.jpg){kind=link}
The Needles from Alum Bay
To the Victorian fort above the Needles at the western tip of the Isle of Wight.
- Distance
- 6 km
- Ascent
- 400 m
- Time
- 2–3 h
- Grade
- Easy
- Route
- Circular
- High point
- 105 m
Drag along the profile to see where you are on the map.
Offline navigation is coming in the TRXO app. Hear when it launches.
Route mapped on from OpenStreetMap paths, with heights from EU-DEM terrain data; not yet checked on the ground by TRXO. Added to TRXO on . For planning only: always navigate with an up-to-date map such as OS Explorer or Harvey. How we make our routes.
About this walk
The Needles from Alum Bay is an easy 6 km circular walk with 400 m of ascent, taking 2 to 3 hours. It starts at Alum Bay (grid reference SZ 305 853).
The Needles are three chalk stacks running out into the sea from the western tip of the Isle of Wight, with a lighthouse at the end. From Alum Bay, famous for its coloured sand cliffs, the walk follows the clifftop to the Needles Old Battery, a Victorian fort run by the National Trust, with a view straight down the line of stacks.
It returns over Headon Warren, an area of heath with views back across the Solent.
Route
-
1
The Old Battery
Follow the clifftop to the Needles Old Battery.
-
2
Headon Warren
Return over the heath of Headon Warren to Alum Bay.
Summit
On the way
-
Needles LighthouseLighthouse · 600 m from the route
Questions about this walk
- How long does The Needles from Alum Bay take?
- Most walkers take 2–3 hours for the 6 km route, which has 400 m of ascent. That allows for short stops; give yourself longer in winter, in poor weather or with a group.
- Where does the walk start, and where can I park?
- It starts at Alum Bay (grid reference SZ 305 853). Pay car park at Alum Bay.
- Can I get there by public transport?
- Buses run to Alum Bay and the Needles. Check times on Traveline.
- How hard is it?
- It's graded easy. Clifftop paths and a quiet road, then heathland paths.
- Can I take my dog?
- Yes, dogs are welcome on this walk. Before you go: Keep well back from the cliff edge, which can crumble without warning, and keep dogs on a lead.
Walked this? Tell the next walker
No reviews, condition reports, walkers' photos or trip reports for this walk yet. Yours would be the first.
Walks nearby
Winchester: the water meadows and St Catherine's Hill
Winchester
7.7 km · 100 m · 2–2.5 h
