Six ferries ride: Solent and Isle of Wight

Summary: Do you like ferries? Then this ride is for you. The challenge is to make a circuit of the Solent, using no less than 6 ferries: Portsmouth-Gosport, Warsash-Hamble, Southampton-Hythe, Lymington-Yarmouth on the Isle of Wight (IOW), Cowes chain ferry across the Medina, and finally Ryde-Portsmouth catamaran. It takes in some interesting scenery, including the New Forest, passing through the honeypot of Beaulieu and the eighteenth century shipbuilding hamlet of Bucklers Hard, some fine views across the Solent to/from the Island, and the rolling (aka hilly) countryside of the IOW. See warships ancient and modern in Portsmouth Harbour, liners in Southampton Water, and sailing yachts cruising off Cowes. (This is one of the rides from my 'Cycling from Guildford' website; see here for more.)

Map:

GPX: You can download the Google map info, as a KML/KMZ file, then convert to GPX using a site like GPS Visualiser, or get the route from the cycle.travel website. You download and use any such data entirely at your own risk.

Travel: I describe this circular route starting from the Gosport Ferry landing stage adjacent to Portsmouth Harbour station, and proceding 'anti clockwise'. To reach the start, you can either take your bike to Portsmouth Harbour on the train, or, by car, parking in the big multi-story multi-facility car park at Gunwharf Quays next to the station: there is a special parking rate for the whole day for IOW ferry users, so make sure you keep the ticket receipts. Always check details on the ferry web sites (links above) above but in summary:

Gosport passenger ferry across Portsmouth Harbour: every 15 minutes or less, buy a ticket from the ticket machine (there is no office this side), adult + bike, crossing time about 5 minutes. Technically, all tickets are return, though you won't be needing that.
Warsash-Hamble passenger ferry across the River Hamble: a little pink boat, on demand, crossing time about 5 minutes. (NB The service ceases late pm. This is not a problem doing the ride anticlockwise, but is if you are going the other way round: make sure you get to Hamble in time, otherwise you will have to make a long diversion.)
Southampton-Hythe passenger ferry across Southampton Water: every 30 minutes, crossing time about 15 minutes.
Lymington-Yarmouth (IOW) car ferry across the Solent: approx every 40 minutes, crossing time about 40 minutes. Tides, plus loading times seem to lead to delays, such that the official timetable is indicative only.
Cowes chain ferry ("floating bridge") across the Medina estuary: regular (around every 10 minutes), foot passengers and bikes free, crossing time a few minutes.
Ryde-Portsmouth passenger catamaran: about every 30 minutes, crossing time about 22 minutes.

I have encountered no problems just turning up at the ferries, although during the IOW festival and other special events there could be a problem with space on the IOW ferries: check ferry web sites for details. Check out the last ferry times, and also whether there are any limitations for example weekends.

Distance: About 60 cycling miles (excluding ferry crossings) so this is definitely a whole day, and a long one at that, so best done in summer. You also need to factor in time for the ferry journeys, but they're part of the fun. I have typically started around 9am and finished at about 8pm..

Surface/traffic: There are some rough off-road sections as follows: between Titchfield Haven on the Solent and Warsash on Southampton Water; and an optional section of the Solent Way coming out of Hythe. Segments are quite bumpy, and could be muddy after rain. Whilst a mountain bike would be handy, it's not essential if you are prepared for short bumpy stretches.

The road along the sea front around Lee-on-Solent is busy, but for the most part cycling is allowed on the shared-use pavement. Expect busy traffic on the road through Southampton from the Itchen bridge to the Hythe ferry pier, and the B3054 through Beaulieu in the New Forest.

The route on the IOW avoids busy A roads, but has a lot of up and down as a consequence.

Route Variations: If you wish to shorten the route, you could take the B3054 more directly to Lymington from Hythe (though this can be very busy). On the IOW, if you've had enough, instead of going all the way to Ryde, you could get the ferry from Cowes to Southampton, then get the train back to Portsmouth, or the ferry from Fishbourne to Portsmouth.

