Isle of Wight ferry specialist Red Funnel is the new owner of the Hythe Ferry, operated along Southampton Water with 15 minute crossings from Southampton Town Pier to Hythe Pier which boasts what is claimed to be the world’s oldest pier railway.
Announced on 8 September the change comes after previous operator Blue Funnel Ferries had been hit by rising costs and falling passenger numbers since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.
There are 16 departures on weekdays, ten on Saturdays and eight on Sundays, with the route regularly served by 66gt catamaran ferry Hythe Scene dating from 1952 and taking up to 162 passengers.
Started as the Southampton, Isle of Wight and South of England Royal Mail Steam Packet Company, Red Funnel run a comprehensive network of car ferries and fast passenger craft between Southampton and Cowes, Isle of Wight.
