We are looking at taking the Villages of Southern England tour. We have previously spent a whole day at the nautical exhibits in Portsmouth. We would like to take the ferry to the Isle of Wight and see Osborne House, an interest to us after watching Victoria on PBS. If we miss leaving Portsmouth with the tour, I think we could take the train and meet the tour group in Salisbury. Does this sound feasible or have any of you done this day trip?
Posted by
Portsmouth
5256 posts
We've done Osborne House as a day trip (quite an easy one for us). We drove and used the car ferry to Fishbourne however I suspect that you will not have a car and intend on using public transport in which case the fastest route would be to take the Hovercraft from Southsea Esplanade to Ryde Pier which is a 10 minute journey (and quite an interesting one if you've never experienced a hovercraft) and then take the number 4 bus from the pier to Connaught Road, East Cowes (25 minute average journey) where Osborne House is a 5 minute walk away.
The ferry takes you to Fishbourne which is a bit closer but takes considerably longer than the hovercraft and is more expensive.
I'm not sure where the tour meets up at the end of the day however I suspect it's the Historic Dockyard. The ferry terminal is closer to the dockyard than the hovercraft terminal is however there's not much in it, you could walk it in 15 minutes or travel via taxi for less than a fiver. If you do miss the group then a train to Salisbury is perfectly feasible. The only problem is that you might find yourself wanting to spend more time on the Isle of Wight!
Posted by
OP
Port Ludlow, WA
38 posts
Thanks for the great ideas. I think we will see if the weather is good and decide when we arrive in Portsmouth, unless we need to reserve the hovercraft before that day.
Posted by
Portsmouth
5256 posts
No need to reserve the hovercraft unless you intend on travelling at peak times. What time of year are you going? The hovercraft is susceptible to cancellations due to bad weather. The ferry is more resilient and if you're not taking a car there's no requirement for advance reservation (unless you make the bad decision to travel during the IOW Festival)
Posted by
Alexandria, Virginia, USA
504 posts
It's not a cool as the hovercraft, but you can also take a conventional ferry to Ryde, which connects you to the cute little railway that runs on the Isle of Wight. You board the ferry right by the railway station in Portsmouth.
Posted by
OP
Port Ludlow, WA
38 posts
It looks like our tour will be in Portsmouth around June 14th. We have taken a hovercraft from Naples to Capri, it was a longer ride with lots of sick tourists due to rough waters.
Posted by
Portsmouth
5256 posts
June should be fine. The Solent is a short stretch of water (but the most expensive in the world to cross) and is typically quite calm. I wouldn't expect any problems in June.
Posted by
Hampshire, UK
398 posts
"We have taken a hovercraft from Naples to Capri, it was a longer ride with lots of sick tourists due to rough waters."
Was this long ago? I have never heard of a hovercraft being used to Capri so it did surprise me to read this.
Posted by
Sevilla
1290 posts
I suspect they meant a hydrofoil rather than a hovercraft. They can be pretty grim in rougher water, though often get cancelled when it's really rough (as do hovercrafts, of course)
Posted by
Portsmouth
5256 posts
This is the hovercraft to the Isle of Wight, there's never been one to Capri.
Posted by
OP
Port Ludlow, WA
38 posts
Sorry about that, yes it must have been a hydrofoil in Naples. They are used here in Seattle for trips to Victoria, BC.