I tried to ride EVERY ferry to this UK island in 24 hours (madness)

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My first ever video from back home in England.
I've talked about my home island a lot, but never made a proper video from it. The fact that we rely on ferries to get home is one of the most prominent / annoying features of island life, so I turned it in to a challenge :) It's supposed to be the most expensive ferry crossing in the world, so make sure to check for the final £ total at the end!
Can I ride every single Isle of Wight ferry in 24 hours, while showing you some of my favourite spots on my home island at the same time?
England travel is not so much something we've done a lot on this channel, I think I only have a couple of UK travel vlogs still up. But if you like this one, I have plenty more ideas!
insta: / tomth0rnton
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I took a lot of time to design a route that included the Portsmouth, Southampton and Lymington ferries, allowed a trip on the Floating Bridge, and a walk down Ryde Pier (there should be a train, but it's currently out of service!). But my main criteria was to end with the Hovercraft from Southsea to Ryde, truly a unique worldwide experience! Whether that's a good thing or a bad thing, I'll leave up to you.
I hope that you're doing well and staying safe.
Music from Epidemic Sound, feel free to sign up using my referral link if you liked it :) share.epidemicsound.com/nu1tb0
Camera: amzn.to/3bGGrb2
Microphone I use at home: amzn.to/2MtTGTF
My 40L travel backpack: amzn.to/3b3Ywkh
SSD I edit from: amzn.to/3syP7He
0:00 Can I ride all 6 Isle of Wight ferries in 24 hours?
1:06 Ryde Pier Head to Portsmouth Fast Cat
2:56 Southampton history and Isle of Wight ferries
5:27 Southampton to Cowes Red Jet
7:14 Isle of Wight Floating Bridge 2023
8:52 East Cowes to Southampton Red Funnel Car Ferry
11:07 Southwestern Railway Southampton to Lymington Pier
12:26 Lymington to Yarmouth Wightlink Car Ferry
13:59 Southern Vectis bus ride Yarmouth to Wootton
15:20 Isle of Wight car ferry Fishbourne to Portsmouth
15:57 Isle of Wight round the island yacht race 2023
18:59 Isle of Wight hovercraft

[@stephendew]

This is the kind of niche content I love KZbin for 😂

[@thornton]

Hahaha that’s me mate

[@energiesparlampe100]

Hi Tom, my girlfriend and I are currently hiking and backpacking around the beautiful South West of England. Today we had problems with the buses trying to get to Newquay from Combe Martin. As we were stranded in a small village, this video kept my spirits high. Thanks for that ❤

[@thornton]

Hey, thanks for your comment, it also kept my spirits high! I hope your trip goes better tomorrow, and that there’s some sunshine (maybe too much to ask!)

[@ADAMEDWARDS17]

Fab video and you have my sympathy for the worries over connections. Earlier this year I did 5 ferries by bike: Hayling, Wightjet, Floating bridge replacemenot boat, East Cowes and then the Hythe ferry, cycling on to Beaulieu road and back to the camp site in Chichester by train. An epic day out.

[@vojtabrat6121]

Your videos are always a pleasure to watch, such a nice vibe !

[@thornton]

Glad you like them! That means a lot :)

[@efeegy1]

That shot of the kids watching the hovercraft really got me, I did exactly the same thing when I was a kid and I was in awe. Brilliant video!

[@thornton]

I still am in awe 🤓

[@BenjiYoutube]

Underrated youtuber ,love from Germany!

[@MaxDavidPaul]

As a fellow (frequently impoverished thanks to Wightlink) Islander, you captured the pleasure and pain of Island ferries perfectly! The yachts section was like a love letter to the island - beautiful!

[@manuelbonet]

If you don't mind me asking, is there an Islander discount for these ferries? I know Shetland and Orkney Islanders do get one, but I was just wondering if there existed a similar program for the Isle of Wight.

[@BSW150]

This insane Midlander did this craziness just a few months ago. Took pretty much 12 hours setting out from Portsmouth, I headed west to Lymington, then took the ferries in order finishing with the Hovercraft home. Was nice to spend the day at sea, and all my connections went to plan. For islanders, I see how the cost can build up, and the constant stress of hoping your crossing is not disrupted can lead to a long day at work. Hovercraft will always be my favourite, but the cost of single, ouch.