Or you could start at Southampton and get the ferry back from Cowes, making it a Four Ferries Ride (see this blog).

Clockwise or anticlockwise? As the ride is circular, wind direction is not an important factor. The only significant difference is that the Hamble ferry ceases operation late pm (check website), so if you are going 'clockwise' make sure you get there in time otherwise you will have to take a long diversion inland to cross the Hamble by bridge at Bursledon.

For several other rides on the Isle of Wight, see these blogs.

Directions (see map):

From Ferry 1: Gosport to Ferry 2: Hamble

Catch the ferry to Gosport from the landing stage next to Portsmouth Harbour station. There are good views of the Spinnaker Tower, and HMS Victory and HMS Warrior, plus modern naval ships (if we have any left) in the harbour. Landed in Gosport, take the B3333 South Street westwards about 1.6km, then take the disused railway path on the left (South) off Cleveland Road. (From here to Southampton, you follow NCN2)
Follow this traffic free cycle path, crossing Stoke Lake on a causeway, to emerge on Crescent Road. Turn right along this road, an impressive Georgian terrace. At the t-junction with Anglesey Road turn left, then right at the roundabout onto Stokes Bay Road. (Avoid the temptation to cycle straight on to the lifeboat station: although the sea front path is very wide, well surfaced and ideal for cycling, cycling is prohibited.) Continue along this road along the sea front for 1.5km, making use of the shared use path where available. The road curves inland to a roundabout: take the first exit west along Browndown Road, then left onto Privett Road (B3333), again making use of the shared use path.
After 1.7km, this road rejoins the sea front again and passes through Lee-on-Solent. Take Crofton Avenue to the left, then join Salterns Road then Hill Head Road to emerge once more with clear views of the sea to your left at Tichfield Haven Nature Reserve. After 600m with the reed beds to your right, the road curves inland again as Meon Road. After 1.5km, take the track to the left signed as NCN2.Follow the signs along pleasant traffic free tracks, to emerge opposite some cottages in the village of Hook. Take Hook Park Road, a rough track immediately left. Follow this round, and it turns back to tarmac and bends North through Warsash, passing the Maritime Academy to your left. At the crossroads in Warsash, turn left and take the road down to the car park by the shore.
A path to the left of the car park takes you along the strand to the Warsash-Hamble ferry landing stage. Take the short ferry ride across the river estuary to Hamble.

From Ferry 2: Hamble To Ferry 3: Southampton-Hythe

Take the one way system to join the B3397 High Street/Hamble Lane out of the village, to take Coach Road on the left. This swings round to parallel the shore, passing a car/boat park and jetty on the left. Then take the footpath (dismount if busy) through trees into Victoria Park. Head down to the road beside the shore of Southampton Water. Leaving the park, follow the road through Netley till, just after the ruins of Netley Abbey on the right, take the path through woods on the left and follow the path beside the shore (the Solent Way/NCN2) into Woolston, along its High Street and ascend a stepped ramp up to the Itchen Bridge.
Cross the bridge, and at the roundabout on the other side, take the first exit onto Saltmarsh Road, then at the junction, right onto Canute Road, which becomes the busy A33 (CARE!). Proceed till you reach the Town Quay pier on the left. Go down the pier to the Hythe Ferry.

