ENJOY THE BEAUTY OF THE NEEDLES FROM ANYWHERE WITH THE NEW UPGRADED ALUM BAY WEBCAM
This state-of-the-art webcam provides an unparalleled virtual experience, allowing people from all over the globe to witness the natural beauty of The Needles in real-time.
The Needles, with their distinctive chalk stacks rising dramatically from the sea, have long been a major attraction for visitors to the Isle of Wight. Back in May 2021, the first camera on the isleofwight.com network was launched, mounted to the top of The Needles Landmark Attraction’s chairlift.
Sadly, during the winter of 2023/24, the camera became battered and after time, became unresponsive, meaning Islanders and visitors from around the world, were severed from this amazing view.
Following several site visits and meetings with the management team at The Needles Landmark Attraction, proposals were finally signed off in early Spring of this year for a new location, near the chairlift, but on its own, standalone structure. The team hopes this will reduce vibrations to the camera, which became apparent whilst the chairlift was operational.
Now, thanks to this innovative webcam installation, anyone with an internet connection can enjoy the breathtaking scenery and ever-changing weather patterns again from the comfort of their own home. The camera is now also on a broadband connection, meaning it will become more stable than it used to be, as before, it was reliant on a 4G mobile data network.
Michael Dangerfield, Managing Director of isleofwight.com, expressed his enthusiasm about the project:
“This significant investment in technology demonstrates our commitment to enhancing the visibility of The Needles and the Isle of Wight as a whole. We extend our heartfelt thanks to The Needles Landmark Attraction for their invaluable support in making this installation possible. Their collaboration has been crucial in bringing this vision to life.”
“This installation has been 6 months in planning with various meetings, plans drawn up and collaborations with local businesses. Perry Wheeler of Patch Computers in Freshwater was the lead installer of the camera, while Dickie Burt & James Metcalfe of JPR Home Innovations installed the structure custom made locally by Island Structural to withstand the 140mph winds that can occur at The Needles.”
The webcam installation is part of isleofwight.com’s ongoing efforts to enhance visitor engagement in the Isle of Wight. They now have over 10 webcams around the Island, with several more planned for the year ahead.
The isleofwight.com team is also pleased to announce their very popular Sandown webcam is back online. The camera overlooking the Bay has now been moved over to the homeowner’s broadband, giving a more reliable and stable connection after months of intermittent downtime due to poor mobile data signal in the area.
The entire isleofwight.com webcam network is managed and maintained by the in-house tech team, led by James Adsett who has been involved in CCTV operations for 15 years alongside Shane Thornton. Between them, they look at ways to improve the network, plan and scope for new installs, and assist when issues arise.
All the isleofwight.com webcams can be accessed 24/7 on the Webcams page and YouTube meaning they can be viewed on many devices including Smart TVs.
The majority of the cameras on the network are PTZ cameras (Pan, Tilt & Zoom) meaning they can move and zoom into things of interest. These are operated by a team of volunteers, including Michael, Shane, James, Swifty, Dave and Perry as and when they have free time to do so. Swifty takes charge of our popular Ryde Aspire webcam, he keeps a sharp look-out for cruise ships passing Ryde and tracks them as they make their maiden voyages. Swifty is also one of the moderators alongside Jessie who does a fantastic job keeping those watching updated and the spam comments to a minimum.
Back in October 2021, one of the cameras captured the moment an oil tanker ship ran aground off The Needles, the footage was then used across various news outlets in the UK.
If you have a location in mind where you think a webcam would be suitable, please get in touch with the isleofwight.com team by emailing [email protected]
(L-R) Perry Wheeler (Patch Computers), Dave (Volunteer), Dickie Burt & James Metcalfe (JPR Home Innovations)
