Hovertravel | Ryde

The hovercraft terminal at Ryde is one of those things you have to see to believe - a proper piece of engineering theatre right on the seafront. These massive air-cushioned vessels actually lift off the water and skim across the Solent at speed, which is genuinely thrilling if you're into transport or just fancy something different from the usual ferry experience.

It's primarily a working passenger service between Ryde and Portsmouth, so you're not really visiting it as an attraction in the traditional sense. What you do get is the chance to watch these beasts thunder in and out, which is brilliant if you've got kids who love vehicles, or if you're a bit of a transport geek yourself. The spectacle is free to watch from the terminal area, though obviously you'd need a ticket if you actually want to cross the Solent.

If you're staying at one of the nearby parks - Parkdean Resorts Nodes Point or St Helens Coastal Resort are both within a few miles - it's worth a quick trip down to see one depart. Honestly though, ten or fifteen minutes is enough unless you're genuinely fascinated by the engineering. The actual journey takes about ten minutes if you do fancy the crossing, and it's undeniably faster than the car ferry, though pricier.

On a park holiday across the island, it slots in as a decent rainy-day diversion or a novelty experience rather than something you'd plan a day around. The seafront at Ryde has other bits and pieces nearby to pad out an afternoon, but the hovercraft itself is brief and brilliant - exactly the kind of peculiar British transport oddity that makes the Isle of Wight worth visiting.