[@thornton]

Oh hey, fellow ferry nerd 🤓

[@BSW150]

@thornton for a landlubber I do like my ferries 😆

[@johnreynolds5103]

Well done that man! Highly original and so much fun!

[@Applecake771]

I'm always happy to see one of your videos - keep up the good work!

[@thornton]

appreciate it! 🥺

[@SilverNightKyle]

Tom’s Ferry Tale…😁

[@thornton]

👏👏 Ferrytale of Newport

[@Adsy125]

At 7:10 you can see SS Shieldhall in shot, a 1950s sludge boat which now runs trips out of Southampton. She's fully staffed by volunteers, and can frequently be seen from the ferries. Would recommend a trip if you can bear more time on the water! EDIT : I'm also curious why you didn't buy combined train & ferry tickets where you could've? Those are so much cheaper!

[@nicklittle8780]

Great video. I live in the USA now but grew up in Plymouth. Portsmouth was always our big naval base competition (and in footy) but I made several trips to the Isle of Wight by train and ferry. I took the early (even smaller) hovercraft on several occasions. They were very unreliable. Once we broke down mid-journey and the pilot and a crew member ended up rowing us across! The ferry overtook us. I also rode the hovercraft across the English Channel. Even noisier but so quick unless the swell was over 4 or 5 feet which was too much for them to deal with. WE have a chain ferry between Devon and Cornwall - Devonport in Plymouth to Torpoint and used to have another to Saltash until the road (A38) Tamar Bridge was built. I do crazy transport visits as well (e.g., to the most southern undergraound (metro) station in the world in Buenos Aires, Argentina!

[@inappropriateJester]

Absolutely loving this „in 24 hours“ videos! Really hoping to you making a series out of it.

[@thornton]

That's really nice! I have a lot of ideas still :)

[@jzakary1]

I love that there's still a Hovercraft Ferry in the UK. I have fond memories of crossing the channel with its big brother when i was a little kid. 🥰

[@thornton]

That’s a longer crossing, must’ve been loud!! Come back and try our mini one somewhen

[@BearingAwayUK]

This was excellent. Partly because there is nothing like watching people race through places you’ve been (I’ve done all of the ferries covered, but rather sensibly spread across different days) but also because it is so refreshing to have a travelogue with genuine suspense and authenticity. But… I think that technically hovercraft are not considered ferries (or at least boats), and that they are flown rather than sailed… so, that’s five ferries, one floating bridge and a plane of sorts.

[@MonoToneGrayOutside]

Appreciate your videos, started enjoying making videos more, when seeing people like you delivering in your own way with out the need to be hyper and over energetic, as I to am more on the chilled side too, thank you!

[@thornton]

🌞 thank you

[@audioupgrades]

Well done! Let's see if anyone picks up the gauntlet.

[@gloriastroedecke2717]

I loved this video. Although technically you didn't go far, it was a splendid adventure. I didn't know it was the place of your birth. It became very friendly and personal. I love the Jane Austen quote at the end. And what an auspicious day you chose. Truly a day that can not be replicated. I was smiling all the way through. Thank you.

[@c898dba]

Nice trip! The challenge has a ‘travelling turtle’ feel to it. You should do a collab with him!

[@Bertie_Ahern]

They should build an underwater tram service from IoW to the mainland, that way you can enjoy visiting the various wrecks and so forth on your way.

[@iyams_]

Having been born and raised in Southampton and only been to IoW once due to the cost of the ferry, I understood the pain every time you bought a ticket. Strange but lovely to see the city in a video!

[@thornton]

I just don’t get why it’s so expensive 😭😭😭

[@TedJM]

​@@thorntonI used to live about 800 yards from the hovercraft terminal in Southsea, seeing them ask £26 made my jaw hit the floor

[@timor64]

10:00 "you cant stop a good Brit from being miserable about stuff". Pricesless. Just goes to show what a good idea it is for everyone in the world to live in a different country for a while if they have the chance. And by the way - I love your videos overall but one thing that is really next level is your voice and narration. Have you considered doing voice-over work on the side?

[@richardu]

Super cool! My Dad lives in the Isle of Wight so I get the cat over often! I know you'll know this, but anyone reading - always try to book a boat via a train ticket. It's soo much cheaper! Especially if you have a railcard. I made the mistake of turning up to the hovercraft without a ticket not long ago and was as shocked as Tom when I got there. Madness.

