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Isle Of Wight's The Needles Named One Of UK's Seven Natural Wonders

The Needles has been named one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the UK.

The Isle of Wight landmark has been shortlisted alongside other iconic British spectacles, including the Lake District and the Jurassic Coast.

Put together by the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG), the list identifies areas with shared beauty, uniqueness, and geological significance.

The Needles form the western tip of a backbone of chalk that crosses the centre of the Isle of Wight, with three distinctive, jagged, chalk stacks that extend into the sea.

However, the fourth and taller, needle-like stack that gave its name to these rocks, known as ‘Lot’s Wife', collapsed during a storm in 1764.   

Only the stump of the former 120 ft pinnacle is now visible at low tide and forms a dangerous reef off the coast.

The vertical chalk stacks of the Needles are a result of heavy folding of chalk which results in hard chalk, resistant to erosion.  

The full list, assembled in partnership with outdoor brand Merrell, includes:

  • Wastwater, Lake District  
  • Giant’s Causeway, Northern Ireland  
  • Dovedale, Peak District  
  • The Needles, Isle of Wight  
  • Jurassic Coast, Dorset  
  • Loch Coruisk & the Cuillins 
  • Pistyll Rhaeadr, Wales  

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