Alum Bay & The Needles Lighthouse

The Needles & Their Lighthouse

Three chalk stacks rise around 30 metres from the sea at the western tip of the Isle of Wight, with the Needles Lighthouse guarding the channel beyond. The formation takes its name from a fourth, needle-shaped rock called Lot's Wife that collapsed in a storm in 1764.

Alum Bay & Its Coloured Sands

Framing the view are the multi-hued cliffs of Alum Bay, world-renowned for their bands of coloured sand and served by a historic chairlift. The bay sits within a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

A Living Seascape on the Solent

Yachts, ferries and pleasure boats trace the Solent across the frame, a strait that often records some of the United Kingdom's highest wind speeds. The Old and New Needles Batteries crown the headland above.

A National Trust Landmark

The whole headland is a National Trust site and a Site of Special Scientific Interest, overlooked by the National Coastwatch Institution's Needles Station — the Island's most famous natural landmark.