Natural landmarks · South East England
The Needles
Three chalk stacks at the western tip of the Isle of Wight.
David Martin — CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons licence
Plan your visit
- Typical visit
- 1 h–2 h
About
The Needles are the row of three chalk stacks rising 30 metres out of the sea at the western tip of the Isle of Wight, the iconic feature of the island's coastline. The lighthouse on the outermost stack (1859) replaced an earlier one on the cliff that was too high to be useful in low cloud. A National Trust property; chairlift descents to Alum Bay's coloured-sand cliffs run from spring to autumn.
Photo gallery
From the Wikipedia article
The Needles are a row of three stacks of chalk that rise about 30 metres (98 ft) out of the sea off the western extremity of the Isle of Wight in the English Channel, United Kingdom, close to Alum Bay and Scratchell's Bay, and part of Totland, the westernmost civil parish of the Isle of Wight. The Needles Lighthouse stands at the outer, western end of the formation. Built in 1859, it has been automated since 1994. The waters and adjoining seabed form part of the Needles Marine Conservation Zone and the Needles along with the shore and heath above are part of the Headon Warren and West High Down Site of Special Scientific Interest.
Excerpt from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0. See the source article linked in Sources below.
Background
History
The Needles were featured on the BBC Two TV programme Seven Natural Wonders (2005) as one of the wonders of Southern England. During Storm Eunice on 18 February 2022, the highest recorded wind gust in England was provisionally recorded at The Needles, at 122 mph. LB&SCR H2 class 4-4-2 no. 423 (later no. B423 and 2423) was named The Needles after this landmark.
Sourced from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Coordinates
- 50.6611, -1.5889
Sources
- manual: the-needles (manual)
- wikipedia: The Needles (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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Frequently asked questions
- Where is The Needles?
- The Needles is in South East England, in the United Kingdom — coordinates 50.6611°, -1.5889°.