Latest news with #Wightlink
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Customers hold pirate protest at ferry meeting
A group of Isle of Wight ferry users dressed up as pirates to protest high fare prices and greet the maritime minster on a visit to the island. Mike Kane visited Cowes to meet those involved in providing ferry services across the Solent, as well as the council and local MPs. Users said they dressed up in striped t-shirts and pirate hats, alongside a wooden boat, to demonstrate the strength of feeling among islanders. A spokesperson for ferry firm Wightlink said the meeting had involved "a good exchange of views and some positive next steps to take forward". Posting on X after the meeting, Mr Kane said: "I hope all parties can now deliver for local people, ensuring access to reliable, affordable journeys." East Wight Conservative MP Joe Robertson, who attended the meeting, said the minister was "helpful", but he "won't pretend everything was solved in one meeting". "There's still a lot of convincing to do to make the government understand that we are in a unique position in that we have lifeline transport providers that are; privatised, unregulated, unsubsidised, and with lots of debt," he said. Nigel Talbot took part in the demonstration and said: "We have to make a stand." Bronwyn Hamilton Brown, from the Wightlink User Group said: "People are leaving the island because they can't afford to live here. "They are separated from their families - they can't afford to visit them and their relatives can't afford to come here, they're marooned." Others who joined the demonstration held plaques reading "Pirates of The Solent" and "Fair Ferries or Ye'll Face Mutiny". Mark Reen runs a B&B in Cowes and said the island was being strangled. "It's affecting businesses, people can go to Majorca for a week cheaper than the ferry for a short break here," he said. West Wight Labour MP Richard Quigley said he would keep fighting "to make sure we get the best deal for islanders to try and get across that stretch of water, which is quite expensive as we all know". The Wightlink spokesperson said: "Everyone at Wightlink cares about the needs and concerns of our Island customers and we are committed to working in partnership with all roundtable participants to support and grow the Island's economy by bringing more visitors across the Solent." You can follow BBC Hampshire & Isle of Wight on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram. Island ferries 'simply not good enough', says PM Islanders 'disconnected' by ferry scheme Ferry boss defends discount ticketing scheme Wightlink Wightlink User Group
BBC News
03-04-2025
- BBC News
Isle of Wight ferry discount scheme challenged by island users
Ferry users and campaigners have said claims made by the boss of a ferry operator about its service are Taylor, chief executive of Wightlink, which connects the Isle of Wight with Portsmouth and Lymington, took calls from listeners on BBC Radio Solent on told listeners that 15% of seats were guaranteed to Multilink Pass holders, a scheme that allows islanders to buy lower-priced tickets in bulk, but this could often be more if there was space nearer to the journey. However, Wightlink User Group (WUG) said families were being "disconnected" because there were not enough spaces for islanders and discounts were still expensive. Bronwyn Hamilton-Brown, a trustee of WUG, said the only way she could see her family was if she travelled on the the foot passenger ferry and her family picked her up in Portsmouth. She said the cost for them to come over regularly in a vehicle was too much. "We aren't the priority," she continued. "If they can get £150 from somebody, they certainly aren't going to give us [island residents] one-way passage for £36.50," she added. Others complained about not being able to use tickets bought through the company's Multilink Taylor said the ferry operator did all it could to "allow family and friends to connect".Wightlink could not confirm the precise number of vehicles on each crossing due to their varying sizes but told the BBC: "The amount of space on car ferries reserved for customers with discounted Multilink Passes is, on average, 30% of capacity. "On some sailings it is higher, on others lower - but it is never less than 15%."On the Wightlink website, the cost of 10 singles works out at £36.50 per sailing, and 60 singles - which costs a total of £1,710 - works out at £28.50 per Hamilton-Brown said she felt frustrated by the cost of a Multilink Pass as "the only way you can get a journey for less than £30 is if you buy 60 passes which costs thousands of pounds.""How many people have got nearly £2,000 to spend on ferry travel?" she continued. 