Kent to the IoW

[alex397]

EDIT: Sorry, probably should have put this in the Fares Advice section....

Hi all,

I think this is the correct place for this.
I shall be heading from Kent to the Isle of Wight, hopefully in the next few days. Obviously my target is the Island Line! I have a feeling there could be travel restrictions in the next few months so I’m going now just in case (also before the Class 483s fall apart!).

I will travel via London, then SWR to Portsmouth. I hope to travel with Hovertravel.

The thing I’m not quite sure on is what sort of ticket to book. I see you can get a through National Rail ticket from Kent to Ryde Hoverport. I presume this covers the Hovertravel as well?
Including Hovertravel rather than just getting a Kent to Portsmouth ticket is only about £10 extra. This compares to a £33 ticket when getting a separate Hovertravel ticket, which is a big difference and doesn’t seem right. So, have I got that right?
I will also be heading to the Island Line straight away, so is I worth including that in one ticket too?

Apologies if I’m being thick, so some advice on the best sort of ticket to get for this journey would be much appreciated. I will be returning to Kent the following day, so staying just one night.

 

[Gloster]

You could always go via Portsmouth Harbour and Wightlink FastCat to Ryde Pier Head. I am not sure about the difference in cost, but you don’t have to worry about getting to Southsea Hoverspeed terminal and you get delivered right to the start of the Islandline. You might be able to get a through ticket to Shanklin.

 

[alex397]

You could always go via Portsmouth Harbour and Wightlink FastCat to Ryde Pier Head. I am not sure about the difference in cost, but you don’t have to worry about getting to Southsea Hoverspeed terminal and you get delivered right to the start of the Islandline. You might be able to get a through ticket to Shanklin.

thank you. That is a thought, but would prefer the Hoverspeed with it being so unusual.

 

[Gloster]

Hoverspeed is suspended at the moment for Technical reasons.

 

[ajs]

Hoverspeed is suspended at the moment for Technical reasons.

Its Hovertravel not Hoverspeed.

You can get a Day Ranger on the IOW Unlimited day travel on the Island Line for just £6.50 (£3 for children) or take the family (2 adults, 3 children) for just £17!

Or

Hovercraft to and from IOW plus one day's unlimited travel on Island Line trains - for £24.90 (£12.50 for children or £67.00 for a family).

 

[vlad]

If you get a ticket to Ryde Hoverport (or any station on the IoW) then that will include the hovercraft crossing provided you choose that route (the other option is WightLink to Pier Head which is also included in the ticket) despite the fact it does seem ridiculously cheap.

The issue is getting from Portsmouth to Southsea Hoverport - apparently there's a bus from Portsmouth & Southsea station but I find it's easier to walk.

 

[alex397]

Hoverspeed is suspended at the moment for Technical reasons.

Looks like its back up and running now

If you get a ticket to Ryde Hoverport (or any station on the IoW) then that will include the hovercraft crossing provided you choose that route (the other option is WightLink to Pier Head which is also included in the ticket) despite the fact it does seem ridiculously cheap.

The issue is getting from Portsmouth to Southsea Hoverport - apparently there's a bus from Portsmouth & Southsea station but I find it's easier to walk.

Thanks for this. I think I will do this. It looks a lot cheaper. However, on their website Hovertravel are strongly recommended to book for the journey. Seeing as the National Rail ticket will be an anytime ticket, i'm guessing this doesn't guarantee a seat, which is a bit worrying.

 

[Hadders]

I'd buy a ticket to Shanklin, I've checked a few stations in Kent and there seem to be tickets to Shanklin routed '+Any Permitted Hoverspeed' and '+Any Permitted Wightlink'. This is likely to be the cheapest way and might be useful for Delay Repay claim in the likely event of delay on your day out, given the current reliability of the trains on Island Line.

 

[alex397]

I'd buy a ticket to Shanklin, I've checked a few stations in Kent and there seem to be tickets to Shanklin routed '+Any Permitted Hoverspeed' and '+Any Permitted Wightlink'. This is likely to be the cheapest way and might be useful for Delay Repay claim in the likely event of delay on your day out, given the current reliability of the trains on Island Line.

thanks - booked a ticket to Shanklin!

