Taking bike on ferry to Isle of Wight

[Goldcoin79]

I am planning on taking my bike on the ferry from Lymington to Yarmouth on the Isle of Weight this year as I want to do the Chalk Ridge Extreme trail. I would like to know what the set up is regarding putting your bike on the ferry, I know you have to leave your bike and go to the deck but how do you secure your bike and is there bike stands to put your bike in or do you just lean your bike up against the side of the boat. If you have to just lean your bike against the side how do you secure it to stop it falling over or getting scratched.

Any advice would be appreciated as I don't want to find my bike scratched to pieces when I get to the other side.

[yakdiver]

Take a bungy cord with you if you don't want it scratched get on last

[zenitb]

IoW Ferry

This was quite a few years ago...The bloke with the yellow vest organises everything...hope he is still there, bit of a character

[pedalsheep]

You just have to lean your bike against the side of the ferry as directed by a member of the crew. It will not fall over unless the sea is ridiculously rough but if it was that bad the ferry will be cancelled anyway! I always hang around until all the bikes have been loaded to make sure no one leans their bike against mine in a way that is likely to scratch it. You will be told not to lock your bike, it is not going to disappear whilst in the middle of the Solent.
I live there so have done this many times.

[zenitb]

We just leant the bikes against the side of the ferry near the front .. never seemed to be too many cyclists on our trips...

[zenitb]

Enjoy the ride !!!

[adamedwards17]

Summer 2018 photo of bikes on the Yarmouth ferry. Walk off the platform on to the ramp onto the ship. Easiest train ship connection with a bike in the UK!

[bikercolin]

https://www.puffincruiseslymington.com

I have used this a couple of time, bikes go free too

[Vitara]

Unless there's a big cycling event on, e.g. the IOW Randonnee, you can just turn up & book a ticket

We've always been directed to lean our bikes against the bow door. They are very secure, if there are a few cyclists on the crossing bikes may be stacked 2 deep but I've never sustained any damage from doing so.

IOW is great for cycling.

[pedalsheep]

Unless there's a big cycling event on, e.g. the IOW Randonnee, you can just turn up & book a ticket

We've always been directed to lean our bikes against the bow door. They are very secure, if there are a few cyclists on the crossing bikes may be stacked 2 deep but I've never sustained any damage from doing so.

IOW is great for cycling.

That is the procedure on the Portsmouth to Fishbourne and Southampton to Cowes ferries. On the Lymington to Yarmouth route you are told to lean the bikes against the side.
The Randonnee is on May 5th.