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Accessible Ferry Travel, Beaches and Days Out on the Isle of Wight

Here's our guide to exploring the Isle of Wight if you have a disability that requires a mobility scooter or if you are in a wheelchair.

We've already got a guide to accessible and wheelchair friendly accommodation, but here's some extra information about ferry travel, beaches, accessible public transport and days out.

Before I launch into the full waffle (Ed: you mean 'insight' surely?), let's add a couple of caveats:

as you will be well aware, everyone's disability is slightly different. One person's idea of 'wheelchair accessible' is different to another's. There is plenty of room for error, so you may want to call ahead before you visit somewhere. Mobility scooters also vary in size a lot, so it's hard to give advice for all situations.
details change regularly. We try our best to keep Isle of Wight Guru up to date, but please do let us know if you find something inaccurate. I occasionally find a bit of text that I wrote several years earlier and hastily delete it when I realise it is no longer true. My personal experience of exploring the Isle of Wight with a relative in a wheelchair was a few years ago now, although I have done some further digging since then.

The Isle of Wight has some excellent wheelchair friendly paths, such as Ventnor to Bonchurch (as long as the cliff hasn't fallen down)

Isle of Wight ferry travel with a disability

There are six main ferry crossings to the Isle of Wight, all of which are covered in our beginners' guide. All of the crossings can be used by foot passengers, whilst three of the crossings can carry cars.

All of the crossings are wheelchair friendly - but some are certainly easier than others.

We've split this section into two, depending on whether you are bringing a car or not.

All of the Isle of Wight ferries are wheelchair friendly - but it's not quite as simple as that

Taking a car on the Isle of Wight ferry if you have a disability

There are two companies that provide car ferries to the Isle of Wight. They have very similar policies and advice for wheelchair users and customers with disabilities who are using mobility scooters. The full details can be read on Wightlink's accessible travel guide and Red Funnel's passenger assistance guide. The gist of it is that:

you need to let them know 48 hours before you travel if you need help with accessibility. Contact details are on the links above.
they might ask you to travel on a specific ferry but they will try and put you on your first choice of crossing.
they will try and park you next to a lift. Cars are parked very close together on the car ferry but they allow for this so you won't be acrobatically climbing out the window.
you are expected to leave your vehicle and go upstairs. Both say that there are occasions where you can stay in your vehicle, but Wightlink say this would be 'exceptional circumstances such as mobility restrictions that make it unfeasible or unsafe to leave the vehicle during the crossing'. Red Funnel say that in 'some circumstances' you could stay in the car. I believe this is due to maritime regulations and is at the discretion of the captain. It certainly isn't the norm for a person with a disability to stay in their car.
both ferry companies have wheelchairs available if you need to borrow one.
all of the ferries have accessible toilets. The only snag I can see is that the accessible toilets on the Lymington to Yarmouth crossing are on the car deck, so you would need to go at the start or end of the crossing. You can't access the car deck during the crossing. The crossing takes 40 minutes, but you are called back to your cars about 10 minutes before the ferry arrives (so you would only need to hold it for half an hour). We have a separate guide that is just about public toilets on the Isle of Wight. Never let anyone accuse me of dodging the issues that matter.
Wightlink offer a blue badge discount, as do Red Funnel - although it's worth checking that there isn't a better deal available on our discount ferries guide.

The car ferries have lifts to get you up to the passenger lounge

Travelling on the Isle of Wight ferry as a foot passenger with a wheelchair

If you aren't bringing a car then you can use any of the six ferries, which depart from Southampton, Portsmouth, Southsea and Lymington (see the beginners' guide to the Isle of Wight ferry for things like postcodes and crossing times).

Again, you can read the full accessibility guides from Hovertravel, Wightlink and Red Funnel but the gist of it is:

you need to let the ferry companies know at least 48 hours before hand.
all of the passenger ferries are wheelchair accessible.
the Red Funnel Red Jet ferries require you to board via a ramp that moves with the tide. The gangway is steeper at low tide, so you may want to check tide times if that would be a problem for you.
most of the foot passenger ferries to the Isle of Wight have disabled/accessible toilets. The main exception is the hovercraft from Southsea to Ryde. However, this is also the shortest crossing at 10 minutes and there are toilets at the terminals on either side. The other exception is the car ferries from Lymington, which also allow foot passengers. As mentioned earlier, the accessible/ambulatory toilets are on the car deck, which you can only access at the start and end of the 40 minute crossing.
the same rules mostly apply whether you have a wheelchair or a mobility scooter. Wightlink has a specific page about mobility scooters, which confirms this. I can't find reference to mobility scooters with Red Funnel but I believe that they are treated the same as a wheelchair.
With Hovertravel, mobility scooter users have to transfer to a seat and then the scooter is moved into the baggage area. The maximum size of the mobility scooter is 72cm x 122cm.

