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Cheap Isle of Wight ferry travel for caravans
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Caravans get a bad press sometimes, with Jeremy Clarkson pushing them off cliffs or blowing them up (on Dave and Amazon after the steak fracas).
But caravans are massively popular with Isle of Wight holidaymakers because they offer a cheap holiday option and freedom to explore which you don't get with a motorhome. Hiring a spot at a campsite or holiday park is far cheaper than a typical hotel. Plus, you have somewhere half decent to dry off when it rains - which you don't get with camping. |
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But is it still a cheap holiday once you have paid the Isle of Wight ferry fare? You can get 10% off the ferry fare with a caravan if you book with Red Funnel via the exclusive booking widget above.
Here are our thoughts on other ways to save:
Here are our thoughts on other ways to save:
How much does it cost to take a caravan on the Isle of Wight ferry?
Very broadly, taking a caravan on the Isle of Wight ferry will cost you about £90 to £300.
The prices rise as the ferry fills up so a half empty 3am crossing in January will cost less than the last space on an August bank holiday crossing.
I’m not a caravan owner, but I did a few tests in 2015 for a week long return and came up with these quotes:
So, very broadly speaking, the cost of taking a caravan on the Isle of Wight ferry is about twice the cost of taking just a car (which is roughly £40 - £150).
These prices were done before we secured a year round 10% discount with Red Funnel, if you use the booking widget at the top of the page.
(Notes at bottom of page show details)
The prices rise as the ferry fills up so a half empty 3am crossing in January will cost less than the last space on an August bank holiday crossing.
I’m not a caravan owner, but I did a few tests in 2015 for a week long return and came up with these quotes:
- Last minute, summer holiday, reasonable time of day: £161.30 (Wightlink) or £259.50 (Red Funnel)
- Last minute, summer holiday, middle of the night: £119.01 (Wightlink) or £256.50 (Red Funnel)
- October school half term, reasonable time of day: £121.69 (Wightlink) or £117 (Red Funnel)
- October school half term, middle of the night: £121.60 (Wightlink) or £91.50 (Red Funnel)
- Winter, reasonable time of day: £111.38 (Wightlink) or £103 (Red Funnel)
- Winter, middle of the night: £111.38 (Wightlink) or £91.50 (Red Funnel)
So, very broadly speaking, the cost of taking a caravan on the Isle of Wight ferry is about twice the cost of taking just a car (which is roughly £40 - £150).
These prices were done before we secured a year round 10% discount with Red Funnel, if you use the booking widget at the top of the page.
(Notes at bottom of page show details)
£90 to £300? That’s quite a range....
So, what’s your advice on the cheapest way of taking a caravan to the Isle of Wight?
Click to see Red Funnel's latest offers
Yes, the price is pretty variable. Here are 5 of my favourite ways to save money:
1. Get a quote from Red Funnel and Wightlink
As you can see in my very small study, Wightlink is sometimes cheaper than Red Funnel, and vice versa. I wouldn’t like to say that either company is always cheapest for caravans.
Wightlink certainly came up a lot cheaper for the summer holiday crossings, but they were doing a special deal at the time so that won’t always be the case. There was also a bigger price range through the day with Wightlink (some return crossings were £400+ although I'd say that was rare).
Red Funnel and Wightlink’s ticket prices seem to be calculated using an algorithm combining how busy the ferry is, along with how tall and long your caravan is – so the only way to know for sure is to get a quote from both.
For more on which mainland and Island ports the Wightlink and Red Funnel crossings come and go from, see our Isle of Wight ferry beginners' guide.
2. Caravan size matters
A few centimetres can make a big difference...in how much you pay for taking a caravan on the Isle of Wight ferry.
With Red Funnel you will jump up into the next price category if your caravan is taller than 2.7m (an extra £39 in test #1 at the top of the page, but it will vary). With Wightlink, the price jumps up at 2.24m.
They also ask different questions about the caravan length, all of which contributes to the quote you will be given.
If you haven’t yet bought your caravan and plan to regularly take it to the Isle of Wight, you might want to get quotes for two different caravans as it can make quite a difference to the price.
If you already own your caravan, your only option is to buy a hacksaw and chop a few centimetres off.
3. Look for Red Funnel and Wightlink discount codes
Our guide to discount Isle of Wight ferry travel includes all of the latest promotional codes and other offers from Red Funnel and Wightlink.
Red Funnel offer a year round 10% discount if you book via the widget at the top of the page.
A lot of the discounts are just for cars, but caravan and motorhomes ones occasionally turn up, such as Wightlink’s current deal.
4. Travel on a day and time which suits Red Funnel and Wightlink
In the price tests that I did, there was sometimes a £90 or £100 difference between ferries that were one hour apart during peak times. In the winter there wasn’t as much fluctuation.
Prices tend to peak from about 10am to 4pm with cheaper prices earlier and later in the day. If you are rigidly stuck to one ferry crossing, you risk paying a lot more.
Travelling on a Saturday is generally the most expensive option, because Isle of Wight holidaymakers staying in self-catering cottages are generally tied to a Saturday changeover day. With the flexibility of touring, consider travelling on a Sunday or weekday and you’ll probably get a better fare.
5. See if you can get a cheaper quote with the Camping and Caravanning Club or from your accommodation provider
In the tests I did, membership of the Camping and Caravanning Club didn't make a lot of difference because Wightlink had a special offer on anyway.
