please empty your brain below

Wow,DG! What a lovely busy day,packing all that in! Agree about the bus service on the Island, you never seem to get 'stuck' anywhere. We once just missed the direct bus from Newport to Ryde,but were advised by another driver that if we didn't mind going the indirect route,to get on his little and I mean little bus. He promised us one of the prettiest of rides. It went through tiny,twisty lanes and chocolate box villages. I wish I could remember the route number!
I seem to remember once in my childhood visiting the Isle of Wight on a stormy day, this was before Hovercraft and Hydrofoil. The ferry was a paddle steamer and it took quite a while to dock alongside Ryde Pierhead because of the rough sea.
It is a pity the Trains no longer go to Ventnor.
I have used the hovercraft a few times, but I find a nice way to get to the island is to take the longer crossing from Southampton to East Cowes with Red Funnel lines, it takes about an hour but is a pleasant voyage and you can have a good breakfast on board.
Next time you visit try and get to the Needles.
I often pass the Portsmouth Spinaker tower, and the Isle of Wight as I frequently take the ferry from Portsmouth to Spain.
Second John's recommendation for The Needles next time you visit and especially the open top bus that takes you up the steep hill to the top.
I love the IOW! My parents retired there, and relative ease of getting about without a car (compared to most other rural areas) was one of the reasons. Pity there are no micropubs on the island yet, but maybe I should incorporate it into my bike tour anyway!
Ryde is probably the only place in the world where you can board a tube train, a hovercraft or a catamaran. Or maybe universe!
Real ale? I thought you were solely a Beck's man!

I'll have to admit, the 38 stock is the main reason I'd want to visit the Isle of Wight, but it sounds like there are plenty more reasons besides.

Incidentally, an annual season ticket from Ryde Esplanade to Ryde St John's Road is the cheapest way to get a Gold Card, and thus 1/3 off off-peak Oyster fares. It was around £130 when I did it a few years ago, and I think I broke even - now it's £168 it would be a bit harder to justify.
Ventnor is a lovely place. Had a holiday there a few years ago. And the bus service on the island is amazing given it's almost all commercial, and a virtual monopoly for the operator. But on the other hand, they run services on Christmas Day!

The 1938 tube stock on the island is getting a little long in the tooth, and the track configuration stops them doing a proper 30 minute service, but the people who maintain those trains and keep them running are amazing. There's regular rumours of "new" trains for the island - 1972 stock has been mentioned but given the LU's delays in getting new tubes for the Piccadilly and Bakerloo, I suspect those trains will still be going when they're a 100 years old. Either that or the whole thing will have been converted to a modern tramway!
You seem to have done as much in one day as we regularly did in a two week holiday to IoW. Mind you, we had two children and husband needed a break.

Definitely recommend the place to anyone - go over by the foot ferry or hovercraft and take the bus/train. Who needs the added stress of driving along sometimes busy island roads? Specially around Newport (traffic jams), or getting stuck behind a steam traction engine - around the Isle of Wight Steam Extravaganza, August Bank Holiday weekend, at Havenstreet.

@Jo W - it used to be the 31. We'd wait especially to catch it back to Ventnor of an evening - sitting in the very back seat was as good as a fairground ride!

BTW- the original design for the Spinnaker tower would have had the 'legs' painted red all the way up.
@martin
As timbo pointed out in the comments of this DG post last year: http://diamondgeezer.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/gold-card-upgrade.html the network Railcard area was extended from Jan 2015 to include the Midlands.

So now the cheapest annual season ticket is from Lichfield City to Lichfied Trent Valley at £144, replacing the old favourite of Ryde Esplanade to Ryde St John's Road (now £168).
Thanks for the super photos, DG. Glad you had a great time.
Your photos brought back many happy memories for me. I first went to the Island in 1947 on holiday with my parents. At that time the railway ran all over the island, right out to Freshwater in the west. Later my in-laws retired to Binstead, near Ryde, and it was also the last place my wife and I visited in '09 before she passed away.
If (when) you go back try to visit West Wight, it's hand knitted and hasn't changed in years. You could do the Needles trip then. Try the ferry from Lymington to Yarmouth. It connects with a branch line train from Brockenhurst on the Bournmouth line.
Thanks DG for a great blog which really whetted my appetite for revisiting the IoW.

The last time I was there they still had the little steam trains running through to Ventnor !
You certainly packed a lot in. When going to Ryde I always go by Hovercraft now though. You can buy a through train ticket (just select Ryde Hoverport, rather than Ryde Esplanade or Ryde Pier Head). This includes the bus from Portsmouth and Southsea to the Hoverport, which is timed to connect with the hovercraft. Using the catamaran you have to factor in the extra time to get to Portsmouth Harbour station (a few minutes), and from getting the train from down Ryde Pier from Ryde Pier Head to Ryde Esplanade. Also the Hovercraft crossing is faster, which saves more time. So I find overall that the Hovercraft is generally faster overall and it is more reliable in my experience than the Wightlink Cat. It runs a lot more often than the catamaran (every 30 minutes daytime, every 15 minutes peak time). Hovertravel only need one craft to maintain a 30-minute interval (they have 2), Wightlink require 2 boats to maintain the same frequency (they have 2). Hence more likely to have problems with Wightlink because their 30 minute interval service has no resiliency.
.. and besides, everyone should travel on a hovercraft at least once per decade. Maybe not more, because although a highly unique form of transport, and also fast, they are quite noisy and uncomfortable, and cost a bit more. The through train ticket including hovercraft is available from central London, and maybe some other places, but not from my local station.
Interesting post, DG (I lived in Ryde for 14 years)

I don't know if you realise, but the station at Smallbrook Junction was built by the preserved railway - there was no station there in BR days or previously. The green Southern Railway station sign is therefore a fake !
I'm another IoW fan. Do go back for longer. The open top bus ride across the Downs is spectacular. Then there's the Bus and Coach Museum (now in Ryde), Calbourne Mill, Osbourne, Quarr Abbey, Carisbrooke Castle, the miles of beaches, the zoo, Newport Town Hall, Calbourne Mill, Ryde's quirky museum and so much more.
We only managed a day trip there last year, and didn't cram in nearly as much as you did!! Definitely inspired to take a longer return visit now.
I am finding that deflated hovercraft photo rather eerie. Never seen one in the flesh before.
We flew over the IoW recently in a light plane - looked lovely from the air. Now to land there!










TridentScan | Privacy Policy