CHALKY WIGHT
Located off the very west of the Isle of Wight the Needles are a three of chalk stacks protruding into the sea with an iconic towering red and white lighthouse plonked right on the end. Looking back by boat, the Needles are framed to the right by the majestic cliffs towering above Scratchells Bay, while to the left are the sublime-coloured sands of Alum Bay.
The name the Needles was derived from a fourth slender chalk stack – known as Cleopatra’s Needle or Lot’s wife – that fell to erosion back in 1764. The stump of this pinnacle can still be seen at low water and has been known to take down several boats attempting to take a shortcut through the stacks.
The present lighthouse is 109-feet-tall and was built at the base of the most westerly of the three rocks. Its light can be seen for 14 miles from sea level and is either red, green or white, according the angle that it ‘s viewed from.
