XML Sitemaps - need to be linked or just present?

[Tom_Cash]

Hey Folks,
I've created several websites with XML Google sitemaps and have created a link to them via the HTML sitemap pages. So for example, on the sitemap.html page there's a link to sitemap.xml.

Is this nessasary?

Can I get away with NOT linking to the XML sitemap anywhere on the site? Will it still be trawled as robots.txt would, for example?

Thanks in advance,
Tom.

[tedster]

No link is required from you website. You can submit your xml Sitemap through a Webmaster Tools account or you add a Sitemap: line to your robots.txt file with the URL.

[Tom_Cash]

Thank you for you your prompt and comprehensive reply! :)

If I do not do either of those things, will it not work?

[AnkitMaheshwari]

Yes, even if you do not add it in robots.txt, it would work.

[Tom_Cash]

Thank you. :)