The Needles are perhaps the most photographed place in the Isle of Wight. They are a row of three distinctive stacks of chalk which rise out of the sea off the western extremity of the island. The Needles lighthouse, built in 1859, stands on the western end.
The formation takes its name from a fourth needle-shaped pillar which collapsed with great force in a storm in 1764. It stood in the larger of the two gaps you can see in the photograph. The remaining rocks are not really needle shaped but the name has stuck. Beyond the Needles you can see Alum Bay on the left (north side) and Scratchell’s Bay on the right (south side), both backed by steep chalk cliffs.
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