please empty your brain below
You can even buy through tickets that are also valid on the Isle of Wight's rail system, eg from (say) Horsham to Shanklin. Ticket machines (and presumably ticket offices) will offer you a choice of the two sea crossing routes when you get a fare like this.

Muzer | 29.05.18 - 1:42 p.m. | #

Dover's never been the same since the hovercraft stopped running. The roar every time they arrived and departed swept right through the town.
Happiest memory: a 24 minute apron-to-apron crossing from Calais to Dover on a billiard-smooth English Channel.

Man of Kent | 29.05.18 - 1:43 p.m. | #

I have never been more seasick than on the Dover-Calais hovercraft. At least it didn't last that long. I seem to recall it being something like 40 minutes.

Miles Archer | 29.05.18 - 3:39 p.m. | #

I used to think the original jet engine ones looked and sounded far more impressive, but that may have been partly because I was much younger.

Andrew S | 29.05.18 - 6:52 p.m. | #

Vowed "never again" after the France crossing. Across the sand was fine for a few hundred yards and then seconds later we hit the water! I have seen them coming in to be serviced at Cliffsend, where the original hoverport was. You can still the visit the now-deserted site, which DG might enjoy. (@DG - have you visited there already?)

dg writes (Yes).

Half a physicist | 29.05.18 - 7:08 p.m. | #

I visited IoW just because I wanted to go by Hovercraft. On the journey there the Griffons were grounded so that they used the old AP1-88s which were much louder. On the return journey they used the new Griffons.

While watching the Hovercraft turning around at Ryde Hoverport it nearly blew me away... :-)

Welcome | 29.05.18 - 8:03 p.m. | #

Not forgetting the story of the drunk Hovercraft Captain on this route a few years ago!

Sir Biton | 29.05.18 - 8:21 p.m. | #

In previous years, those nice folk at SWT ran some very popular (with me at least) offers where you could spend a day travelling all over their region for £15 and could add the ferry/hovercraft at a discounted rate. This offer also included the Island Line, so once you had disembarked at Ryde, you could get down to Shanklin. It might just be worth seeing if this offer is repeated, but the network now comes under the control of South Western Railway, so maybe not.

GJ | 29.05.18 - 9:02 p.m. | #

Watching the Hovercraft land at Southsea is very exciting, the noise, pebbles flying and the feeling that it's out of control

Simon Guy | 29.05.18 - 9:54 p.m. | #

I'm amazed they're still making new hovercrafts. I thought they were another great British invention that had its heyday years ago and never really took off (sorry!).

I do remember nipping over from Folkestone to Boulogne and back in a big hovercraft for a family Sunday lunch about 30 years ago. I also worked on the editing of a BBC documentary film made years ago (1969?) about an expedition up the Amazon by hovercraft. It navigated rocky rapids and would roar and spray its way up the river bank and plonk itself down in the middle of riverside villages, to the astonishment of the people who lived there - and of the people travelling on the hovercraft!

ActonMan | 30.05.18 - 1:39 a.m. | #

I have fond memories of riding on the the first hovercraft service from Southsea beach over to Ryde in 1966/7. It was a very special treat, since the fare was 7/6d, much more than the ferry from the harbour.

RosemaryT | 30.05.18 - 8:35 a.m. | #

Have been on a hovercraft twice - once on a school day trip to Boulongne in the late 70,s and the IOW one in 2014! Both were excellent fun!

Cornish Cockney | 30.05.18 - 9:36 a.m. | #

Riding that Hovercraft is still on my bucket list!

I was staying in Southsea for a weekend a month ago, and walked past the terminal. Next time I think I'll do this as a day trip...

Mikey C | 30.05.18 - 11:11 a.m. | #

London - Ryde (hoverport) is £32.65 for a Super Off Peak day return with Network Railcard. Not quite as good as your Gold Card discount, but pretty good.

For comparison - Super Off Peak day return fares from London using Network Railcard discount:
East Cowes £34.70
West Cowes £34.70
Ryde Pierhead £34.40

I thought that when I looked about a year ago the hovercraft route used to be more expensive.

ADS | Homepage | 30.05.18 - 4:13 p.m. | #

my memory of a hovercraft trip was probably about 1970 to Calais, I was very disappointed, it felt just like travelling on a coach and we couldn't see anything out of the windows.
I've also been to the Isle of Wight, in the mid 60s, but I think that was by ferry.
It seems that dg had a much more enjoyable Hovercraft journey than I did, perhaps Hovercrafts have improved in the last 40 years.

amber | 30.05.18 - 8:33 p.m. | #











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