You can travel as a foot passenger on Red Funnel's car ferry

The Isle of Wight hovercraft is wheelchair accessible - but there's no toilet on board and there are extra rules for mobility scooters

Using the Isle of Wight's buses with a wheelchair

If you are relying on public transport then the good news is that 'All buses are low floor and easy access'. There is space for wheelchairs but mobility scooters' 'maximum size must not exceed 100cm in length and 60cm in width'. The Isle of Wight's buses cover the Island pretty well.

I looked up a few lightweight mobility scooters on Complete Care Shop and most of them were about 90-100cm long by about 50cm wide. I then looked up their 6-8 mph scooters, which are faster and bulkier. Most of them were about 120cm to 150cm long, so would be too long for the Isle of Wight buses (although at 8mph you could overtake most of the buses trying to get through Coppins Bridge).

In other words, you can take smaller, lightweight mobility scooters on the Isle of Wight's buses but not larger and faster mobility scooters.

There are bus stops near to most of the Isle of Wight ferry ports. However, some are easier than others:

Wightlink's Lymington to Yarmouth crossing arrives very close to a good sized bus station in Yarmouth.
Wightlink's Portsmouth to Fishbourne crossing isn't very well connected. The nearest bus stop is about 0.6 miles away.
Wightlink's Portsmouth to Ryde Pier Head crossing arrives at the wet end of the pier. From here, you can either walk along the pier for 0.4 miles to the main bus station for Ryde or get a train along the pier.
Red Funnel's Southampton to (West) Cowes crossing has a bus that pulls up outside the terminal.
Red Funnel's Southampton to East Cowes crossing also has a bus stop right by the terminal
Hovertravel's Southsea to Ryde crossing arrives next to the big bus station in Ryde.

So, four of the crossings are quite easy for catching a bus and two of them require a bit more effort.

Yarmouth's bus station is only a few metres from the Wightlink ferry terminal

Using the Isle of Wight's trains with a wheelchair

The Isle of Wight only has one railway line, unless you also include the much-loved Isle of Wight Steam Railway or my mate's model railway.

It starts at Ryde Pier Head and travels through Ryde Esplanade, Ryde St Johns Road, Brading, Sandown, Lake and Shanklin. It took me a little while to decipher this but the best thing to do is to click on the name of the station that you want to travel to or from and then check the 'accessibility and support' section.

I looked up details for the four stations on the line that you are most likely to visit as a holidaymaker (Ryde Pier Head, Ryde Esplanade, Sandown and Shanklin). I found that:

they all have 'step free access' apart from Sandown
they all have ramps available apart from Shanklin
Sandown and Shanklin have accessible drop off points
there are accessible ticket machines and lowered counters at Ryde Esplanade
Shanklin, Ryde Esplanade and Ryde Pier Head have accessible toilets
there are not any staff at any of them to help with accessible travel! (that's according to the website, your experience may be better)

As you can see, it's a bit of a mixed bag!

Shanklin Railway Station has step free access...but it doesn't have accessible ticket machines

Wheelchair friendly and disabled accommodation on the Isle of Wight

Right, you've finally made it to the Isle of Wight. Where are you going to stay?

We've got a separate guide to 10 accessible places to stay on the Isle of Wight, which includes wheelchair friendly and disabled friendly properties.

Here's a quick summary:

several holiday parks have accessible accommodation including ‘adapted’ caravans at Away Resorts Whitecliff Bay Holiday Park and its sister park called The Lakes in Rookley. I would caution that the beach at Whitecliff Bay is down a very steep slope that would be hard in a wheelchair. However, there are other beaches nearby that are much easier with a wheelchair or mobility scooter (see the beach section below).

The four Parkdean Resorts also have adapted caravans including Landguard and Lower Hyde in Shanklin, Nodes Point in St Helens and Thorness Bay in the north Wight. You can get big discounts on the Isle of Wight ferry if you book via any of these parks (via this page for Away Resorts or this page for Parkdean Resorts).

Adapted bathroom at Away Resorts holiday park

Whitecliff Bay has adapted caravans which are designed to be accessible

big chain hotels tend to be on the ball with accessibility, so you may want to check out Travelodge Ryde and Travelodge Newport or one of the three Premier Inn hotels on the Isle of Wight in Newport, Sandown (Seafront) and Sandown (Merrie Gardens) Premier Inn. We've written a guide comparing the three Premier Inn resorts.

The Isle of Wight's two Warner Leisure Hotels also describe themselves as being wheelchair accessible. These are Norton Grange in Yarmouth and Bembridge Coast Hotel. These two hotels are for adults only and offer big discounts on the ferry if you book through them. As far as I can tell, Bembridge Coast and Norton Grange both have a small number of wet rooms.

