We will be landing @ Gatwick ~12:15p from France on Good Friday. What are your recommendations: train or bus to Portsmouth? Should we buy our tickets in advance? Should we purchase tickets for the ferry ride to Ryde also in advance? We need to be in our pre-paid B&B in Sandown by 8p or we cannot get in.
Thanks for your help in advance, Debbie
Posted by
Royaume-Uni nul points, pas plus
2600 posts
There are direct trains from Gatwick to Portsmouth Harbour for the ferry to Ryde.
You can get some bargain Advance tickets if you book ahead (£5) though the off-peak walk-up fare isn’t too bad at £16.50 if you can’t commit to a specific train.
http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/
Might also be worth keeping an eye on any planned engineering work for Good Friday
http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/service_disruptions/currentAndFuture.aspx
Posted by
Portsmouth
5554 posts
Yes, train direct to Portsmouth Harbour and then the ferry to Ryde. How are you planning on getting round the island?
Posted by
OP
Kansas City, MO, USA
63 posts
Thanks for the responses.
Our big concern was availability of transportation on the holiday weekend. So it sounds like we would be OK to buy our tickets when we arrive at Gatwick & Portsmouth???
We are planning to take the train from Ryde to Sandown & use public transportation while on IOW.
Posted by
Portsmouth
5554 posts
If you're worried about time and potential engineering works then you could book a taxi service (I know some reputable Portsmouth based ones that would collect you from Gatwick) and take the hovercraft across to Ryde. It takes 10 minutes and two adult single tickets on Good Friday at 16:00 is £37. It's worth booking ahead due to it being Good Friday and if you arrive early there's plenty to see in the immediate area.