Ladder Chine is a geological feature on the south west coast of the Isle of Wight

Isle of Wight

The Isle of Wight is a county and the largest island of England, located in the English Channel, on average about 2–4 miles off the south coast of the county of Hampshire, separated from the mainland by a strait called the Solent...

, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 ( the Back of the Wight

Back of the Wight

Back of the Wight is an area on the Isle of Wight, England that has a unique history and social background. Part of this stems from the fact that the area was and still is very cut off from the rest of the island and is made up of small villages strung out along the coast, such as Brighstone,...

). It is west of the village of Chale

Chalé

Chalé is a Brazilian municipality located in the state of Minas Gerais. The city belongs to the mesoregion of Zona da Mata and to the microregion of Manhuaçu.-See also:* List of municipalities in Minas Gerais-References:...

. It is a sandy coastal ravine, one of a number of such chine

Chine

A chine is a steep-sided river valley where the river flows through coastal cliffs to the sea. Typically these are soft eroding cliffs such as sandstone or clays. The word chine originates from the Saxon "Cinan" meaning a gap or yawn....

s on the island created by stream erosion of soft Cretaceous

Cretaceous

The Cretaceous , derived from the Latin "creta" , usually abbreviated K for its German translation Kreide , is a geologic period and system from circa to million years ago. In the geologic timescale, the Cretaceous follows the Jurassic period and is followed by the Paleogene period of the...

 rocks. It leads from the 190 foot high clifftop to a knickpoint

Knickpoint

A knickpoint is a term in geomorphology to describe a location in a river or channel where there is a sharp change in channel slope, such as a waterfall or lake, resulting from differential rates of erosion above and below the knickpoint. Differential rates of erosion can result from a change in...

 approximately half way down the cliff face above Chale Bay

Chale Bay

Chale Bay is a bay on the south west coast of the Isle of Wight, England. It lies to the west of the village of Chale from which it takes its name. It faces south west towards the English Channel, its shoreline is 5km in length and is gently curving. It stretches from Artherfield Point in the north...

 beach.

The Chine is the first and largest of three chines that have been eroded by a small unnamed brook that descends from Chale

Chalé

Chalé is a Brazilian municipality located in the state of Minas Gerais. The city belongs to the mesoregion of Zona da Mata and to the microregion of Manhuaçu.-See also:* List of municipalities in Minas Gerais-References:...

 that drains rainwater from the west side of St. Catherine's Hill. The other two chines are Walpen Chine

Walpen Chine

Walpen Chine is a geological feature on the south west coast of the Isle of Wight, England. It is west of the village of Chale. It is a sandy coastal ravine, one of a number of such chines on the island created by stream erosion of soft Cretaceous rocks...

 and New Chine

New Chine

New Chine is a geological feature on the south west coast of the Isle of Wight, England . It is west of the village of Chale. It is a sandy coastal ravine, one of a number of such chines on the island created by stream erosion of soft Cretaceous rocks...

. The brook initially wound its way to the cliff face and its descent over the edge created Ladder chine. As the cliff eroded, the brook found a shorter path to the sea and has creating the two other chines to the east of Ladder chine. Ladder Chine is now dry.

The Isle of Wight Coastal Path

Isle of Wight Coastal Path

.There are a couple of cafes on the cliff path which I believe are open in the summer months. The only public convenience on the cliff path now appears to be closed permanently ....

 runs along the cliff top above this chine.

Many Southern Vectis

Southern Vectis

The Southern Vectis Omnibus Company Limited is the dominant bus operator on the Isle of Wight. It was purchased by the Go-Ahead Group in 2005 and is a part of the company's Go South Coast division. The firm employs 299 staff, with 105 single deck, double deck and open-top buses and coaches...

 buses carry names that relate to coastal features around the Isle of Wight

Isle of Wight

The Isle of Wight is a county and the largest island of England, located in the English Channel, on average about 2–4 miles off the south coast of the county of Hampshire, separated from the mainland by a strait called the Solent...

 and Mini Pointer Dart 316, registered SN03LDU, carried the name Ladder Chine before being sold. Coach 590 now carries the name following repaint in Island Coaster livery for a route that operates along the Military Road, close to Ladder Chine.

External links

Description of Isle of Wight Coastal Path passing Ladder Chine