Bembridge Coast Hotel on the Isle of Wight

Bembridge Coast is a Warner Leisure Hotel which calls itself 'wheelchair accessible'

self catering properties are very hit and miss for accessibility. Some good ones that we know about include the Island Riding Centre in Newport. It has modern accommodation, some of which has been built with disabilities in mind. There are other wheelchair friendly and accessible properties at HolidayCottages.co.uk and Hoseasons (we've added filters on these links so they should just show you accessible options).

My advice is to phone up and speak to someone that knows the property rather than relying on vague or photos, which could be from 1993.

The Island Riding Centre has a few accessible self catering properties...

...which have things like wet rooms for people who use wheelchairs

WHEELCHAIR FRIENDLY BEACHES ON THE ISLE OF WIGHT

What's the point of visiting the Isle of Wight if you can't get to the beach, eh?

Some Isle of Wight beaches are relatively easy to access with a wheelchair or mobility scooter. Getting onto the actual sandy bit is possible at some beaches, whilst others will give you somewhere to sit and admire the view. Other beaches are completely impractical to access and are best avoided even if you are just a little bit wobbly on your feet (there are several beaches along the Military Road like this).

Let's start with a summary based on different mobility issues, followed by a guide to each part of the Isle of Wight.

An esplanade view or a wheelchair on the beach?

If you just want to sit on an esplanade and watch the world go by then there are plenty of options including Totland, Colwell and Freshwater Bay (West Wight), Appley Beach, Seagrove Bay, Bembridge, Shanklin and Sandown (East Wight), Gurnard and Cowes (North Wight) and Ventnor (South Wight).

Totland Bay is an easy option with a wheelchair if you just want to sit and watch the waves

If you want to get down onto the beach with a wheelchair or mobility scooter then you will need somewhere with a slope. For that situation, I would recommend Yaverland and Appley (East Wight) and Ventnor (South Wight).

You can just see the slope leading to Ventnor beach in the bottom right hand corner

Other people might be able to walk a few steps but would struggle with covering any distance. In that case, you need easy parking on the esplanade - which can usually be found at Shanklin, St Helens and Appley (East Wight), Totland (West Wight) and Ventnor (South Wight).

Shanklin is one of several beaches where you can (usually) park on the esplanade and sit on the sea wall

If you don't even plan to get out of the car but still want a decent view, check out our car park viewpoint tour. Beaches such as Compton Bay (my personal favourite) are exceedingly inaccessible. However, you can get a good view from the car park and there is often somewhere you can buy a takeaway coffee.

We've also got a guide to beach cafes with a sea view, but I've not done a lot of research into which of these are wheelchair accessible.

Compton Bay is inaccessible, but you can still enjoy the view from the car park

Guide to accessibility in the South Wight, East Wight, North Wight and West Wight

I thought it would also be useful to give some advice on accessibility at Isle of Wight beaches on a town-by-town basis. After all, you don't really want to travelling across the Island to a beach if there's a good one round the corner.

Disabled access to South Wight Beaches

Ventnor is your best bet in the South Wight. It gets our recommendation for a beach trip with a wheelchair in our guide called 'What is the best Isle of Wight beach for...'. There is plenty of parking and a long flat esplanade.

There is also a ramp that leads down towards the beach, near to the big circular building on the seafront (previously the entrance to Ventnor Pier). At one stage you could get right onto the beach, but when we visited in 2025 the sand had moved so there was now a notable drop.

The esplanade also has a disabled toilet (see our toilets guide for a truly thrilling read). There's a wheelchair friendly walk that goes along the sea wall from Ventnor to Bonchurch. The caveat is that there are sometimes landslides and diversions that require a detour via steps.

Disabled access to East Wight beaches

Yaverland's beach is a good choice for a beach trip with a wheelchair in the East Wight. There's a ramp leading down to the beach, as well as a disabled toilet in the large car park. According to an article from 2022, you can hire a beach wheelchair with inflatable tyres from Dinosaur Isle (you may want to phone ahead to check if it's available). It's a free scheme, you just have to pay a deposit to make sure you don't flog it on eBay.

Yaverland has a ramp leading down to the beach

Sandown's beach is just along from Yaverland. It also has a long esplanade, as well as a beach wheelchair, which lives at the lifeguard station. The town council website says it is only available in July and August (presumably to coincide with the lifeguard station being manned).

Appley Beach in Ryde is another good option in the East Wight for a beach trip with a wheelchair. It's got a long esplanade that can accommodate wheelchairs. In 2024, the Town Council added a boardwalk to make the beach more accessible. You can find it near to the entrance to the Appley Park car park (by the inshore rescue centre).

Shanklin's beach has a long, flat walkway. I am 96% sure you can continue along the coastal path to Sandown without hitting any steps, but I didn't have my disability hat on last time I did that route so I'm not completely sure.

