Dog Friendly Ferry – to the Isle of Wight

We recently took a trip to the Isle of Wight, an island to the south of England which is easily accessible by boat. It was my first time visiting and I didn’t know what to expect when crossing with a dog but it was so easy!

We booked our crossing with Red Funnel Ferry, one of the main services between the Isle of Wight and the mainland. You can either cross as a foot passenger or with your car which I chose to do so we could easily drive around the island on the other side.

First off I drove Wyn and I down to Southampton where the Red Funnel entrance was easy to find and the gates opened when scanning my number plate recognised from my booking. The vehicle ferry has a crossing time of 60 minutes. You’re asked to arrive 30 minutes before your departure time where you park your car in the numbered lanes. Here you can get out and go to the toilet or cafe on site, I chose to let Wyn out to stretch her legs a little too before going back to our car to get ready to load onto the ferry.

Once onboard and parked up all passengers must leave their vehicles to go up onto the deck. You can either leave your dogs in the car which some may prefer. My dogs are happy and safe left in the car asleep in their beds, but the crossing can set off some people’s car alarms so it could be a little worrying for your dogs if they’re surrounded by strange noises during the crossing. Or you can take your dog with you which I chose to do, up to the pet friendly deck.

Up on deck there is a seating area for those travelling with pets, as well as a cafe and toilets. If the weather is dry you can also go outside and enjoy the fresh air as you sail – Wyn loved the wind in her ears for this bit!

Everyone was so happy to see Wyn on board, she made friends with pretty much everyone on the pet friendly deck; those travelling without dogs came over to make a fuss of her and tell us about their dogs at home. She also made great friends with the postman who was on his way over to collect the post from the island.

Fortunately the weather was great for our crossings there and back so it was smooth sailing and I look forward to going back, hopefully with all three of my dogs next time!

Book your ferry tickets here – https://www.redfunnel.co.uk

Thanks for reading,

Megan, Woody, Wilma & Wyn

Ad – We worked with Red Funnel Ferry during our journey.