'Extortionate' Other frustrations voiced by listeners included comments made by Ms Taylor about terminal cafes offering free food and drink during travel disturbances, and alternative options for people struggling to pay fares due to financial Saunders, from Sandown, asked why being on benefits was the only way to receive a discount: "What about the people who aren't on benefits but the cost of living has really wiped them out. "It's still unaffordable."Isle of Wight East Conservative MP Joe Robertson said: "The Isle of Wight contains the only two constituencies in England which are entirely reliant on unregulated, private companies for connection to the rest of the country. "Wightlink can make changes themselves, and they need to - starting with a cap on extortionate peak car ferry travel and timetabling more early and late services on all their routes." Wightlink confirmed a price increase to the Multilink Pass from 14 April. Responding to the hike, Ms Taylor said: "Our first duty as an operator is to provide lifeline services to island residents."However, in common with businesses across the UK, we are now facing increased operational costs, driven partially by the rise in National Insurance Contributions, meaning we are having to make changes to ticket pricing." 'Investing millions' Sarah lives on the mainland and travels on Wightlink between Lymington and Yarmouth three or four times a year. "I feel sorry for the ferry companies - they don't know when it's going to be busy," she on disruptions to service and the price of fares, she said residents needed to factor that in."When you choose to live on an island, that goes with the territory," she said. A spokesperson for the operator added: "Wightlink invests many millions of pounds every year on regular maintenance and annual refit and dry-docking for its fleet of eight vehicle ferries and passenger FastCat catamarans."Over the last year (31 March 2024 - 1 March 2025) 99.3% of scheduled ferries sailed and 93.2% departed within five minutes of the scheduled time." In a letter to WUG, trustee Mark Rogers - the government's Maritime Directorate for the Department for Transport - made it clear it would not engage with complaints made about transport providers."While we understand the disruption that the issues you raise cause, complaints about transport providers are best handled by the company itself," Mr Rogers said. You can follow BBC Hampshire & Isle of Wight on Facebook, X, or Instagram.
Yahoo
31-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Ferry boss defends discount ticketing scheme
A ferry boss has defended its discount scheme for Isle of Wight residents, following criticism about the number of spaces available on board. Katy Taylor, chief executive of Wightlink, which connects the Isle of Wight with Portsmouth and Lymington, took calls from listeners on BBC Radio Solent's Hot Seat feature. Callers complained about not being able to use tickets bought through the company's Multilink scheme which allows islanders to buy lower-priced tickets in bulk. Ms Taylor said at least 15% of spaces were designated for Multilink travellers and the ferry operator did all it could to "allow family and friends to connect". The Multilink scheme gives anyone who lives on the island the opportunity to buy a book of discounted tickets in bulk. A standard return journey for a foot passenger could cost about £30 while car tickets are close to £90. A book of 60 tickets under the Multilink scheme costs £1,710 - working out as £28.50 per sailing. Among callers to the programme, Mark in Bembridge said he used the ferry a lot and paid a £680 up-front payment for 10 return car ferry journeys via the Multilink offer. "The primary frustration is when you go on to your website and book Multilink and it says nothing is available. "You're then forced to book and buy a standard fare, then when you go on to the ferry it's not in any way full," Mark said. He added: "A lot of us feel like second class citizens when it comes to the use of Multilink." Ms Taylor said the operator worked hard to balance costs and needed to charge more for standard tickets in order to be able to offer discounted tickets for islanders. She continued: "We have to be realistic that on those really busy times of year, when customers are paying those higher fares, we do need them to be able to book on to those ferries. "Essentially they're subsidising those much cheaper fares." A minimum of 15% of seats are guaranteed to Multilink travellers, but this could often be more if there is space nearer to the journey, Ms Taylor said. Ms Taylor also addressed issues of reliability, including the delays of about 90 minutes on the vehicle ferry service between Fishbourne and Portsmouth since Sunday evening. She said this had been caused by "unusually low" spring tides which meant the vessel could not berth at Fishbourne. Ms Taylor, who took up her post last year, admitted "there is more we could do" to communicate with passengers. You can follow BBC Hampshire & Isle of Wight on Facebook, X, or Instagram. Passengers face long delays after ferry fault Wightlink
BBC News
31-03-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Wightlink ferry boss defends Multilink ticket policy