Shanklin has a wide esplanade that runs alongside the beach in Shanklin - and parking on the seafront

Disabled access to North Wight beaches

Cowes or Gurnard are your best bet in the North Wight for a wheelchair friendly beach trip. They aren't sandy beaches and aren't the sort of places with deckchairs or beach arcades. However, there is a wheelchair friendly coastal path that leads from Gurnard to Cowes. We have done this route with pushchairs and wheelchairs before.

The coastal road from Gurnard to Cowes is good for wheelchairs and mobility scooters

Disabled access to West Wight beaches

Most of the West Wight's beaches are not very accessible. A trip to Compton Bay would require a local rugby team to help you get down the steep steps (although you can admire it from the car park, as mentioned earlier).

You would be able to sit on the sea wall at Freshwater Bay (assuming there hasn't been a storm that has covered it in pebbles) and it also has a modern toilet block nearby with disabled facilities. You wouldn't be able to get down onto the actual beach, but the sea wall does eventually meet up with the stony part of Freshwater Bay.

Colwell and Totland have long sea walls and there is a coastal path linking the two that is wheelchair accessible (unless there's been a landslide etc). Colwell has a ramp down to the beach, but you would only be able to access it at a very low tide and would get cut off when the tide comes in. At high tide, most people will be sat on the sea wall, so you won't feel like you are missing out.

The sea wall at Freshwater Bay is usually accessible - unless a storm has covered it in pebbles!

Which Isle of Wight attractions are Wheelchair friendly and accessible?

I'm not going to claim that every attraction listed below is 100% 'accessible'. I'm also not going to feature every single attraction on the Isle of Wight. There are loads of things to do on the Island, including stuff for toddlers, children, teenagers and adults.

However, I thought it might be useful to include a few summaries of some popular attractions. Of course, a phone call ahead is always wise in case things have changed since we wrote this.

Blackgang Chine says that "The paths around the park are undulating with some paths as steep as 1:5 gradient. Visitors in manual wheelchairs who wish to visit all areas of the park should be accompanied by strong helpers. Those using electric mobility scooters must ensure they are confident in using the equipment and do not exceed its capabilities." In my experience with a pushchair, the steepest areas are around Cowboy Town and the end of the dinosaur section.

Carisbrooke Castle is not a great choice with a wheelchair or mobility scooter. You can get into the big open courtyard in the castle and some of the museum and the well, but you won't be able to get up onto the walls or up to the keep. An off-road mobility scooter could probably cope with the walk around the outside of Carisbrooke Castle but it's a grass track with some bumpy bits.
Godshill Model Village is "fully accessible to wheelchair users, small mobility scooters and pushchairs".
Isle of Wight Donkey Sanctuary says that "wheelchairs and mobility scooters can be used on site but may require some assistance in certain areas of uneven or wet ground". From what I remember, lots of the paths are grass rather than tarmac.
Isle of Wight Steam Railway says that "a wheelchair accessible carriage will be part of every train" but you need to book online and then contact them to arrange access to that carriage.
The Needles and Alum Bay has a few different parts to it. The 'Landmark Attraction' is the bit with the sand shop and the chairlift. You'll be able to go between the series of small attractions but you won't be able to get down to the beach so you don't get a brilliant view of the actual rocks and lighthouse. The chairlift isn't accessible. There is a disabled toilet at the Landmark Attraction. The Old Battery is the National Trust attraction on the headland. It's half a mile from the car park, but you can catch a bus. The website says that there is an "Adapted toilet and toilets available at Needles Old Battery" and that "There are some steep slopes and uneven surfaces inside the Battery but they can be avoided."
Osborne has a very detailed accessibility section (three cheers for English Heritage). The gist of it is that you can take wheelchairs into the house (or borrow one) but you can't take mobility scooters in. You'll certainly be able to do the downstairs of the house and most of the grounds but it's not always possible to get upstairs and some paths are deep gravel so you'll need to take a detour. They also run a shuttle bus from the house to the beach. When I first went it was a horse and cart, but it's a minibus now. The bus is certainly less fun but it's also more accessible.
Shanklin Chine is mostly inaccessible as it is steep steps. They do have an accessible entrance where you can see some of it. You get a reduced rate, as you won't get to see all of it.
Tapnell Farm has an accessibility page. It is relatively easy to get around the site with a wheelchair. Expect some rough tracks as it's a farm, rather than miles of smooth tarmac. I wouldn't recommend the bouncy pillow in a wheelchair.
Ventnor Botanic Garden has an accessible route that is signposted and says that "more than 80% of the footpaths around Ventnor Botanic Garden (are) on our accessible route"

The-Isle-of-Wight-Guru-Don't-Blame-Us-Disclaimer™ The information on this website is correct, as far as we know, but please do check opening times and details with attractions directly if you are planning a long journey - and please contact us if you find anything inaccurate.