Rain on your Isle of Wight holiday? Claim a ferry discount voucher

Enduring this sort of thing on your Isle of Wight holiday? Claim your ferry voucher

I like to look people in the eye and tell them it never rains on the Isle of Wight. My eye twitches a little as they stare back at me, but I just about manage to make it sound convincing. It certainly rains less than it does in the Lake District or Cornwall (see this guide for the data) and the Isle of Wight also gets 400-500 hours more sunshine than London each year.

Red Funnel has taken this one step further by offering ferry vouchers for anyone who endures torrential rain during their summer holiday on the Isle of Wight.

​So, how does it work?

1. It needs to be really wet

The offer is called Splashback and requires you to endure at least '8+ hours of continuous rain on the same day' as part of a stay of at least three days.

You need to take a picture of the rain. It doesn't specify whether they would prefer to see a picture of a puddle or a selfie of rain drops dripping down your miserable faces whilst you sit on Shanklin beach in your budgie-smugglers. You may want to wipe away your children's tears before taking the photo.

2. They will check you weren't lying

Next, Red Funnel will check the weather data from the Met Office. This is to catch out anyone who decides to submit a blurry photo of their campsite's shower and pretend it is rainfall. And don't even think about submitting a photo from a previous holiday in the Lake District. 

3. Red Funnel will send you a 50% off ferry voucher

Finally, Red Funnel will send you a code for 50% off "a return visit for any time up to 30 April 2025". Note that it is money off future travel, rather than a partial refund on travel you have already paid for (you can get this if your ferry is badly delayed).

The Splashback offer is valid for ferry journeys booked between 10 July 2024 and 31 August 2024, but you need to travel by 30 September 2024. More terms and details of where to send your wet photos (Ed: pardon?) can be found on the Red Funnel website.

More astute readers will have noticed that the return visit is in what I would politely call the 'less busy' time of year on the Isle of Wight. 

​If you are tied to school holidays, you would be able to use the voucher at October half term, Christmas, February half term or Easter. Some would point out that this is the time of year when you are relatively likely to endure yet more rain on your holiday. Still, I won't say no to a ferry voucher.