Needles Lighthouse Makes A Point On The Isle Of Wight, UK

The Needles Lighthouse, off the Isle of Wight, England, was one of the lighthouses that I had to see during my recent visit to the United Kingdom.

It was built in 1859 by Trinity House to safeguard not only shipping travelling to Portsmouth and Southampton along the Solent but also shipping in the English Channel.

The present Needles Lighthouse is situated in the western corner of the island, off the south coast of the English mainland. It’s impressive, not only because of its location at the end of the rugged Needles rock formations jutting out of the sea, but also because of the helipad (built in 1987) on top of it. I would have loved to have landed there in a helicopter but I guess the next best thing to do is enjoy it via a video simulation.

The bright white chalk formations leading out to the lighthouse are magnificent from the air. I first saw views of these on the series of "Coast" with Neil Oliver and vowed that I would photograph them when in the UK. They were the main reason for my visit to the Isle of Wight.

There were originally four white sea stacks in the Needles formation. The one which collapsed into the sea in the 18^th century apparently looked like a needle hence the name. Even though the other three outcrops are not in the least bit needle-like the name has remained.

During my short visit to the Isle of Wight I was, however, only able to view this amazing bit of the coastline and its lighthouse from the land and also from sea level. Very disappointing for me as a pilot/photographer not to have time to take a scenic flight and photograph this for myself.

To view these white wonders from the land involves parking the car near the amusement park (which totally detracts from the beauty of the area, in my opinion) and walking almost a mile to the Needles Batteries operated by the National Trust.

There is a local bus, called the Needles Breezer, which I could have caught but walking on a nice sunny summer's day allowed me time to absorb the scenery and take photos of the colourful Alum Bay, the wildflowers and the surrounding sea. The Old Battery, a Victorian fort built in 1862, was last used in the Second World War and still has the old guns guarding the sea passage.

The New Battery, which I didn’t have time to see, has an exhibition on the British rockets which were tested there before they were launched at Woomera, in South Australia. There’s an interesting segment about this in the “Coast” series so that made up for me missing out on the day.

The Needles Headland, with the Old and New Batteries, is worth exploring in depth, particularly with additional views of the southwest part of the island. Remember to pack a picnic lunch because there are so many spots to sit and eat and enjoy the view.

However, the Needles Rocks and the lighthouse were the main points of interest for me. Stunning (almost aerial) views were to be had at the tip of the peninsula just beyond the Old Battery.

The most breathtaking view of the Needles was definitely from sea level. Manoeuvring up really close in a Skyejet RIB and looking up to the helipad on top of the lighthouse was quite something. Maybe I just have a thing about lighthouses and flying!

It was fast and bouncy on board the RIB but the skipper allowed plenty of time to take photos while it was idling. Watch out for spray on the camera lens too if you’re trying to take photos while the RIB's moving. Also, don’t sit near a person with long hair because you’ll probably get photos of hair blowing in front of the camera (like I did!).

Because I didn't have much time to actually walk down and back up the numerous steps, I took the steep chair lift into Alum Bay to board the RIB from the little jetty. Walking over to the jetty was hard going because the pebbly beach was not like the beautiful white sandy beaches around my home city of Adelaide, South Australia.

The lad taking the bookings for the boats was very obliging and made sure I was on board after I explained that I was running out of time and had to catch the late afternoon ferry back to the mainland. The moral of that little story is ask nicely and explain the situation and you’ll probably get what you want. The Skyejet RIB trip is more expensive than the slower tour boat but we were able to see more in a shorter time and go around the Needles into Scratchell’s Bay near the rocket testing facility above.

A trip to the Needles Lighthouse and surrounding area really deserves a whole day or more because there are just so many places and experiences to enjoy. It’s packed with coloured cliffs, undiscovered fossils and intriguing history. Above all, there’s a striking lighthouse in a spectacular location, which is a magnet for all lighthouse lovers.

And don't forget your camera! Mine is a Canon Rebel XT (a few years old now) but the newer models are no doubt better. I swapped the 28-80 lens off my SLR print film camera and it works well.

Reaching the Isle of Wight is easy. I caught one of the regular passenger and car ferries from Portsmouth to Fishbourne. Because I’d pre-booked accommodation in an Isle of Wight Bed & Breakfast I didn’t want to miss the ferry, so I also pre-booked the boat trip. It wasn’t really necessary though because the ferries run very frequently and since I arrived ahead of time I was also able to travel on the earlier ferry. The same thing happened for the return journey to the mainland.

If you haven't got a car to travel around in there's also the local Needles Breezer which I mentioned above.

There's the choice of amusement park (great if you have kids), chair lift, fossicking for fossils and boat trips.

There are quite a few sites which I visited to plan my trip to the Isle of Wight both for attractions and bed & breakfast accommodation.

Ultimate Lighthouse Memorabilia

Something for the kids and something for the adults!