From Ferry 3: Hythe To Ferry 4: Lymington-Yarmouth

Take the ferry to Hythe (you should get good views of any liners which are berthed at the time.) Cycle down Hythe pier. From here you have two choices to exit the town. EITHER follow the rather tortuous NCN2 through the backstreets up to the A326, then follow that left to the busy B3054 to Beaulieu (CARE). OR (pleasanter), walk down the short pedestrianised Marsh Street, and exit along Shore Road, beside Southampton water. Having crossed a level crossing, take Hart Hill to the left. This turns into a bridleway (the Solent Way) with a reasonable surface, which emerges by a petroleum depot and a roundabout with the A326, at which take the road into the Hardley Industrial Estate. This becomes Limekiln Road, then branch right into Park Lane. When this meets the main road, turn right and head west across the heath to join the B3054 into Beaulieu (CARE-busy town).
Having crossed the Beaulieu River, turn left down the High Street, then left onto a short stretch of the busy B3054, then left signed to Bucklers Hard. The extra few miles to visit Bucklers Hard are well worth while. Then follow relatively quiet lanes passing the tithe barn at St Leonards and the village of East End (watch out for New Forest ponies on the road), and on to the ferry port at Lymington. Take the ferry to Yarmouth.

From Ferry 4: Yarmouth To Ferry 5: Cowes Chain Ferry ("Floating Bridge")

From the Yarmouth ferry, head up to the A3054 and head east. You need to follow the "Round the Island" route, aka Regional Cycle Route 67, marked with characteristic signs (blue background, with a cycle on a white IOW-shaped diamond). Start by turning right onto the B3401, then follow the quiet but somewhat circuitous and hilly route through pleasant island countryside, passing the old town hall at Newtown, and finally emerging onto the coast at Gurnard Bay. The bracing ride into Cowes is along the sea front, usually to the accompaniment of sailing yachts racing out on the Solent. Take the shared-use pavement in front of Cowes Castle with its line of brightly polished miniature cannons. Make your way along the bustling shopping street (plenty of cafes, pubs, ice cream parlours), dismounting for pedestrianised areas, to emerge on the A3020 Medina Road down to the chain ferry.

From Ferry 5: Cowes To Ferry 6: Ryde-Portsmouth catamaran

Leaving the chain ferry, take a right into Clarence Road and again follow the 'Round the Island' signs, climbing out via Whippingham (passing Queen Victoria's impressive church), and taking a reasonably quiet lane to the town of Wooton. The official route through these back streets is not easy to follow, so if you miss it, just make your way down Rectory Drive to the A3054 (CARE - busy road). Cross the Wooton Creek. You now have two possibilities. The official Round the Island route takes Firestone Copse Road to the right, and uses backroads to the South of Ryde. Alternatively, use National Cycle Network Route 22. Take the B3731 left to the Fishbourne-Portsmouth ferry. You could take this if you've had enough. Otherwise, branch right of the port and continue following NCN22 signs along Quarr Lane heading east. At the junction with Church Road turn left down to a pretty church, and take the tree-lined Ladies Walk path across the golf course.
Where this ends at the A3054, head left though a gap into Spencer Road, and follow the back lanes down to the Ryde esplanade and the pier. Cycle along the pier to the ticket office at the pier head, and your catamaran back to Portsmouth.

Refreshments: There are plenty of eateries along the harbour front at Gunwharf Quays in Portsmouth. You pass through several towns along the way, so refreshments are never far away - Warsash, Hamble, Southampton, Hythe, Beaulieu, Lymington, Yarmouth, Cowes, Ryde: all have pubs, cafe's etc.

Attractions: Gunwharf Quays waterfront dining, Spinnaker Tower; warships alongside in Portsmouth Harbour; Tichfield Haven Nature Reserve; Royal Victoria Country Park; Netley Abbey ruins; Southampton Water (cruise liners; massive container ships); New Forest (Trees, Beaulieu attractive town; ponies); Bucklers Hard Georgian shipbuilding village. Yarmouth harbour front; Newtown Old Town Hall; Cowes yachties paradise; Quarr Abbey (west of Ryde); Ryde seaside resort with extra long pier.

Finding your way: As with any ambitious cycle ride in the UK, it's best to download the route and follow it on a GPS or smartphone app. Gosport to Southampton is signed as NCN2, Yarmouth to Wooton is signed as the Round the Island Cycle Route, and Wooton to Ryde as NCN22.

Photos