To my knowledge there isn’t a song about crossing the Solent on the ferry, as it may not have the quite the same aura as crossing the Mersey. Although it is linked to a popular music tradition of its own with just a short trip across the water to and island full of entertainment and promise.

I am, of course, referring to the festivals that are hosted on the Isle of Wight, notably Bestival and the official Isle of Wight festival. The Isle of Wight festival is the biggest of the two festivals, and stretches back to the late sixties when ‘flower power’ was all the rage. Previous performers to the festival are legendary, and include some of the most famous names ever to have graced the pop music scene. Nowadays the festival is a good starting point for up-and-coming bands, which are able to taste the atmosphere of playing in front of a crowd that regularly exceeds 50,000 people.

The most recent of all of the Island festivals is Bestival, with its history stretching back only as far as the beginning of the new millenium. Possibly its reputation is more concerned with the carnival atmosphere that is generated, with its importance attached to the sounds of the radio djs. Each year at Bestival, a new theme is created by the organisers, which allows people to dress in their fancy dress costume creations. If you are the lucky winner of the fancy dress costume, you could win a life-time free access to Bestival. Quite a good return on a little bit of extra time spent developing an idea with sticky glue and old clothing!

If you are intending travelling to one of the festivals next year, then you will have to make the trip via one of the available ferry to Isle of Wight in operation. At Portsmouth there are two terminals: one to accommodate passengers travelling on foot, and the other for owners of vehicles.