The Isle of Wight has long been a popular holiday destination for visitors of all ages and abilities. From adventure parks and historic sites to beautiful scenery and animal parks, the Isle of Wight has something for everyone. With transport routes to and around the Island becoming more accessible, the Isle of Wight is becoming far more attractive for wheelchair users and those with limited mobility.
Travel to the Island
To get to the Isle of Wight, you will need to travel by ferry, either as a foot passenger or in your vehicle. Whichever option and route you choose, travel to the Island is accessible for disabled passengers and wheelchair users alike.
The different ferry routes, plus links to their accessibility policies are as follows:
Wightlink – You can travel from Portsmouth to Ryde by foot, from Lymington to Yarmouth or Portsmouth to Fishbourne by car or foot – Accessibility Policy
Red Funnel –You can travel from Southampton to Cowes by foot or Southampton to East Cowes by car or foot – Accessibility Policy
Hovertravel –You can travel by foot only from Southsea to Ryde – Accessibility Policy.
Read more about accessible travel to the Island on the Visit IOW website and check out Isle of Wight Guru for ways to save money on travel to the Isle of Wight!
Travel around the Island
Buses
Southern Vectis is the bus provider for the Isle of Wight, with routes running across the Island. All buses are low floor and easy access, with spaces available for wheelchair users.
Learn more at Southern Vectis.
Trains
Island Line is owned by South Western Railway and shares it’s accessibility policy, which you can find on the Trainline website. Island Line runs from Ryde, through Brading, Sandown, Lake and Shanklin. The rest of the island is accessible by bus and car only.
Taxis
The Isle of Wight is home to a vast array of different taxi companies. In most cases, we would recommend the Isle of Wight’s first electric taxi. However, they do not have wheelchair accessible cars, so you would need to use a taxi firm that specialises in larger vehicles.
You can see a list of wheelchair accessible taxi companies here.
Read more about accessible travel around the Island on the Isle Access website.
