Visit to the Shanklin Chine, IOW

 

Chine?

Did you say chine?

What on earth is a chine?

There are several meanings but the one that fits this chine is…

a ravine formed in rock by the action of running water.

(It’s an olde English word that is not used that often any more.)

 

Once I found out what a chine was, my first reaction was “There are lots of ravines near where I live and where I grew up. Do I really need to go see a ravine here?” Fortunately curiosity got the best of me and we went to see “the ravine”…and I am so glad we did. Shanklin Chine turned out to be one of many highlights of our visit to the Isle of Wight.

 

 

So please join us as we explore the Shanklin Chine.

 

 

 

 

 

 

There are two entrances…one at the beach end (logical as the ravine was formed as water worked its way down to the shore) and one in The Old Town. Let’s start at the Old Town as that one will be at a higher elevation.

Oh my, look at how many stairs there are and how far down we are going to go. Thank goodness we are going down rather than having to climb up these steps.

 

What a lovely place! The green colours are so refreshing…as is the coolness of the ravine. The “walls” (sides of the ravine) are covered with such a variety of native vines, plants and shrubs that it almost seems as if a perfect photograph was taken and then made into wallpaper to create this effect.

And the trees up there at the top. They form a canopy over the whole ravine.

So lovely. No wonder Jane Austen, and John Keats found inspiration here in the 1800s.

Geologists and botanists would be in their glory here today. And historians…what a WWII history there is to this chine.

Let’s follow the path and see where it leads.

Ferns. Tall grasses. Stone bridge. Little waterfall trickling down the rocks. Little brook…but even now it is eroding away at the chine bottom. I wonder what this will look like in another hundred years.

Red squirrel playing on top of the railings along this part of the path.

PLUTO…yes, P.L.U.T.O. …not the planet Pluto. (Check out its significance at my blog about IOW or at the chine’s website.)

A fork in the road. Hmm…which way shall we go? Logically they both will lead to an exit so let’s just explore.

We must almost be at the beach end of the chine. There are some buildings I recognize. Before we leave, can we have a bite to eat at the little restaurant (maybe some scones!) and then visit the special exhibition that is on right now in the Heritage Centre?

 

 Thank you for joining us on this walk through the Shanklin Chine. Shall we come back some evening this week when the special lighting will be on?

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Happy travels!