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 snack) from "no meat", and "nutten" meaning "donkey". The word "gurt" is usually given the meaning "great" but is used as an emphasiser. Such terms are contained in a pamphlet aimed at tourists, which is an excerpt from W.H.Long's 19th century "An Isle of Wight Dictionary"; even as this was being written, many such terms were becoming archaic. The island was one of the first British regions to get a community television station, with TV 12. In October 2002 the Restricted Service Licence (RSL) for the Isle of Wight (Rowridge transmitter) was awarded to a new not-for-profit local television station,