 

[boiledbeans2]

I'm currently planning a day trip to the IoW as well, likely one of the weekends this month or next month.

This is my ideal plan:

• Leave Guildford at 9am on a weekend
• Arrive at Portsmouth Harbour and get the Wightlink to IoW
• Ride the Class 483s up and down the entire stretch 3 or 4 times, on both trains
• Leave IoW on the Wightlink at 6pm and return to Guildford.

I'm trying to figure out the best fare option as well.

I have a railcard. Using this Saturday as an example, interestingly, a Guilford to Shanklin off-peak return through ticket on the SWR website is £28.60 via bus+Hovercraft, but £31.80 via Wightlink.

I have never been on a hovercraft before, so the hovercraft option might be fun.

If I buy a through ticket from Guildford to Shanklin, will I be able to ride the Class 483s up and down the line 4 times? I believe I need an Island Line Day Ranger?

I guess the cheapest option which suits my plan is a Guildford to Ryde Hoverport off-peak return through ticket at £25.85 (In contrast, Guildford to Ryde Pier Head is £28.20)? Followed by a Island Line Day Ranger at £4.35 (assuming railcard is valid)?

The SWR website explains the Day Ranger (https://www.southwesternrailway.com/destinations-and-offers/island-line/tickets-and-special-offers), but I can't buy it anywhere on their website.

Thanks for any advice!

 

[Gloster]

Ryde Esplanade has a ticket office which could sell you a Day Ranger. I may be in Ryde on Saturday (I was there earlier today) and I will check and ask about railcards, all being well.

 

[alex397]

Can confirm railcards are not valid on the IoW day ranger ticket, so there is only the one price for it. Asked the friendly ticket office at Ryde Esplanade when I bought one. Still good value I think though (if it’s not just an hourly service anyway!).

Be aware that it appears if you just have a railway ticket covering the Fastcat or Hovercraft, rather than a ticket from the company itself, it doesn’t mean you have a reservation so you may have to enquire about that.

 

[Gloster]

According to the ticket office at Esplanade last week, you shouldn’t have any trouble on the cat outside of the ‘rush-hours’; I didn’t ask about the hovercraft as I never use it. I doubt if there are problems at weekends if you are not travelling at the beginning or end of half-term.

 

[boiledbeans2]

Many thanks for your replies!

I'm probably going to do the IoW trip this Saturday, before COVID gets any worse.

I'm going to get up at 7am on Saturday and check the SWR website for any Island line disruptions (i.e. failed trains). If all is well, I'm going to book the tickets online straightaway. Otherwise, the backup is this Sunday.

But it's not looking good... checking the SWR twitter feed, the Island line has been operating an hourly service on Wednesday, Thursday, and today (Friday).

I checked the Hovercraft website as well - it says to make a booking 48 hours before travel, otherwise, you'll be put in a standby queue. Since I'll only be making the decision at 7am on the day of travel, I won't be able to book.

 

[alex397]

^ Good luck for your trip, I hope it goes well. Even if it’s an hourly service, it will still be worth going, for the unique experience.

I will say, that my Hovertravel journey only had about 12 people on it when I travelled recently. Obviously I don’t know how busy other journeys are though.

If for whatever reason you can’t get on the hovercraft, it seems fairly easy to book a Fastcat ticket, if you are comfortable booking on your phone. My hovercraft towards Ryde was cancelled due to bad weather, so I booked a Fastcat about 30 mins before it was due to leave.

 

[boiledbeans2]

^ Good luck for your trip, I hope it goes well. Even if it’s an hourly service, it will still be worth going, for the unique experience.

I will say, that my Hovertravel journey only had about 12 people on it when I travelled recently. Obviously I don’t know how busy other journeys are though.

If for whatever reason you can’t get on the hovercraft, it seems fairly easy to book a Fastcat ticket, if you are comfortable booking on your phone. My hovercraft towards Ryde was cancelled due to bad weather, so I booked a Fastcat about 30 mins before it was due to leave.

Thanks for the advice on the hovercraft!
Were you able to get any compensation for the cancelled hovercraft? I'm assuming you booked a through train ticket so delay repay applies?