[@thornton]

Yep definitely use a Railcard and get tickets to the final destination on the island, then you save 1/3rd on the ferry part as well :) I even do this when I’m not getting the train haha, like a ticket from West Cowes to St Denys and just don’t go to the train afterwards

[@iankemp1131]

Can you still book through tickets on Wightlink (Portsmouth Harbour - Ryde PH) via the train? When I looked at the National Rail website recently it was only showing tickets via the hovercraft! Even if I put in "via Portsmouth Harbour" it wanted me to take a bus from there to the hoverport. Ridiculous.

[@richardu]

@@iankemp1131 It depends on strikes etc, but yes you can still book from any station to Ryde Pier Head. You can't book from Portsmouth to Ryde Pier Head, but stations before those, like Fratton, you can. So Fratton to Ryde Pier Head would work.

[@iankemp1131]

@@richardu Thanks very much. Have now played around with the National Rail website and, thanks to your advice, I can now also get it to give me a through ticket to anywhere on the Island Line, but only by forcing it to go via Ryde Pier Head. And it assumes that the 7 minute connection from the ship is too tight and that I will need to wait an extra hour at Ryde.

[@richardu]

@@iankemp1131 Glad to hear it! I think you can book any ticket generally, as they're not usually tied to a particular service.

[@TheTravellingScotsman]

I've always wanted to go on a hovercraft 😃😃

[@aidanfell4297]

You should have named this the 'go bankrupt quick in just 24 hours challenge'

[@Trainviking]

Great challenge and great content for youtube. For next week, I actually also planned an Isle of Wight fastcat vs. Hovercraft video, haha. And you made it... so great.

[@thornton]

Ah that's great, enjoy your time on the island!

[@Trainviking]

@@thornton we did, it was in April. Great escape during Easter from the Netherlands.

[@briangentle5515]

Great to see the Island again. My Dad was born in Newport IW, and we used to holiday in Totland as kids. Sadly I haven't ever lived on the IoW myself.

[@thornton]

Glad you liked it :)

[@neiltarrant7253]

A fellow Islander who has also emigrated to Germany here. Really enjoyed the video - a complete blast from the past for me. For some reason I thought the Lymington ferries had been eliminated!

[@Murdersville]

I did the commute between Ryde and Portsmouth 5 days a week for 10 years so I have had more than enough of crossing the Solent,. however, more power to you. Partly spent the video partly thinking how would I do it, then realised who I am kidding I would never do it, not at those prices.

[@Frazsier-lx1gr]

Well done, mate! Some people take vacation on a fancy island, you...just take six ferries on your home island. 😎 A random day in the life of Tom Thornton. Love it! 🙃👍👍

[@thornton]

Hahaha that's me! One day I will do something normal

[@Frazsier-lx1gr]

@@thornton One day I wanna do some normal, random stuff and take the train from my home in southern Austria to Thurso in the north of Scotland and than the ferry to the Orkney Islands. 😊😎

[@TheHellpoy]

Oh man, your videos are like compact mini-vacations from the all-day-everyday stress. Thank you so dearly!

[@TransportGeekery]

Epic! Haven’t been to the island for at least 10 years. I was tantalisingly close last week as I stayed overnight in Portsmouth.

[@thornton]

My condolences that you had to spend time in Portsmouth, rather than our wonderful isle 🫡

[@TransportGeekery]

@@thornton nah, I quite like Portsmouth. At least I got my ferry fix by shuttling over to Gosport for a few hours.

[@sueweston502]

The Island is my ancestral & spiritual home but amazingly given all my trips over the years I've only used anything other than Portsmouth to Ryde Pier Head a handful of times. I've also never been on the roro ferry from Southampton to Cowes. I'm such a creature of habit! Very tempted to accept your challenge, maybe he's summer

[@ToastBurn]

A real-life achievement unlocked! Great video as always Tom, and beeeautiful shots of the yacht race from the boat 😍

[@thornton]

Thanks Lewis 😍😍

[@viviennewest1867]

Tom you DID well under the situation. For the “floating “ crossing I remember it way back in the mid 1950s and I think it was wooden. Here in Australia we have quite a number of them crossing our major river which is over 2,000 kilometres long, River Murray.

