Isle of Wight Hovercraft

We’re delighted to once again be able to share the beautiful Isle of Wight with you, our visitors.

Before planning your trip to the Island now or in the future, please read the latest Government guidelines in regards to COVID-19 and put your own health and wellness, and that of those around you first. 

We ask that you ‘Travel the Wight Way’ and work with us to keep our local community and visitors safe. 

See our COVID-19 & Travel pages for the latest updates, local business information and opening times.

Welcome back! The Isle of Wight is Good to Go.

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The Isle of Wight Hovercraft is the last remaining commercial hovercraft service in the world. It operates a regular timetable transporting passengers between Ryde and Southsea in Portsmouth, with excellent connections to both road and rail networks on either side.

As the quickest way to travel from the mainland to the Isle of Wight (less than 10 minutes journey time across the Solent) the hovercraft is regularly used by visitors to the Island, as well as commuters heading to and from work. But as the only remaining service of its kind it is also classed as one of the Isle of Wight's many attractions, with many visitors hopping on board just to enjoy the unique experience!

The hovercraft has a well-established history on the Isle of Wight, with the very first craft (invented by Sir Christopher Cockerell) being manufactured by East Cowes marine firm Saunders-Roe in the late 1950s. That great tradition has continued for many years with Hovertravel, who are now the world’s oldest hovercraft operator celebrating their 50th anniversary as operators of the Isle of Wight hovercraft service in 2015.

The official terminology for a hovercraft journey over the water is “flying” not “sailing”, so remember when you’ve travelled on it you can tell your family and friends you just took a 10 minute flight to the Isle of Wight!