East Cowes – Southampton
Ferry to England
East Cowes – Southampton
Ferry to England
The East Cowes Southampton ferry route connects Isle of Wight with England. Currently there is just the 1 ferry company operating this ferry service, Red Funnel. The crossing operates up to 17 times each day with sailing durations from around 1 hour.
East Cowes Southampton sailing durations and frequency may vary from season to season so we’d advise doing a live check to get the most up to date information.
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Famed for its world famous yachting scene, Cowes Port has become a globally acknowledged centre of boat-building. Found on the northern coast of the Isle of Wight, Cowes Port is one of the smaller towns of the island, though possibly the most widely recognised due to its hugely popular yachting and royal connections. Also known as the ‘Floating Bridge’, Cowes Chain Ferry carries foot passengers and vehicles on the short crossing to East Cowes, across the narrow mouth of the fast flowing River Medina. The ferry route runs frequently throughout the day, beginning very early in the morning and running till late in the evening. The harbour has created several jobs around the town, contributing in excess of £25 million worth of revenue to the local economy.
A glance at the map gives some idea of the strategic maritime importance of Southampton, which stands on a triangular peninsula formed at the place where the rivers Itchen and Test flow into Southampton Water, an eight-mile inlet from the Solent. Sure enough, Southampton has figured in numerous stirring events: it witnessed the exodus of Henry V's Agincourt-bound army, the Pilgrim Fathers' departure in the Mayflower in 1620 and the maiden voyages of such ships as the Queen Mary and the Titanic. The Second World War hit Southampton particularly hard, because of its strategic importance as the major industrial area on the South Coast. Pockets of Georgian architecture remain, but much of the city was levelled. The accuracy of the locally-based Ordnance Survey's maps did not go unrecognised by the Luftwaffe: the German bomber pilots used them to bomb Southampton.