A ferry boss has defended its discount scheme for Isle of Wight residents, following criticism about the number of spaces available on Taylor, chief executive of Wightlink, which connects the Isle of Wight with Portsmouth and Lymington, took calls from listeners on BBC Radio Solent's Hot Seat complained about not being able to use tickets bought through the company's Multilink scheme which allows islanders to buy lower-priced tickets in Taylor said at least 15% of spaces were designated for Multilink travellers and the ferry operator did all it could to "allow family and friends to connect". The Multilink scheme gives anyone who lives on the island the opportunity to buy a book of discounted tickets in bulk.A standard return journey for a foot passenger could cost about £30 while car tickets are close to £90.A book of 60 tickets under the Multilink scheme costs £1,710 - working out as £28.50 per sailing. 'Be realistic' Among callers to the programme, Mark in Bembridge said he used the ferry a lot and paid a £680 up-front payment for 10 return car ferry journeys via the Multilink offer."The primary frustration is when you go on to your website and book Multilink and it says nothing is available."You're then forced to book and buy a standard fare, then when you go on to the ferry it's not in any way full," Mark added: "A lot of us feel like second class citizens when it comes to the use of Multilink."Ms Taylor said the operator worked hard to balance costs and needed to charge more for standard tickets in order to be able to offer discounted tickets for islanders. She continued: "We have to be realistic that on those really busy times of year, when customers are paying those higher fares, we do need them to be able to book on to those ferries."Essentially they're subsidising those much cheaper fares."A minimum of 15% of seats are guaranteed to Multilink travellers, but this could often be more if there is space nearer to the journey, Ms Taylor Taylor also addressed issues of reliability, including the delays of about 90 minutes on the vehicle ferry service between Fishbourne and Portsmouth since Sunday evening. She said this had been caused by "unusually low" spring tides which meant the vessel could not berth at Taylor, who took up her post last year, admitted "there is more we could do" to communicate with passengers. You can follow BBC Hampshire & Isle of Wight on Facebook, X, or Instagram.
The Guardian
20-03-2025
- The Guardian
Tennyson, Virginia Woolf and Jimi Hendrix – all on a car-free trip to the Isle of Wight
The green tidal mudflats are noisy with gulls and lapwings as the ferry sails towards Yarmouth. Far out on sparkling water, a white sail stands out against misty downs. The Victorian poet laureate Alfred, Lord Tennyson regularly tramped over those chalky hills, declaring 'the air is worth 'sixpence a pint''. There is no need to drive for a holiday on the Isle of Wight. Regular ferries connect with mainland trains and the island has a good network of buses. The Guardian's journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link. Learn more. I am travelling as a foot passenger on the 40-minute Wightlink ferry from Lymington Pier, where the train arrives along an embankment with yachts, plovers and redshanks outside the window. Once on the island, the Summer Links bus service, running from April to late September, stops at the entrance to Tapnell Farm, where I'm staying for a couple of nights in a well-equipped cabin with a hot tub that looks out towards Tennyson Down. The 14-mile Tennyson Trail runs along the spine of West Wight. It crosses tumuli-studded Compton Down, where there is a clear sense of being on an island: sea views on three sides, with long tapering white cliffs to the west and the gentler coast winding off to the east. There are blue butterflies and chalkland flowers such as orchids, wild thyme and nodding musk thistles. Freshwater Bay is a couple of miles away, so I head there on my first day for a swim among the chalk stacks. The most direct route from Tapnell skirts the site of the 1970 Isle of Wight festival. With an audience of about 600,000, it's still the biggest concert ever held in the UK. Jimi Hendrix played there on 31 August that year; three weeks later he was dead. A short walk from the beach, a bronze statue of Hendrix, with his feet in Spanish daisies, stands in the garden of Dimbola. Once home to pioneering Victorian photographer Julia Margaret Cameron, it is now a gallery displaying pictures by Cameron and other photographers with changing exhibitions and one room dedicated to memorabilia from the annual Isle of Wight festivals (£6.90 for adults, £3 for children). Cameron was the great-aunt of writer Virginia Woolf, and Dimbola is the setting for Woolf's only play, a 1935 comedy called Freshwater. Tennyson, the Camerons and the actor Ellen Terry are all larger-than-life characters in Woolf's satirical drama. The real Terry appears pensively in one of many celebrity photos on display at Dimbola. In Woolf's play, her character complains about having to wear itchy wigs and pose for artists and photographers. She declares: 'Nothing ever changes in this house. Somebody's always asleep. Lord Tennyson is always reading. Maud, the cook, is always being photographed.' Tennyson's