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  1. Our routes
  2. At a glance
  3. Award winners
  4. Travel sustainably
  5. Service performance
  6. Meet the Team event
  7. Our registered office

About Wightlink

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The leading Isle of Wight ferry operator

Wightlink provide an award-winning ferry service between the Isle of Wight and Hampshire, bringing 4.2 million people together every year.

With three convenient routes and eight well-equipped ferries, we connect you with loved ones, business meetings, holidays, tradespeople, festivals, deliveries, wildlife and everything in between.

We’re true believers that your getaway starts on board, which is why we’ve fitted our ferries to the highest standards. Relax under the warm Solent sun on our outside decks, let the kids roam free in our play areas and taste some of the Isle of Wight’s finest food and drink in our cafés.

On this page

Our routesAt a glanceAward winners Travel sustainably Service performance Meet the Team eventOur registered office

Our routes

When you book a Wightlink ferry, you can take your pick from three routes connecting the south coast of England with the Island.

If you’re bringing your vehicle with you, choose from the picturesque Lymington – Yarmouth or the well-connected Portsmouth – Fishbourne routes.

Travelling on foot? Our Portsmouth – Ryde FastCat will get you across the Solent in just 22 minutes, with ports on both sides of the Solent situated perfectly for onward rail and bus connections.

Portsmouth – Fishbourne

Due to coronavirus there are changes to this route/service
minutes
Vehicle and passenger ferry

Portsmouth Harbour – Ryde

Due to coronavirus there are changes to this route/service
minutes
Passenger only ferry

Lymington – Yarmouth

Due to coronavirus there are changes to this route/service
minutes
Vehicle and passenger ferry
map

At a glance

  • We're experienced at creating memorable moments, bring 4.2 million people together sailing from 6 ports and up to 140 crossing per day in the summer.

  • Your getaway starts on board, with eight well-equipped ferries running on three convenient routes

  • When you sail with us, you know you're travelling sustainably. Our hybrid-energy flagship ferry, Victoria of Wight, is just one part of our pioneering Green Solent Project

  • With us, you can expect punctuality, reliability and speed, with crossing times starting at just 22 minutes

Award winners

British Travel Awards

Thanks to our hard-working colleagues and the votes of thousands of you, we’ve reached the top two at the prestigious British Travel Awards three years in a row. At the most recent ceremony, we picked up silver in the Best Ferry Company for Routes From/To UK Ports category.

Britain’s Best Ferry Operator

National Transport Awards

We were named Best Ferry Operator at the 2024 National Transport Awards, voted on by a panel of industry expert judges. A huge thank you to our hardworking crews and colleagues who put our customers first.

Wightlink named as Best Ferry Operator 2024 at the National Transport Awards

Environmental awards

Among our recent sustainability awards, we’ve picked up the Net Zero Navigator gong at the Maritime UK Solent Awards 2024, the Big Sustainability Award and the silver Green Tourism award.

Environment

Travel sustainably

With us, you get to travel overseas while minimising your environmental impact.

Travelling by ferry is far less damaging to the environment than flying and our pioneering Green Solent Project takes that one step further. Among many eco initiatives, we’ve introduced England’s first hybrid energy ferry and we have even more ambitious plans for the future.

  • Travel greener with Wightlink

    • Service performance

    We’re committed to running a reliable and punctual ferry service, ensuring you get across the Solent when you need to.

    Of course, there are times when we may be running behind schedule but we work throughout the year to try and keep these disruptions to a minimum, maintaining our fleet of ferries with annual refits and training our colleagues to the highest standards.

    Below, you’ll find our reliability and punctuality performance over the past 12 months and some more detail about how these statistics are calculated.

    2024

    Month (Period)Scheduled sailingsSailings sailedCancellationsReliability %Sailed on timePunctuality %
    January (P10)3,2343,1963898.8%3,08896.6%
    February (P11)2,7542,7272799.0%2,63196.5%
    March (P12)3,4733,4165798.4%3,16292.6%
    April (P1)3,8293,8002999.2%3,63295.6%
    May (P2)3,1793,174599.8%2,96693.4%
    June (P3)3,2033,199499.9%2,99693.7%
    July (P4)3,9893,9602999.3%3,72294.0%
    August (P5)3,2773,2354298.7%2,93390.7%
    September (P6)3,1323,1141899.4%2,86291.9%
    October (P7)3,8833,8265798.5%3,63294.9%

    How reliability and punctuality are calculated

    The method used to calculate our performance stats are used widely across the transport industry, particularly in the rail sector. The way we measure our operational performance was independently audited by a third party in July 2023 to verify the methodology.

    We report by financial period rather than calendar month – this gives a truer reflection when comparing year on year. For example, if Easter falls in March one year but April the next, by reporting by financial period we can ensure the two can be directly compared.

    • Reliability is calculated as the number of ferries that sailed compared to the timetable available to you 24 hours beforehand.

    • Punctuality is defined as the number of ferries that sail within five minutes of the scheduled departure time.

    Reasons for cancellations

    In October 2024 (P7), we had one cancellation between Lymington and Yarmouth, 17 between Portsmouth and Ryde and 39 on the Portsmouth – Fishbourne route.

    12 of these cancellations were the result of crew shortage, two were due to medical emergencies, 40 we the result of mechanical breakdowns and three were down to incidents or weather.

    Meet the Team event

    Our Meet the Team event is your chance to have a say on our services. The in-person sessions run three times a year on the Isle of Wight, allowing us to talk directly to you about ways we can further improve our service.

    Members of our team from a range of departments will be in attendance, so you can talk to subject specialists about the issues important to you.

    Attend Meet the Team

    Our ferries

    Our fleet of six vehicle ferries and two FastCat catamarans serve the Isle of Wight and mainland 364 days a year. Some have been with us for many years while others are new to the fleet – find out all about their history and see what facilities you’ll find on board.

    Learn about our fleet of ferries

    Careers

    We’re always on the lookout for passionate, customer-focussed people to join our on board and ashore teams. With competitive pay, excellent benefits and a variety of roles, find your perfect job with Wightlink.

    Careers

    Why choose Wightlink

    We’ve been bringing people together for over 160 years, so we know what it takes to provide a great ferry service. Get peace of mind with a reliable timetable, make memories on board with excellent facilities and enjoy overseas travel while minimising your environmental impact.

    Why choose Wightlink

    Our registered office

    Wightlink Limited,
    Gunwharf Road,
    Portsmouth,
    PO1 2LA 

    Registered in England No. 1059267 

    Certified to the ISM Code by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency