Isle of Wight ferry services Isle of Wight ferry services There are currently three different ferry companies that operate vessels carrying passengers and, on certain routes, vehicles across the Solent, the stretch of sea that separates the Isle of Wight from mainland England. These are Wightlink, Red Funnel and Hovertravel. Since the Isle of Wight was separated from mainland Britain, probably about 7000 years ago, vessels have transported people and goods across the Solent. However the earliest record of an Isle of Wight ferry service is from 1420 when the Lord of the Manor in Ashey was responsible for boats crossing between Portsmouth and Ryde.
Culture of the Isle of Wight Maitland", are set on the island. The isle has been the setting for several novels, including Julian Barnes's utopian novel "England, England", and detective thrillers such as "The Fallen" by Robert Rennick. It also features in John Wyndham's novel "The Day of the Triffids" and Simon Clark's sequel "The Night of the Triffids". The Iranian-born poet Mimi Khalvati was educated at Upper Chine School in Shanklin; many of her poems are about the island, especially in the book "The Chine". Sandown-based author Edward Upward sets part of his book "In the Thirties" on the Isle of Wight. The 1973 film