Getting to the Isle of Wight
New for Bestival 2008: our car park and campsites will open at midday on Thursday 4th September!
Ferries:
If you do not live on the Island and you haven't bought a travel and ticket package from one of our ferry operators, you will need to book your ferry crossings to and from the Island. Please do this as soon as possible through one of the following:
Wightlink - www.wightlink.co.uk/bestival / 0871 376 1000
Red Funnel - www.redfunnel.co.uk/bestival / 0844 844 9988
Hovertravel - www.hovertravel.co.uk / 01983 811000
Wightlink foot passenger 'FastCat' runs from Portsmouth Harbour to Ryde Pier Head in around 15 minutes. Wightlink car and passenger ferries run from Portsmouth to Fishbourne and Lymington to Yarmouth in approx 35 minutes.
Red Funnel passenger/vehicle ferries go from Southampton to East Cowes. The crossing takes approx 50 mins and sailings connect with shuttle buses to the festival. Foot passengers can also travel on the 'Red Jet' service from Southampton to West Cowes which takes approx. 20 mins.
Hovertravel takes 10 minutes to reach the Isle of Wight. Its foot-passenger hovercraft departs Southsea seafront in Portsmouth and travels to Ryde town on the Island.
By Coach:
National Express can provide coach services from all over the UK into Wightlink's Portsmouth Ferry Terminal. Check www.nationalexpress.com/bestival, call 08717 81 81 81 (£1 telephone booking fee applies) or visit any National Express outlet for more info and to book.
By Train:
South West Trains operate services to Portsmouth Harbour, where you will be metres away from the Wightlink 'FastCat' service, and to Southampton Central where a courtesy bus will take you the short journey to Red Funnel's 'Red Jet' and passenger/vehicle service. Further info at www.nationalrail.co.uk or 08457 484950.
By Car:
To plan your route by car head over to the AA Route Planner. It's especially important to pre-book your Ferry travel if you are travelling by car!
Also, why not get involved in our Car Sharing scheme and help save the environment from that extra pollution... & save some of your own money in the process! Head over to www.liftshare.org for more info & to sign up.