The ferry to France is way less than half the cost of the ferry to the Isle of Wight!

[Spriddler]

I was thinking of going to the Isle of Wight.
To the Isle of Wight: a 70 mile drive to the port for ferry at £271 return.
To France: a 20 mile drive to the port for ferry at £105 return (£131 less 20% wrinkly discount).
Little wonder I'll be going to France (as usual) and pocketing the saving of 166 quid for Moules and St Emilion.

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[OxfordMorgan]

If you book your crossing via one of the Campsites on the Isle of Wight, then you get special rates and will save $$$$.

We went this Easter - stayed at Appuldurcombe Gardens which was a good base for Ventnor & Shanklin, then Grange Farm which was great for exploring the whole area from Brighstone up to the Needles.
Ferry costs similar to the France costs you put above

You should go; it's well worth the visit

 

[VXman]

Isle of Wight is OK but France is much more interesting.

 

[rolosroller]

Don't try the Steam racket Isle of man then

 

[PaddyM]

Isle of Wight is OK but France is much more interesting.

Really ? A whole vast country is much more interesting than a tiny island , I am surprised , thanks for the insightful informed opinion !
We stayed at AppleCrumble as well and it was fab , cycled EVERYWHERE , had a few great meals and amazing crab sandwiches though not as interesting as France

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[gus-lopez]

To the Isle of Wight: a 70 mile drive to the port for ferry at £271 return.

whay are they not subsidised like the scottish island ones?

 

[nicholsong]

whay are they not subsidised like the scottish island ones?

Different government.

 

[Trevor Wbm]

If you really want to have your gast flabbered, work it out at cost per mile.

 

[herald_400rl]

Don't try the Steam racket Isle of man then

We're doing this next year, £350!!

 

[Spriddler]

If you book your crossing via one of the Campsites on the Isle of Wight, then you get special rates and will save $$$$.

We went this Easter - stayed at Appuldurcombe Gardens which was a good base for Ventnor & Shanklin, then Grange Farm which was great for exploring the whole area from Brighstone up to the Needles.
Ferry costs similar to the France costs you put above

You should go; it's well worth the visit

I did go a few years ago on my m/bike to a camping rally and thought the island rather charming and quaint but thought some of the seafront towns (e.g. Sandown, Shanklin) looked a bit run down and shabby.
I do quite like the island and no offence intended but I'd find it hard not get bored with a month or 6 weeks there, plus the £270 IoW ferry cost wouldn't encourage me to go for just a week or two.
It wouldn't stop me going but the cost of sites on the island would be unwelcome vs the free (and easy) or pocket money overnight stopping places across the Channel .

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[VXman]

Really ? A whole vast country is much more interesting than a tiny island , I am surprised , thanks for the insightful informed opinion !
We stayed at AppleCrumble as well and it was fab , cycled EVERYWHERE , had a few great meals and amazing crab sandwiches though not as interesting as France

Well in the context of the post - i.e a cost comparison, I thought it was a appropriate comment to make. ¯\(ツ)/¯

 

[pappajohn]

I would think it's obvious re: price difference......many thousands a year travel to France whereas a comparison handful venture to the IOW.

 

[jockaneezer]

Haven't the Scottish government stopped the ferry subsidy if you're in a camper van/motorhome ?

 

[zac]

Was born there and lived there for over 35 years and hate spending on those darn boats to get back there to see family, even with discounts its way over priced. About time they built the bridge (but that's another debate lol and wont be in my lifetime)
Only 2 main employers (GKN and IOW Council) on the island unless you are a carer as plenty of care homes, i've worked for both before leaving a while back due to terrible wages and doubling my money just by going over the to the mainland (used to travel daily for a year but that proved too expensive and tiring)
The worst boat out of them all is the one you quoted (Red Funnel), horrendous trying to get to the boat on the Island side when there is a delay as it queues up York Avenue out of the town. They are the cheaper ones to use but deffo the worst, Wightlink is better but again more money just a little more organised, i would rather travel more in the car and spend less time on the boat than the other way around which is why when we go over its usually Portsmouth Route out and back unless we are desperate then its Red Funnel
Most of the time now i get notifications saying ferry delayed due to sickness etc etc, never used to be like this, you used to be able to get a day return for £25 with car and passengers with Wightlink being around £30 and now its triple this and some depending on when you are going.

 

[scotjimland]

Thanks for the useful insights.. haven't changed my mind about not going.

same applies to a lot of other islands with expensive ferries..

a short hop over to France .. the Gateway to an adventure...

