Garfield Road (long stay).
If you prefer the ease of a parking app, the primary one on the Isle of Wight is 'PayByPhone'. In very rare instances you might find one using Ringo.
Some people rent their private driveways out, which you can find by using the JustPark app.
If you don't already have these apps, you will need to download them and register to use their service.
