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The comfort of the ferry across the Solent

I don’t think that there has been a song about crossing the Solent on the ferry, unlike the famous Gerry and the Pacemaker’s song. It does, however, have close links to popular music and is only a short crossing to an Island offering great entertainment.

I am, of course, referring to the festivals that are hosted on the Isle of Wight, notably Isle of Wight Festival and the official Isle of Wight festival. The largest of the two festivals is the Isle of Wight festival which dates back to the sixties when ‘flower power’ was fashionable. The list of famous past performers is legendary, and includes a who’s who of rock and popular music culture. Nowadays the festival is a good starting point for up-and-coming bands, which are able to taste the atmosphere of playing in front of a crowd that regularly exceeds 50,000 people.

Bestival is the freshest of the Island festival attractions, having only been established for 8 or 9 years. Possibly its reputation is more concerned with the carnival atmosphere that is generated, with its importance attached to the sounds of the radio djs. Each year at Bestival, a new theme is created by the organisers, which allows people to dress in their fancy dress costume creations. Ultimately, the best costume chosen is likely to result in a life-time entrance to the show at no cost to the winner. It’s a pretty good outcome for a little time spent making a costume from sticky back plastic and some old glue!

If you are intending travelling to one of the festivals next year, then you will have to make the trip via one of the available IOW ferry in operation. At Portsmouth there are two terminals: one to accommodate passengers travelling on foot, and the other for owners of vehicles.