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[NigelNovice]

I went in August, booked via CAMC and got 50% off made the mistake of going via Portsmouth and got hit by a CAZ fine, so next year it's via Lymington for Scooter rally

 

[iamarobot1999]

For distance travelled I think its the most expensive crossing on the planet.
We also got caught out with the CAZ going and coming back!
It’s a strange place for sure, like going back to the 80’s. Was amazed to come across a shop in Sandown that just sold Gollywog
paraphernalia! Who does that?!

 

[zac]

For distance travelled I think its the most expensive crossing on the planet.
We also got caught out with the CAZ going and coming back!
It’s a strange place for sure, like going back to the 80’s. Was amazed to come across a shop in Sandown that just sold Gollywog
paraphernalia! Who does that?!

there used to be a sign as you travelled out of east cowes saying "Island Roads are Different" not sure if its still there as not been that way for quite some time, but what they meant was everyone drives at 20mph so you will not get anywhere in a decent amount of time. They think they are in a traffic jam if there is more than 4 cars in a queue lol, the dual carriage way or what there is of it is laughable (you blink and you will be at the end of it)
On a plus side it used to be a very safe place to bring up kids and the scenery is outstanding just now expensive to get too.

 

[iamarobot1999]

I had a chat with the woman who owns the shop and she seemed blissfully unaware that Gollywogs weren’t a thing anymore.
She still knits made to order Golly toilet roll holders Oh Please!! Unbelievable.
Obviously I left with a fridge magnet and a tea towel for the camper van!

 

[Spriddler]

I had a chat with the woman who owns the shop ...........

On the Isle of Wight?

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[iamarobot1999]

On the Isle of Wight?

Yep

 

[iamarobot1999]

On the Isle of Wight?

Why you in the market for a loo roll holder? HaHa

 

[Coastal Cruiser.]

whay are they not subsidised like the scottish island ones?

Think if you are a resident on “The Pile Of Shite” you get 50% discount and if you book a campsite they sort out a ferry discount.

 

[NigelNovice]

I had a chat with the woman who owns the shop and she seemed blissfully unaware that Gollywogs weren’t a thing anymore.
She still knits made to order Golly toilet roll holders Oh Please!! Unbelievable.
Obviously I left with a fridge magnet and a tea towel for the camper van!

there's a shop in Goathland (TV Heartbeat country) that sells them, does a roaring trade in them

 

[cyberyacht]

Last time I went to the IOW, it cost me a litre of red diesel. Having sold the yacht, I've not been back. Just as well, as a friend at the sailing club said the mooring fees are now through the roof.

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[nicholsong]

I used to work for a travel company that sold holidays which included a free minibus ride to the airport from anywhere in England and Wales.

IoW was included, so expensive for the company. I wonder if they still include IoW

 

[Steve and Denise]

It’s all down to supply and demand, france is not as desirable as IOW

 

[IRHP]

Haven't the Scottish government stopped the ferry subsidy if you're in a camper van/motorhome ?

They can't call it a subsidy as the government own and operate Calmac Ferries. There was something called the RET that reduced the prices quite a bit. https://www.transport.gov.scot/public-transport/ferries/road-equivalent-tariff/

For some reason they have hammered vans over 6m now and there was quite an increase last year if you fell into that category. My usual trip to Arran went from £56 to over £100.

 

[zac]

Think if you are a resident on “The Pile Of Shite” you get 50% discount and if you book a campsite they sort out a ferry discount.

There is no 50% discount for being island residents for boat crossings. They used to be slightly cheaper but no where near 50%. My daughter still paid over £190 to get off for island a couple of months ago via red funnel with island discount.
Wightlink do a multi pass which is decent but you have to buy 10 tickets which last time I checked was £330 which makes each crossing £33 but you have to book way in advance to be guaranteed a spot as they don't allow many bookings when using it. They also expire after 12 months so need to use it regularly.

 

[Coastal Cruiser.]

There is no 50% discount for being island residents for boat crossings. They used to be slightly cheaper but no where near 50%. My daughter still paid over £190 to get off for island a couple of months ago via red funnel with island discount.
Wightlink do a multi pass which is decent but you have to buy 10 tickets which last time I checked was £330 which makes each crossing £33 but you have to book way in advance to be guaranteed a spot as they don't allow many bookings when using it. They also expire after 12 months so need to use it regularly.

Working over there in late 80s building the Newport bypass and it was expensive then as a door passengerseems nothing has changed

Saying that my sister went over with her grandchildren for 3 days recently and said the car ferry was rammed on both journeys so all the time they keep loading them up they won’t be dropping prices!!

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