How far ahead can I book Red Funnel and Wightlink? When are timetables released?

Wightlink's timetables for the year ahead are usually released in September

Red Funnel has recently released their summer timetables ready for Black Friday in November

Booking early usually gets you a lower price on the Isle of Wight car ferries - but there's a limit to how far ahead you can book.

That can be a bit frustrating if you've booked accommodation early or bought tickets to the Isle of Wight Festival and don't really know how much you'll be paying for the ferry.

Bookings open up once Red Funnel and Wightlink have finalised their timetables. This might seem blindingly obvious, but that's what causes the delay rather than because they just fancy making people wait. I have never run a ferry company, but I imagine it gets complicated because they take ferries out of service at different times of year for planned maintenance. 

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Let's Start With Wightlink - when will they release timetables for next year?

• Wightlink released its timetable and opened up bookings for 2025 on 19 September 2024. If you're really interested, you can read a press release about it. It's thrilling stuff. Meanwhile, Wightlink's timetable and bookings for 2024 were released on 7 September 2023. The timetable and bookings for 2023 started on 20 September 2022. 
• When the timetable is released, it will likely cover early January 2026 to early January 2027. I'm basing this on the fact that you can currently book up until 4 January 2026.

So, you might conclude that Wightlink's timetable for 2026 will be released around September 2025. I can't promise that will happen, but it seems likely based on the last three years.

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And what about Red Funnel? When will they allow you to book for next year?

It took me a bit longer to figure out when Red Funnel release their timetables and open up bookings. They don't do it with such fanfare as Wightlink but here's what I've figured out:

• Red Funnel did a 1/3 off Black Friday sale that started on 22 November 2024 and ran until 6 December 2024, which allowed you to book up until 3 November 2025. 
• Red Funnel did something very similar on the year before. The Black Friday Sale started in 17 November 2023 and gave 1/3 off travel until 31 December 2024.

​My advice is to look out for Red Funnel's Black Friday deal in late November if you want to visit the Isle of Wight in summer 2026. I don't know for sure that they'll do an offer, but they have since 2015. If you're booking for the Isle of Wight Festival, keep an eye out for the early bird ferry deal as it's usually the cheapest option.

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Deeper into the timetable rabbit hole

The confusing caveat is that when I checked the Red Funnel timetables in mid-December 2024 (10 days after Black Friday), they didn't offer any information on summer 2025 ferry times - despite allowing you to book during Black Friday a few days earlier.

In fact, I later found that the dates published on the timetables show that they were released in January 2025.

It soon became more confusing. I uncovered irrefutable evidence that you could book ferry travel to the Isle of Wight Festival 2025 in mid-December 2024 - and yet I couldn't find the standard timetable.

I dug deeper into the rabbit hole and found that every timetable had a different publication date on it.

In one year, the winter timetable appeared to have been released in September. Another year it was April. "This can't be right!" I shouted in an empty house and slammed my fists onto the desk, spilling my mug of Earl Grey. 

​The rabbit hole got deeper. Where would it end? 

I was soon obsessed. 

I cut myself off from my family and friends as I sought to finally uncover the answer to when Red Funnel's timetables were released.

Minutes turned into hours. Hours turned into weeks.

​I was only saved when my younger daughter presented me with a hand-drawn picture of me in front of my laptop whilst the rest of the family played outside in the sunshine. She had scrawled "come home, Daddy" in her best handwriting.

I fell to my knees and wept.

She wept.

​We all wept.

​I turned off the computer and for the first time in three weeks, I stepped outside and breathed in the fresh air.

​I was free.