[@thornton]

Thanks for your comment :) I would love to do a tour of all the floating bridges in Australia 😭

[@peepoFlavor]

Awh, thanks for the little story about your grandparents- I needed that. Cheers dude

[@thornton]

🥹🥰

[@6023barath]

Yay! New Tom video!

[@thornton]

thank you 😭

[@Epicgtuy13]

They may be expensive. But I have a passion for ferries i really enjoy them. Edit: Unpopular opinion but I quite enjoy the red jet service announcement. the voice is calming and i enjoy the video

[@robertp.wainman4094]

Nice idea for a video - I didn't realise there was such a choice of IOW ferries.

[@mrrayyanharies]

Now I want to visit Isle of Wight and do this Tom!

[@thornton]

Please do!! We’re a welcoming bunch

[@nickelgaming]

Great challenge, really enjoyed it! Very well edited too. Definitely want to take a journey on the hovercraft and visit the island some day...

[@thornton]

thanks! yeah it's definitely worth trying :)

[@Hemeralopie]

As we say in Germany "Der Weg ist das Ziel". Well done mate.

[@dfrankpgh]

Epic video Tom. Thank you for taking us along on the journey.

[@TheTimTri]

We were on the Isle of Wight on a Saturday, about 1.5 weeks ago! Used the ferry between Portsmouth and Ryde Pier Head, everything worked like a charm and the sunset during the return journey was breathtaking. We actually came with the train from London, and also made use of the Island Line on the island itself to go to Lake for some hiking along the cliff path. Certainly very happy everything worked out!! 😅

[@thornton]

a perfect weekend :)

[@TheOceanChannel2]

Oh I thought you meant all the vessels/ships in the fleet. Not the routes. Still looks like a amazing journey!

[@kimpeppe9596]

pretty awesome, and now I want to ride the hoover craft to Ryde and back!

[@selwynosborne4895]

Congratulations, Tom, on completing your very silly quest. I love the island very much and do at least annual summer visits (because it's pants in winter). I've done every possible bus on the island in one day, but all the ferries just did my head in. 😀

[@veesimmons2464]

That was BRILLIANT! I was on the edge of my seat. What a fun way to spend a day. Thanks for sharing.

[@nigelmontague9931]

Another fun crazy video Tom. Makes me want to give it a go. Great job.⭐⭐⭐

[@leecollison7527]

Pedant alert! The Hovercraft isn't actually a ferry but classed as an aircraft due to it essentially flying a few feet above the surface. So technically, you completed your challenge when you arrived back in Portmouth from Fishbourne 😁

[@sleazyrum]

Thank you for posting this! I did a hike around The Island last month and this is bringing it all back

[@thornton]

Ahhh I would love to make a coastal path video 😍

[@sleazyrum]

@@thornton Do it!! Such an amazing walk around the island

[@chgr4674]

The car alarms are also always included on the ferry to the German island of Norderney where we go at least once per year.

[@carllong4628]

Great video and I was actually on holiday on the island that day watching the yachts from yaverland and then ryde

[@SilverNightKyle]

Wight Lightning (at a snail’s crawl) 🐌 🛥️

[@SilverNightKyle]

Hovercraft are a wild ride…

[@suggz66]

A great public service you have performed there to make comparisons Tom, even if it does seem a bit mad!! I lived on the island back in the 80's but hope to return for good in the future.

[@jmshrrsn]

Vectis is the sexiest name for a bus company ever! Great video.

[@thornton]

Hahaha nobody has ever described it like that before 😭

[@prosperouspsw]

I just started watching the video about halfway through. This seems to be the most happy I have seen you. I now want to visit Cowes on the Isle of Wight. Your day reminds me of our trip to Wolfe island in Kingston Ontario,which, oddly enough, is less saturated with development. I loved your floating walkway story of your grandparents' relationship. Great video!

[@thornton]

thank you ❤ I have a few happy places on that rock!

[@prosperouspsw]

It made me very happy to see your challenge. Reminded me of challenge videos I have seen by Tim Tracker. I just had to watch. Please do more as I loved your accomplishment. Your planning was amazing.

[@michaelbruchas6663]

Sweet attempt! Bravo!

