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FastCat passenger ferry port

Ryde Pier Head

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About

Ryde is a beautiful seaside town on the north-east coast of the Isle of Wight. Our port sits at the end of the historic Ryde Pier, which is also home to an Island Line train station.

This route is our quickest crossing for foot passengers, with a journey time of just 22 minutes on our FastCats, Wight Ryder I and Wight Ryder II.

A new walkway has now opened along the pier, allowing pedestrians to walk up and down the structure separately from cars and bicycles using the vehicle lane. Parking is available at the end of the pier – see the prices below.

Fishing on Ryde Pier

Ryde Pier is a great place to spend a few hours fishing. You can buy daily and annual fishing permits from the car park machines on the pier – just use the yellow button to find the option you want, then the green button to find out the price and make payment.

Wightlink staff and the parking patrol officers will ask to see your permit when they’re on their rounds.

Please fish responsibly and don’t leave any litter behind when you go home.

On this page:

Where is it?

Ryde Pier Head, The Esplanade, Ryde, Isle of Wight, PO33 2HF

Routes

Portsmouth Harbour – Ryde Pier Head

22 minutesFoot passenger ferry

If you’re travelling on foot, Portsmouth Harbour to Ryde Pier Head is our quickest route, crossing the waters between the Isle of Wight and mainland in just 22 minutes.  

Our reliable, high-speed FastCat catamarans serve this route and come with spacious passenger lounges, bicycle racks and a sun deck, perfect for taking in the views during the day.

Ticket gates

We have introduced ticket gates at both our Portsmouth Harbour and Ryde Pier Head ports.

Similar to gates you see at many train stations, they will accept rail tickets (except Interrail tickets) with barcodes or QR codes as well as Wightlink paper tickets, passes and online tickets on smart phones.

If you’re travelling using a rail ticket with a magnetic strip, these will need to be scanned manually by our port staff, as will adults travelling with children.

Feefo logo
View the Portsmouth Harbour – Ryde Pier Head route
Wightlink Fastcat catamaran at Ryde Pier Head

Facilities at the port

Two members of staff, smiling, waiting to serve customers, with a display of confectioneries, a roll over hotdog stand and a fridge full of drinks such as cold coffee, cider, beer, juice and fizzy drinks.

Seagull Café

Our Seagull Café outlet is ideal for a quick stop off before you board the FastCat, with a selection of locally-sourced hot and cold food and drink.

EV charging point

Charge your electric vehicle with a 7.2kw charging unit.

Self service ticket machines

Purchase tickets at the port with your contactless device or debit or credit card using the ticket vending machine.

Customer Service Point

Purchase or amend tickets at our port at the Customer Service Point. Please note, you can’t purchase any of our frequent traveller passes at our ports and we no longer accept cash payments.

Toilet and baby changing facilities

Toilets and baby-changing facilities are available at the port while you wait for your ferry crossing.

Changing Places toilet

If you have limited mobility and you can’t use standard accessible toilets, we have a much larger and fully-equipped Changing Places toilet on site.

Public transport

South Western Railway’s Island Line connects our Ryde Pier Head port directly with stations in Brading, Sandown, Lake and Shanklin

Several Southern Vectis bus routes operate to Ryde Esplanade, from where you can walk to the Terminal or hop on the train.

See Island Line timetable

Checking in

Foot passengers need to check in at least 15 minutes before departure.

The check in experience

Timetable

We offer frequent, round-the-clock sailings.

Timetables

Nearby attractions

Our handy Wightlink Explorer tool will show everything that’s going on in the area.

Start exploring

Parking

Car parking at the port is available and if you intend to use the car park regularly you can save with a 30-day Parking Permit.

There is a weight restriction of three tonnes and a height restriction of 2.25 metres for all vehicles using the pier as well as a 10mph speed limit, which also applies to cyclists.

Drivers exceeding this limit will be issued a fixed penalty notice of £80 and/or face exclusion from Wightlink property and vessels.

Parking at Ryde Pier Head FastCat passenger ferry port

RingGo

RingGo zone number 22285

Duration of stayPrice
Up to 30 minutesFree
Up to two hours£2.30
Up to 16 hours£9.00
Up to 24 hours£11.60
Over 24 hours (per day or part thereof)£11.60
Evening (16:00 - 05:00)£6.90

What to expect at the port

On foot

Upon arrival, a seating area is available where you can wait until the FastCat is ready for boarding. Feel free to use our port facilities but try to be ready to board at least 15 minutes before your booked sailing time.

All our foot passenger tickets, except for Family tickets, can be purchased online or through the Wightlink app in advance. Foot passenger tickets can also be purchased at our self service ticket machines.

When the ferry is ready to board, please present your ticket (this can be a printed ticket or you can show the ticket on your phone) to the team and then proceed down the walkway to board the FastCat.

If you’re bringing along a bicycle, please leave this in the cycle racks at the rear of the FastCat.

Ferry

Ports

All our ports are easy to get to and come with excellent facilities, including food and drink outlets – find your closest location to travel from.

Ferry

Ferries

Our fleet of six vehicle ferries and two FastCat catamarans serve the Isle of Wight and mainland 364 days a year – find out everything there is to know about them.

Vehicles parked at Ferry port

Parking

There's parking on site or close by at each of our ports – find pricing information and details of where to find them.