However, for some crossings you can get a discount of 20% off caravans when you book through this link or 50% off larger motorhomes.
Annual membership is around £40.
It's also worth asking your accommodation provider if they get a reduced rate on ferry travel.
1. Get a quote from Red Funnel and Wightlink
As you can see in my very small study, Wightlink is sometimes cheaper than Red Funnel, and vice versa. I wouldn’t like to say that either company is always cheapest for caravans.
Wightlink certainly came up a lot cheaper for the summer holiday crossings, but they were doing a special deal at the time so that won’t always be the case. There was also a bigger price range through the day with Wightlink (some return crossings were £400+ although I'd say that was rare).
Red Funnel and Wightlink’s ticket prices seem to be calculated using an algorithm combining how busy the ferry is, along with how tall and long your caravan is – so the only way to know for sure is to get a quote from both.
For more on which mainland and Island ports the Wightlink and Red Funnel crossings come and go from, see our Isle of Wight ferry beginners' guide.
2. Caravan size matters
A few centimetres can make a big difference...in how much you pay for taking a caravan on the Isle of Wight ferry.
With Red Funnel you will jump up into the next price category if your caravan is taller than 2.7m (an extra £39 in test #1 at the top of the page, but it will vary). With Wightlink, the price jumps up at 2.24m.
They also ask different questions about the caravan length, all of which contributes to the quote you will be given.
If you haven’t yet bought your caravan and plan to regularly take it to the Isle of Wight, you might want to get quotes for two different caravans as it can make quite a difference to the price.
If you already own your caravan, your only option is to buy a hacksaw and chop a few centimetres off.
3. Look for Red Funnel and Wightlink discount codes
Our guide to discount Isle of Wight ferry travel includes all of the latest promotional codes and other offers from Red Funnel and Wightlink.
Red Funnel offer a year round 10% discount if you book via the widget at the top of the page.
A lot of the discounts are just for cars, but caravan and motorhomes ones occasionally turn up, such as Wightlink’s current deal.
4. Travel on a day and time which suits Red Funnel and Wightlink
In the price tests that I did, there was sometimes a £90 or £100 difference between ferries that were one hour apart during peak times. In the winter there wasn’t as much fluctuation.
Prices tend to peak from about 10am to 4pm with cheaper prices earlier and later in the day. If you are rigidly stuck to one ferry crossing, you risk paying a lot more.
Travelling on a Saturday is generally the most expensive option, because Isle of Wight holidaymakers staying in self-catering cottages are generally tied to a Saturday changeover day. With the flexibility of touring, consider travelling on a Sunday or weekday and you’ll probably get a better fare.
5. See if you can get a cheaper quote with the Camping and Caravanning Club or from your accommodation provider
In the tests I did, membership of the Camping and Caravanning Club didn't make a lot of difference because Wightlink had a special offer on anyway.
However, for some crossings you can get a discount of 20% off caravans when you book through this link or 50% off larger motorhomes.
Annual membership is around £40.
It's also worth asking your accommodation provider if they get a reduced rate on ferry travel.
OK, my caravan has made it to the Isle of Wight. Now what?
Carisbrooke Castle - one of the Isle of Wight's historic attractions
There are loads of holiday parks on the Isle of Wight which have space for touring caravans. Check out our guide to 10 of the best Isle of Wight caravan parks or our guide to the four Park Resorts sites on the Isle of Wight.
Or there is our guide to campsites, many of which also accept caravans.
If you don’t know the Isle of Wight at all, have a look at the guide to which town you should stay in or one of our many days out guides and beaches guides.
Oh and by the way, some of the Isle of Wight’s roads are a bit wiggly and narrow…good luck.
How I worked out the fares: All bookings were Saturday to Saturday. #1 and #2 was travelling 15/08/15 to 22/08/15. #3 and #4 was 31/10/15 to 07/11/15. #5 and #6 was 05/12/15 to 12/12/15. Wightlink has two height categories for caravans – under 2.24m and over 2.24m. Red Funnel has two height categories for caravans – under 2.7m and over 2.7m. Searches were carried out in mid August 2015, for a normal sized car (under 2m tall, under 5m long) pulling a caravan which was under 5.5m long and up to 2.24m tall. I considered a ‘reasonable time’ to be after 9am and before 8pm. I searched Portsmouth to Fishbourne for Wightlink – they also have a Lymington to Yarmouth ferry crossing (see the ferry guide for beginners).
Or there is our guide to campsites, many of which also accept caravans.
If you don’t know the Isle of Wight at all, have a look at the guide to which town you should stay in or one of our many days out guides and beaches guides.
Oh and by the way, some of the Isle of Wight’s roads are a bit wiggly and narrow…good luck.
How I worked out the fares: All bookings were Saturday to Saturday. #1 and #2 was travelling 15/08/15 to 22/08/15. #3 and #4 was 31/10/15 to 07/11/15. #5 and #6 was 05/12/15 to 12/12/15. Wightlink has two height categories for caravans – under 2.24m and over 2.24m. Red Funnel has two height categories for caravans – under 2.7m and over 2.7m. Searches were carried out in mid August 2015, for a normal sized car (under 2m tall, under 5m long) pulling a caravan which was under 5.5m long and up to 2.24m tall. I considered a ‘reasonable time’ to be after 9am and before 8pm. I searched Portsmouth to Fishbourne for Wightlink – they also have a Lymington to Yarmouth ferry crossing (see the ferry guide for beginners).
