You won’t need your passport when you hop on a ferry to the Isle of Wight off the south Hampshire coast!

Just 23 miles by 13 miles wide and three miles from the Portsmouth coast, the Isle of Wight is a fascinating and diverse island where attractions and activities are available in abundance, and a holiday here is perfect for families, couples and groups of any age.

There are twelve award winning beaches on the Isle of Wight of which three have been awarded the EU Blue Flag, namely Ventnor, Shanklin and Sandown beaches. There are long golden sandy beaches lined with cafes, shops and amusements (Sandown), beaches where lots of watersports may be enjoyed (Shanklin) and beaches where fresh crab and lobster may be purchased (Ventnor). Then there are small, quiet and unspoilt beaches like Colwell Bay and secluded beaches such as Steephill Cove complete with rock pools.

The Isle of Wight Music Festival took place from 12th to 14 June 2009, so pencil a note in your diary for next year (probably 11th to 13th June) although Cowes Week starts on 1st August; a spectacular sailing regatta.

So what is there to see once on an Isle of Wight holiday?

You can’t go to the island without visiting the historic Isle of Wight Needles famous for the natural multi coloured sand. Take the Needles Park Chairlift from the cliff top to Alum Bay Beach and back again, create your own sand ornament (sometime up to 21 shades of sand available), ride the carousel or tea cups, take a boat trip or visit the glass blowers and sweet factory!  The kids and geology enthusiasts will love Dinosaur Isle, and a trip on the Isle of Wight Steam Railway is a must too!  There is Carisbrooke Castle, and another family favourite, the Blackgang Chine which boasts an eccentric collection of attractions including a maze, hall of mirrors, indoor animated shows, water slide, rollercoaster and much more… 

To travel to the Isle of Wight there are a number of choices.  The Red Funnel vehicle ferries leave from Southampton Terminal 1 at Dock Gate 7 arriving in East Cowes 55 minutes later, whilst the Red Jet Hi-Speed passenger service regularly departs from Terminal 2, sailing to West Cowes on the Isle of Wight in under 25 minutes (a superb connection service with the train from London). A drive between East and West Cowes can take about 40 minutes, but there is a floating bridge for non-freight and passengers which is a lot quicker!

Wightlink covers three routes between the mainland UK and Isle of Wight. In about 40 minutes you can travel from Portsmouth to Fishbourne with your car; in under 20 minutes between Portsmouth Harbour and Ryde Pier Head by passenger FastCat catamaran or in about 30 minutes by vehicle ferry between Lymington and Yarmouth. 

Hovertravel runs hovercraft “flight” services from Southsea Port to Ryde in under 10 minutes, with a low cost bus service between Portsmouth & Southsea Station to the port.

Once a year a flurry of activity descends on Cowes on the Isle of Wight, for the Cowes Week regatta. In 2009  the event takes place between 1 and 8 August. The oldest and largest sailing regatta of its kind, Cowes Week has been running since 1826. With over 1,000 boats and well over 100,000 spectators, it promises to be a busy week, both off shore and back on dry land.

You don’t have to be a dedicated sailor to enjoy the week, there’s plenty of onshore activity during both the day and night. During the day you can explore Cowes and the surrounding area, taking in street entertainment and live music, whilst at night there are a variety of formal events, and many more informal get togethers! More information is on the Cowes Week website.

Travelling across to the Isle of Wight is straightforward, although advance booking is recommended if you are travelling by car. A Red Funnel ferry operates from Southampton to Cowes, the fastest services taking under 25 minutes for the crossing. This service caters for both cars on a car ferry to East Cowes, and a fast catamaran for foot passengers to West Cowes. For vehicles use Southampton Terminal 1, foot passengers depart from Terminal 2. There is also a FREE City-Link bus services that operates in Southampton between the terminals, city centre and Southampton Central railway station (platform 4 exit).

A Blue Funnel ferry is operating a passenger service on the Lymington to Cowes route, departing from Lymington Town Harbour Masters Jetty and docking at Trinity Landing on Cowes Parade. This service operates each way three times a day – departing Lymington at 07:00, 09:15 and 19:15, a return service operates at 08:00, 18:00 and 20:30. It’s always worthwhile rechecking these times before you travel.

Wightlink Isle of Wight Ferries also has a fast service between Portsmouth to Ryde, however this is a passenger only service. Wightlink also has a frequent service to Lymington from Yarmouth, which caters for both passengers and cars.  There are three ferries operating on this route, and has frequent sailings leaving Lymington from 03:45 until 23:59, and from Yarmouth from 04:30 to 00:35 the next day. It’s always advisable to recheck these times before setting out.

If you are travelling down to the area and need your own hire car, easyCar has car hire pick up locations in Bournemouth, Portsmouth and in Southampton. If you need a larger vehicle,  easyVan, has van hire pick up locations in Southampton.