[@roboftherock]

Tom, My first visit to the IoW was back in the 1960s. I still recall the frisson I felt when the ferry (SHANKLIN, I think, but it might have been BRADING) exited Portsmouth Harbour entrance. further enhanced by discovering the Island's railways and those locos with their unique W numbering. That and the rolling stock was so unlike anything I'd been used to. So yes, I can understand your feelings after the first ferry departed and you were committed to your madcap escapade. Someone commented on the total cost. Well, for 6 ferreis, 3 trains and a chain ferry that's not bad for a real day out. I've been known to travel from Edinburgh to Glasgow via Newcastle and Carlisle, so madcap is a good adjective to use.

[@iankemp1131]

And you can still experience the original rolling stock and a couple of the original locos on the Isle of Wight Steam Railway at Havenstreet. Even by heritage railways standards they are OLD, and superbly restored. Pull up the sash windows in the compartment with a leather strap - that brings back memories! I remember travelling on the ferries Brading, Shanklin, Southsea and once even Ryde (the paddle steamer) as a kid.

[@roboftherock]

@@iankemp1131 I don't know if this story is apocryphal or not, but it was related that those window straps would occasionally disappear to become someone's razor strop. That was in the day when cut-throat razors and shaving brushes and soap were the norm. I had forgotten about those.

[@iankemp1131]

@@roboftherock Hadn't heard that, but it sounds entirely plausible! A similar (documented, 1920s) case was a suspicious-looking tablecloth seen flapping in a high wind on a clothes line by the railway. It turned out to be a large number of 1st class carriage antimacassars sewn together!

[@roboftherock]

@@iankemp1131 😀😀😀👍

[@grahambell5865]

Excellent vlog!!

[@DD-hb9gr]

The view of the yachts from the ferry was so beautiful 😍 even though it delayed your trip a bit 😅 keep up your amazing videos, looking forward to watching more adventures! Cheers from Kent, Washington state :))

[@runarandersen878]

Relaxing video, in a weird way.

[@Daddel2021]

Next video: taking every ferry on the Lake of Constance… in one day! :D

[@thornton]

Not a bad shout!

[@chiangyr]

It's a silly challenge, but kind of addictive to watch. I found myself challenging myself to watch till the end, glad that you managed to ace it. ☺

[@lorij6445]

What a fun challenge! All this yacht s were a beautiful sight! I think you earned that Guinness!

[@marianshattock2732]

Great video, loved it.

[@nickgriffett286]

thanks for the video Tom - really enjoyed that!

[@marianesantana9504]

Oh God… insane!!! I definitely want to do this one day 😍😮

[@TsLeng]

Absolute champion😂

[@PauldeSwardt]

Wow! I immediately subscribed This is my sort of challenge! Before budget airlines and the Eurotunnel the 1st leg of any holiday was the ferry across the English channel - So for me Ferries always have the excitement of the beginning of an adventure. Pre-covid I had anticipated checking if it would be possible to circumnavigate the Mediterranean by Ferries?

[@michaelbruchas6663]

Thanks!

[@thornton]

Thanks for your support!! 👏👏

[@napoleonsdauphin]

Some cool guy gave me some great Isle of Wight tips last August when I was there.

[@thornton]

Doubt. No cool people are from the island

[@napoleonsdauphin]

Some self-deprecating guy gave me some great Isle of Wight tips last August when I was there.

[@georggeorggong1791]

love your videos

[@thornton]

Thank you 🙏🏽 😊

[@kevanhubbard9673]

7 ferries adding the chain ⛓️ ferry!

[@philroberts5367]

Great video Tom..well done.

[@thornton]

Thanks 👍

[@karmaoutlaw]

What an intriguing challenge, and chance for us landlubbers to witness a lifestyle so familiar to you. 💕 Curious what other claims to fame does the Isle of Wight have?

[@thornton]

An actual mention in a Beatles song (when I’m 64), lots of dinosaur fossils, Bob Dylan played there instead of Woodstock, and famous megayoutuber Tom Thornton is also from there 🤓

[@aidanfell4297]

Blackgang Chine is brilliant, despite it slowly falling into the sea. I believe it was featured in a book titled 'Bollocks to Alton Towers' which captures the spirit of the attraction perfectly. Nothing better than somewhere a bit quirky.

