The Needles is a row of three chalk stacks that rise out of the sea to the west of the Isle of Wight. The Needles takes its name from a fourth needle-shaped pillar called Lot’s Wife, which collapsed in a storm in 1764.

Above: The needle-shaped pillar (Lot’s Wife) can be clearly seen in this engraving from a map of Hampshire published in 1759.

Appley Tower was built around 1875 as a folly in the grounds of the estate owned by the politician Sir William Hutt. A folly tower is a tower that has been constructed for ornamental rather than practical reasons. Appley Tower is one of the few surviving buildings from the estate and was built just above the beach in the form of a castle tower.

Did you know? The Isle of Wight is one of the richest dinosaur localities in Europe, with over 20 species of dinosaur having been recognised, some of which were first identified on the Island. Compton Bay, near Freshwater, features dinosaur footprints which are visible at low tide. (Dinosaurs of the Isle of Wight, Wikipedia)

The Isle of Wight, home to Queen Victoria, is also famous for boat building, flying boats, the world’s first hovercraft (developed by Sir Christopher Cockerell), and the testing and development of Britain’s space rockets.

Approximately half of the Isle of Wight is designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).

Below: Bembridge Lifeboat Station, Isle of Wight. The first lifeboat service from Bembridge began in 1867. The new lifeboat station, below, was completed 2010 at a cost of £7,650,000. (View on the Visit Isle of Wight Facebook page)

Did you know: The 1970 Isle of Wight Festival was by far the largest and most famous (or infamous depending on your viewpoint) of the early music festivals in the UK. The high attendance, many of them without tickets, led the UK Government to pass the ‘Isle of Wight Act’ in 1971 preventing gatherings of more than 5,000 people on the island without a special licence. The attendance at the 1970 Festival held at Afton Farm has been estimated at around 600,000.

Bembridge Harbour, on the Isle of Wight, was previously known as Brading Haven – the harbour inlet stretched inland to where the town of Brading is now situated. After several abortive attempts, Brading Haven was eventually drained and Bembridge Harbour formed by the building of the causeway which can be seen in the foreground of the photo.

The causeway is now a road but was originally built as a rail line linking the towns of St Helens and Bembridge.

Yarmouth, below, on the Isle of Wight, is one of the smallest towns in the UK with a population of around 800. The pier in the foreground is the longest wooden pier open to the public in the UK.

The Wightlink ferry (taking cars and foot passengers between Yarmouth and Lymington) can be seen to the right of the photograph.

This is Steephill Cove on the Isle of Wight, photographed by moonlight.

Steephill Cove is situated near Ventnor on the south of the Island and is only accessible on foot, which probably adds to its charm. It’s on the Isle of Wight Coastal Path and can get quite busy in the height of summer, especially when the tide’s fully in. Very picturesque though and well worth a visit.

At the top of the cliffs, above the beach, is Ventnor Botanic Gardens. The microclimate in this area allows a surprising range of Mediterranean plants to flourish. Until 2012, the Botanic Gardens were owned by the Isle of Wight Council and were free to enter. Now, unfortunately, there’s an admission charge which tends to discourage many locals from visiting. But don’t get us started on that topic…..!

The photo is courtesy of Visit Isle of Wight. You may like to look at their Facebook page which has loads more lovely photos.