Local information

• The Island is known for its natural beauty and is the UK centre for international yachting. It is a creative place, with a thriving music and arts scene and hugely popular annual festivals. Its food and hospitality sector includes award winning artisan producers and top quality attractions, restaurants and hotels, all drawing large visitor numbers.
• The Island is home to a number of advanced manufacturing companies in the marine, composites, defence and other sectors and is known for its high level of employee retention.
• Ryde is the largest town on the Island by population and has long been seen as the gateway to the Island, for its excellent transport links, with regular services from Southsea, 8 minutes away by Hovercraft - and Portsmouth, 23 minutes by FastCat passenger ferry / 45 minutes by vehicle ferry.
• Regular frequent rail services from London Waterloo take c.1 hour 50 minutes. A local train service from Ryde pier head connects through to Shanklin. Ryde is easily reached from Southampton via the RedJet to Cowes / vehicle ferry to East Cowes and road, or by South West Trains and FastCat or hovercraft.
• The A3054 links Ryde by road to the county town of Newport, to the west and the A3055 links with the Bay Area (Sandown, Shanklin, Lake) to the south-east, and onto Ventnor. If flying, there are airports at Bembridge and Sandown.