Alum Bay
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Alum Bay is a sandy bay near the westernmost point of the Isle of Wight, England, within sight of The Needles. The bay is noted for its multi-coloured sand cliffs.
An amusement park exists at the top of the cliffs, and during the summer season a chair lift takes tourists down to the beach below. It also features a small number of rides and stalls aimed at children, souvenir shops, a restaurant, and a sweet shop in which guests may also take a tour and view how some of the sweets are made ('The Isle of Wight Sweet Manufactory'). Nearby is an attraction at which guests may view glass-blowing, and purchase wares. During peak season, the amusement park hosts frequent firework shows.
Samples of the sand in vials and jars were for many years available in tourist shops all over the island. Some fine examples of pictures made with the coloured sand also exist. The days are gone when ordinary people could dig out their own sands, and signs on the beach warn tourists not to climb the cliffs because of the danger of sandslides. A facility for visitors to fill their own sand souvenirs has been incorporated into The Needles Park. The sand is collected and preserved from natural cliff falls throughout the year and it is this actual sand which visitors use to fill their own memento.
Guglielmo Marconi moved to Alum Bay in 1897 to experiment with radio. He set up a 40 meter radio antenna outside the Needles Hotel in Alum Bay. He was able to successfully transmit to the Haven Hotel in Poole 20 miles away.
[edit] External references
Needles and Alum Bay tourist website
 |
This Isle of Wight location article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
