The Needles

A must-see on the island is a trip to see the Needles, a row of chalk stacks extending from the cliffs at the Western end of the island. Main photo taken from partway down the steps to the beach.
We took a boat ride to the lighthouse but photos were difficult to take with so much movement

Once landed we took a walk along the beach for a close look at the coloured rocks.(See extra) Apparently there are 21 different colours (shades) although this is difficult to demonstrate. Strong tones of ochre and deep red contrast with paler sand and white, with several variable shades between, due to different mineral content. The level bedding plane as each layer was formed became buckled during tectonic plate movement and now the layers lie vertically. From Victorian times the coloured sands have been layered in glass containers for decorative purposes. At the western end of the bay pure chalk contains repeated layers of large flint nodules.


Who could resist a ride on the chairlift to return to the cliff top and buzz of activity? We saved our legs from all the steps then ambled back to the car and drove to Yarmouth, admired the huge range of vessels, watched the harbour pilot guide in several more and continued our way home