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Cheap Isle of Wight Ferry Travel For Caravans 2024
**Wightlink offer: save up to 35% on off-peak motorhome fares**
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Caravans get a bad press sometimes, with Jeremy Clarkson making snide remarks or pushing them off cliffs.
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. But is it still a cheap holiday once you have paid the Isle of Wight ferry fare? To help things along, you can get 10% off the ferry fare with a caravan if you book with Red Funnel via this exclusive booking widget. Here are our thoughts on what it will cost you, and suggestions of ways you can save money on bringing a caravan to the Isle of Wight: |
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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 in 2024 will cost you about £150 to £500.
The prices are higher on the more popular crossings, 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 for a week long return in 2024 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 £50 - £300).
These prices don't include discount codes, such as the year round discount with Red Funnel at the top of the page. You will probably be able to get 10-25% off with discount codes, which we will move onto later! Notes at bottom of page show details of what we searched for.
The prices are higher on the more popular crossings, 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 for a week long return in 2024 and came up with these quotes:
- August 2024 summer holiday, reasonable time of day: £471 (Wightlink) or £410 (Red Funnel)
- August 2024 summer holiday, middle of the night: £216 (Wightlink) or £339 (Red Funnel)
- October 2024 school half term, reasonable time of day: £302 (Wightlink) or £260 (Red Funnel)
- October 2024 school half term, middle of the night: £182 (Wightlink) or £217 (Red Funnel)
- Winter 2024, term time weekend, reasonable time of day: £217 (Wightlink) or £167 (Red Funnel)
- Winter 2024, term time weekend, middle of the night: £157 (Wightlink) or £146 (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 £50 - £300).
These prices don't include discount codes, such as the year round discount with Red Funnel at the top of the page. You will probably be able to get 10-25% off with discount codes, which we will move onto later! Notes at bottom of page show details of what we searched for.
£146 to £471? That’s quite a range....
So, what’s your advice on the cheapest way of taking a caravan to the Isle of Wight?
Yes, the price is pretty variable, which is frustrating if you aren't able to be flexible with your travel plans.
Here are 5 of my favourite ways to save money on Isle of Wight ferry travel with a caravan:
Here are 5 of my favourite ways to save money on Isle of Wight ferry travel with a caravan:
1. Ask your accommodation provider to book it for you
Holiday parks and other accommodation providers often offer discounts on the ferry, so it is always worth asking them to give you an all-inclusive quote. Some good options:
(A note for historians and long time readers: One of the best deals was with Away Resorts but they stopped offering touring and camping at their Whitecliff Bay Holiday Park in 2022).
- If you like big name camping and touring sites with lots of entertainment, take a look at the four Parkdean Resorts holiday parks on the Isle of Wight which have space for caravans and offer an 'exclusive ferry crossing discount' (the exact discount varies). Your options are Nodes Point which is next to a beach in the East Wight, Lower Hyde Holiday Park and Landguard Holiday Park which are 20 minutes' walk from the beach in Shanklin and Thorness Bay which is by a scrubby beach in the North Wight.
- If you prefer an independent touring park then there are some really good deals to be found. For example, we searched in November and found a deal for five nights in late July 2024 at Whitefield Forest Touring Park for only £228. That included a return ferry, plus a pitch with an electric hookup for up to four people and two dogs. If we had booked separately then we would have paid about £350 for the ferry and about £230 for the pitch - a total of about £580! That's more than double the price of getting the bundle deal! You can get similar bundle deals at Appuldurcombe Gardens, Waverley Park and Orchards Holiday Park.
(Note: we couldn't find this deal when we checked in December 2023, but we are expecting it to return soon). - The Camping and Caravanning Club offers a Wightlink discount. 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, so it can pay for itself immediately if you are travelling at a peak time.
- Breakfree Holidays offers a 30% discount price with Wightlink for ferry travel if you book via them.
- Trawl through our top 20 Isle of Wight campsites and touring parks, as you will find that some independent parks do cheap ferry + pitch bundles.
(A note for historians and long time readers: One of the best deals was with Away Resorts but they stopped offering touring and camping at their Whitecliff Bay Holiday Park in 2022).
Click to see Red Funnel and Wightlink's latest offers
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Nodes Point is one of four Parkdean Resorts holiday parks on the Isle of Wight with spaces for caravans
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2. Get a quote from Red Funnel and Wightlink
If your accommodation provider won't give you a bundled deal, then you'll need to book direct with Red Funnel or 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.
There was a bigger price range through the day with Wightlink (some return crossings were approaching £500, 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.
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.
There was a bigger price range through the day with Wightlink (some return crossings were approaching £500, 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.
3. 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 £40 in one test I did, 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.
With Red Funnel you will jump up into the next price category if your caravan is taller than 2.7m (an extra £40 in one test I did, 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.
4. 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 that we know about from Red Funnel and Wightlink. It's also worth checking the offers pages on the Wightlink website and the Red Funnel website.
Red Funnel offer a year round 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.
Red Funnel offer a year round 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.
5. Travel on a day and time which suits Red Funnel and Wightlink
In the price tests that I did, there was sometimes a £50 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.
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.
OK, my caravan has made it to the Isle of Wight. Now what?
There are loads of holiday parks on the Isle of Wight that 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 Parkdean Resorts sites on the Isle of Wight (they were formerly Park Resorts holiday parks).
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 around Ventnor.
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 around Ventnor.
An irrelevant photo of Compton Bay in the sunshine to brighten up this boring guide to ferry prices
How I worked out the fares: All bookings were Saturday to Saturday. #1 and #2 was travelling 10/08/24 to 17/08/24. #3 and #4 was 19/10/24 to 26/10/24. #5 and #6 was 13/01/24 to 20/01/24. 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 November 2022, for a normal sized car (under 2m tall, under 5m long) pulling a caravan which was under 5.5m long and up to 2.7m tall. I considered a ‘reasonable time’ to be after 9am and before 8pm. I rounded to the nearest pound. I searched Portsmouth to Fishbourne for Wightlink – they also have a Lymington to Yarmouth ferry crossing (see the ferry guide for beginners).