creeper-covered house Farringford is just around the corner (gardens £4.50; book ahead for house tours). A wooded footpath, heading left beyond the nearby thatched church, leads to the entrance. It runs under a footbridge that was first built by Tennyson to avoid his many fans. (In Freshwater, his character complains: 'Twenty earnest youths from Clerkenwell are in the shrubbery; six American professors are in the summer house; the bathroom is occupied by the Ladies Poetry Circle from Ohio.') Beyond Farringford's colourful walled garden are parkland walks and the 'careless-ordered' feel that Tennyson describes in a poem. You can see a cedar tree sketched by Edward Lear and the magnolia whose flowers Tennyson laid on his wife's pillow. Back at the thatched church, I catch the open-topped Needles Breezer for a heart-stopping hairpin ride up to the clifftop Old Battery fort. The viewpoint for seeing the sharp limestone rocks and the red and white lighthouse is close by. Heading down again on the next bus, I can see Alum Bay's cliffs of multicoloured sand, and Tudor Hurst Castle over the water. The day's last Summer Links bus back from Yarmouth to Tapnell is also an open-topper and runs along waterside Tennyson Road. A £19 rover ticket gives me 48 hours' unlimited bus travel around the island and includes the open-toppers. It's drizzling steadily next morning and my hiking plans look less appealing. I was hoping to walk east along the Tennyson Trail, past prehistoric remains with intriguing names like Five Barrows to reach the National Trust Mottistone Gardens. Instead, I roll through rosy thatched villages on a surprisingly efficient series of buses, finishing with bus 12, which drops me at Mottistone's entrance. The land around Mottistone's old stone manor house has become a flowering garden with subtropical plants, scented roses and banks of foxgloves. The rain brings out the strong scent of the magenta beach roses, the subtler pale pink shrub roses and abundant purple catmint. The misty air makes the flowerbeds seem brighter, and fills the woodland and wildflower avenues with romantic fog. Raindrops spangle the orange lilies, red bottlebrush flowers and deep blue delphiniums. 'This drop of rain is a blessing,' says head gardener Ed Hinch. He explains that the spiralling flowerbeds of the sandy Lower Garden were inspired by the naturally occurring Fibonacci sequence (£8.50 for adults, £4.25 over-fives, without Gift Aid). Sign up to The Traveller Get travel inspiration, featured trips and local tips for your next break, as well as the latest deals from Guardian Holidays after newsletter promotion The sea is just a mile away, but the weather still feels more suited to castles than coasts, so I catch bus 12 to the village of Carisbrooke, once the island's capital. The bus stops near medieval St Mary's church, and I walk to Carisbrooke Castle, where Charles I was imprisoned under Cromwell. A path leads steeply up from pretty Castle Street, through a field of sheep, to emerge near the gatehouse, where jackdaws are squabbling and spiral stairways lead up on to the ancient walls. There's a heady scent from the wet mock orange flowers in the relatively new formal garden, with its avenue of fig trees, but Carisbrooke's smell-scape is more varied: there's a hint of bat in the darkest corners (more species roost here than at any other southern English site) and a lingering whiff of donkey in the old well house, which the animals still patiently trot over to on scheduled days to demonstrate a wheel that raises the deep bucket. That evening in Tapnell's barn-like restaurant, the Cow, I order a portobello mushroom burger. Tapnell Farm opened its first safari tents 13 years ago, later adding camping pods and an aquapark with a natural lake (two nights in an Eco Pod from £336). There are now several different glamping options; beyond fields of rescued wallabies are five new domes in a flowering meadow facing north across the Solent. Newtown, where I'm heading on my last morning, was once a busy medieval borough with saltworks and oyster beds. Now, it's a tiny village in the marshes, where the old brick town hall is subsiding into carpets of clover. Bus 7 from Yarmouth takes 10 minutes to reach the New Inn in Shalfleet and I follow the island's coastal path for a mile or so to Newtown estuary. Here paths lead through flowering hay meadows and salty stretches of sea purslane. There's a waterside causeway, a wooden walkway and a well-equipped bird hide. Back in Yarmouth, there's time for a final walk near the River Yar, round Henry VIII's coastal castle, and past Yarmouth church, whose tall tower doubled as a seamark. With an hour until my ferry, I head for the waterside Terrace restaurant, which opened in 2020, to drink fresh lemonade with mint and watch the afternoon sun on the water, feeling as if I've had a whole week's holiday. Combined train and ferry tickets for foot passengers start at about £30 each way from London Waterloo to Ryde or Yarmouth. This trip was supported by Tapnell Farm. Bus travel was provided by Southern Vectis
