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Travel to Isle of Wight in August

Hello from Canada!
Will be spending most of August in UK travelling with a friend. We are landing in Edinburgh and spending a few days on Skye, then 2 weeks in Outer Hebrides before returning to Edinburgh. My friend will fly back to Canada the morning of the 17th and I have booked 4 nights in Shanklin on Isle of Wight to fossil hunting walks and explore. I am very excited as fossil hunting has been a bucket list item I mine for almost 50 years and I have been in contact to book private fossil walks. I have booked lovely accommodation, but where I am struggling is planning the train/ferry trip from Edinburgh to the Island. I am completely overwhelmed at trying to figure things out.

I want to leave early in the morning on August 17th. My friend has to be at the airport early and will drop me at the station before she returns our rental car. It looks like Waverly Station is where I would start my journey, is that correct?
I then need to head to the ferry terminal in Portsmouth?
And from there a ferry, and then a bus once on the island to Shanklin?
I will then be returning to London at the end of my stay in Shanklin to spend my last week before returning to Canada.
I would be so grateful for any assistance figuring this out.
Cheers!
Michelle

Posted by
5752 posts

Why not fly from Edinburgh to Southampton and take the ferry or catamaran from Southampton to Cowes on the Isle of Wight? A flight time of 1hr 25mins versus a circa 7hr train journey to Portsmouth.

Posted by
10008 posts

From a purely practical standpoint, as you will be at the Airport anyway, you could look at the 1035 flight on Loganair to Southampton airport for £163.
Train to Portsmouth Harbour, then the catamaran to Ryde Pier Head leaves from the terminal which is part of the station.
At Ryde Pier Head the island line train to Shanklin.

Of course the train is way better for the environment, but you either have to cross London or take Cross Country direct to Southampton.
As this is a Sunday see my other thread on XC Industrial Action.
If using the train then yes Waverley is the right station.