The 2026 West London Cycling Isle of Wight ride will be on Saturday 12th September starting at 9.30 am from the Cowes West Ferry Quay (at Comicoffee Cowes 7-8 The Arcade Cowes PO31 7AR)
We are anticipating that people will car share to Southampton (as train times are tight) and the foot passenger fare is £12.05 each way on the day for the ferry (either ferry option).
THE ROUTE
A 115km ride but please note that the climb at Down Lane (60km) is entirely optional and is only there for those wishing to ‘tick it off’ in Simon Warren’s 100 Best Climbs list.
We may use the DOWN LANE Strava Segment times for thev 2026 Climb Award. Fastest Strava time up on the day wins, male and female awards.
CAFE STOPS: These are optional, and a few are marked on the route. However, our suggestion is THE BUS CAFE at 72km (slightly off the route}.
CROSSING THE SOLENT
OUR ADVICE: Don’t book the ferry in advance as tickets are non-refundable and don’t guarantee a place on the boat if it is full. Go for the 7am or 8am vehicle ferry (see below) as we can all fit onto that, whereas spaces are limited on the foot ferry. If you book a return on the vehicle ferry but decide to come back on the foot ferry there is an upgrade fee of £5. We suggest that you book a single out on the vehicle ferry and decide when you get back to Cowes which to travel on as foot ferry is quicker and more frequent. Once in Cowes, you’ll need to get the Chain Ferry from East Cowes to West Cowes and meet at Comicoffee by the foot ferry quay..
We are anticipating that people will car share (as train times are tight) and the foot passenger fare is £12.05 each way on the day for the ferry (either ferry option).
VEHICLE FERRY AS A FOOT PASSENGER WITH BIKE (60 minutes plus chain fery in Cowes)
There is a car ferry too, again from Southampton which takes 60 minutes but goes to East Cowes so you’ll need to get the chain ferry across the harbour at Cowes to reach the start. USE TERMINAL ONE
Please note: Foot passenger tickets on the car ferry operate on a first come, first served basis but there is a lot more capacity so less risk of being left behind. Times are shown as a guide and for ticketing purposes only – selecting a specific sailing does not guarantee a space.
Red Funnel Ferries advise customers arrive at least 15 mins prior to departure to ensure they sail at their preferred time.
- Exit M3 at Junction 14 onto the A33 (West) following signs to Docks for approximately 5 miles.
- At the roundabout, take the second exit onto Bassett Avenue (A33) for 0.82 miles (1.32 km)
- At the roundabout, take the first exit onto Bassett Avenue (A33) for 0.32 miles (0.51 km)
- Continue onto A33 for 1.36 miles (2.19 km)
- At the roundabout, take the second exit onto Dorset Street (A33) for 0.41 miles (0.66 km)
- At the roundabout, take the third exit onto East Park Terrace for 0.36 miles (0.58 km)
- Continue onto Palmerston Road for 0.22 miles (0.35 km)
- At the roundabout, take the second exit onto Queensway for 0.39 miles (0.63 km)
- Turn right onto Briton Street for 0.10 miles (0.16 km)
- Turn left onto High Street for 0.10 miles (0.16 km)
- At the Traffic Lights: – if taking a vehicle on the ferry turn right (our terminal building is directly in front of you) and continue along Town Quay
- Road for 0.09 miles (0.14 km). Take the first left turn immediately after the signalled pedestrian crossing (signposted Red
- Funnel Terminal 1, Dock Gate 7)- if picking-up or dropping-off ferry foot passengers drive straight ahead, the terminal entrance for passengers is immediately on your right.
Triangle Car Park
Sited within 5 minutes walk of the terminal, the 270 space Triangle car park holds the Safer Parking Scheme ParkMark® and has full CCTV coverage. Auto Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) is also in use. It is not possible to pre-book so please pay on arrival at the car park either by credit/debit card, ticket machine or by mobile phone. The address is Cunard Road, Southampton SO14 3QN, UK
Ocean Car Park
Ocean Car Park is a modern six level 776 space long-stay car park with a Safer Parking Scheme ParkMark® in recognition that the owners, management and the police have worked together to achieve safe, reactive and high standard of parking.
Once in West Cowes, then there is a chain ferry that goes across near to the East Cowes terminal. Once off the ferry proceed to the roundabout and take the 3rd exit and the chain ferry leaves from a few hundred yards on that road.
FAST FOOT FERRY (Limited number of bike spaces)
There is a foot ferry from Southampton which takes 30 minutes but can only take 11 bikes (and we may not be the only cyclists).
USE TERMINAL TWO
Please note: Foot passenger tickets on the foot ferry operate on a first come, first served basis. Booking times are shown as a guide and for ticketing purposes only – pre-booking a specific sailing does not guarantee a space.
These are flexible tickets which are valid on any Red Jet sailing between Southampton and West Cowes. Carriage is subject to availability and is on a first come first served basis
Red Funnlel Ferries advise customers arrive at least 15 mins prior to departure to ensure they sail at their preferred time.
- Exit M3 at Junction 14 onto the A33 (West) following signs to Docks for approximately 5 miles.
- At the roundabout, take the second exit onto Bassett Avenue (A33) for 0.82 miles (1.32 km)
- At the roundabout, take the first exit onto Bassett Avenue (A33) for 0.32 miles (0.51 km)
- Continue onto A33 for 1.36 miles (2.19 km)
- At the roundabout, take the second exit onto Dorset Street (A33) for 0.41 miles (0.66 km)
- At the roundabout, take the third exit onto East Park Terrace for 0.36 miles (0.58 km)
- Continue onto Palmerston Road for 0.22 miles (0.35 km)
- At the roundabout, take the second exit onto Queensway for 0.39 miles (0.63 km)
- Turn right onto Briton Street for 0.10 miles (0.16 km)
- Turn left onto High Street for 0.10 miles (0.16 km)
- At the Traffic Lights drive straight ahead onto Town Quay, you’ll find Terminal 2 on your left after 0.09 miles (0.14 km)
Triangle Car Park
Sited within 5 minutes walk of the terminal, the 270 space Triangle car park holds the Safer Parking Scheme ParkMark® and has full CCTV coverage. Auto Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) is also in use. It is not possible to pre-book so please pay on arrival at the car park either by credit/debit card, ticket machine or by mobile phone. Cunard Road, Southampton SO14 3QN, UK
Trains from Waterloo (You may also be able to travel from Reading but we haven’t looked into that)
From the Station
