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hi,going to take van to isle of wight next sunday,any tips,advise or general chat about boarding the red funnel ferry-is it straight forward?

joanne

We went for the 1st time in the May half term.  It was a bit "clonky" getting on and off the ferry but otherwise its really easy.  We did get there too early and were directed to wait in a car park until we were allowed to "queue" for our ferry.

I'll admit that i was shocked at the size of the island as even though i knew it was 29 miles long i was still expecting to see a little island and had to ask for confirmation that that land mass in front of us was really The Isle of Wight lol

Agree that the roads are a bit narrow on the island and if you rely on satnav only you will be led to think that all the roads are single lane.  Infact i'd advise you to take a map book with you and ignore the satnav. 

I'd been onto google maps and actually followed the route we'd be taking which was fine but dh decided to follow the satnav which was NOT lol.  But we got there eventually after a hair raising detour and agreed that from now on when towing we follow a map and NOT the satnav,

you have been warned lol

If your outfit is a bit low around the towbar, it might be a good idea to remove the jockey wheel before you get on the Ferry, then fot it again on the other side - ours hit down hard when we were boarding a ferry in Dover a few years ago.

ps - IOW - hope you're not going looking for an action packed hol. Its like stepping back in time 20 years when you land 

Quote: Originally posted by PeteDeFeet on 30/6/2010

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ps - IOW - hope you're not going looking for an action packed hol. Its like stepping back in time 20 years when you land 

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you actually have to get there half hour early, not an hour, if you get there that early you run the risk of being 'parked' elsewhere till its nearer the time!!

dont panic, the red funnel staff are used to hundreds of vans coming over each year!

island roads really are different, please drive carefully. they might be little country lanes to you , but they are our main roads and are treated as such!!

and to be pedantic the island is actually 26 miles by 13miles!!!

Quote: Originally posted by tinallkn4 on 30/6/2010

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and to be pedantic the island is actually 26 miles by 13miles!!!

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