[@SilverNightKyle]

What a phenomenal trek, thank you for sharing sir…👏🏻

[@thornton]

Thank you Kyle!

[@jackirichards8789]

That was really fun!! I love the Isle of Wight and will be there fir 10 days in September! X

[@fraendel7006]

The art in which

[@tomclaytonmedia]

This is a great watch! Being a Jersey resident myself, I feel your ferry pain :(

[@thornton]

Fixed link to the Channel Islands let’s goooo

[@aswclassicsiow8588]

Born and bred on the Island, in Newport, use to travel to mainland once a month for a weekend break, moved to Dorset when we retired because cost of the ferrys mainly during summer months, but really miss the Island, still class it as my home

[@thornton]

It's always home 💙

[@peterdnreynolds777]

Brilliant video

[@martinevans7090]

10:30 Not sure if it's been pointed out by an earlier comment, but the Isle of Man races (the TT races) are bikes, not cars. I think there is also a plan for a TT style bike race on the Isle of Wight, but I remain seriously sceptical that it'll ever actually happen!

[@thornton]

🙈🙈

[@RobLuethje]

great video! your content is always super enjoyable and makes me feel better when i had a bad day. thank you tom! keep it up

[@thornton]

Thank you 😊

[@bryanspringsteen761]

Another highly entertaining video,Tom! I truly enjoy your adventures and your special way of filming and commenting! 😊👍🏻👋🏻 And you never curse.....at least not in your videos. 😂😂😂 I hope you still enjoy beautiful Germany. Keep bringing these videos to us! 🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻

[@thornton]

Thank you boss man!

[@bryanspringsteen761]

@@thornton how many pints do you need to come up with these crazy ideas? Boss Man.....😬😬😬 Bruuuuuuuce......😉

[@user-uh2nh6vi1p]

Love all your videos Tom. Can't believe you could afford to travel on all those ferries.💰

[@malcolmross769]

Well done, Tom - an entertaining enterprise but you could have saved money by return day fares on Red Funnel and Wightlink! As a fellow Islander (and ex- Southern Vectis bus driver) I was pleased that you didn't complain about our bus fares (£2max) this time! It was a good advert for the Island. I have followed and enjoyed all your adventures but discovered "Swiss Saxony" on the Elbe before in 2014.

[@glseggers7095]

Salty sea air and very salty ticket prices. Great video Tom.

[@David72380]

I love your amazing and exciting videos! Best regards from Germany :)

[@thornton]

Thank you so much!

[@lukenfoci]

Loved it! However it would have been extremely useful if you added details such as crossing time (in all cases) is it passenger only, etc. I am just trying to work out what is the best way to get to the Isle of Wight and your video is very useful!

[@dianaw248]

I love your excellent posts…and this one was so amazing! Your presentation is so enjoyable! Greetings from the USA. just across the pond!

[@ChrisAurora]

A thing about ferries, and especially vs permanent links: the town I live in in Norway is one end of Norway's busiest ferry link, crossing the Oslo fjord. For at least a lifetime the debate on whether to build a bridge/tunnel has been going on and off, but for now, at least, there is just more focus on ferries. Electric and hybrid ferries traverse the 30 minute journey constantly through the day, and pedestrians and cyclists travel free, connecting the two towns on opposite sides of the fjord into more or less a single market for work and leisure :)

[@thornton]

Just another example of how ferry links *can* be done well, but for some reason islanders like to accept paying these obscene prices. Idk why we ignore examples like this from around Europe of how to do it properly, and would rather carry on as usual...

[@felixblum]

Wow! Nice Video, please more

[@dorsettyke]

Great video 👍 and, if I'm not mistaken, posted when the floating bridge was again....out of action!!😅

[@stevekeiretsu]

Very fun video (first of yours I've seen). Pedant's corner though, the Isle of Man is a bike race, not a car race!

[@carolineskipper6976]

Great video! I've never crossed from/ to Southampton but all of the others (incuding the elusive Floating Bridge) are very familiar to me. Congratulations!

[@raptordave260]

Thank you ever so much for making and showing this video. I love the Isle of Wight, having lived there when I was a child. I often wondered how long it would take all 6 ferries in one day, now I know. Thanks again. 😊

[@waterside13]

Brilliant well done.