Ladder Chine

Ladder Chine

Ladder Chine is a small chine, which is to say a narrow cleft in the cliff, on the south-west coast of the Isle of Wight, Hampshire, on the Back of the Wight. 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. It leads from the 190-foot high clifftop to a knickpoint approximately halfway down the cliff face above Chale Bay beach.

The Chine is the first and largest of three chines that have been eroded by a small unnamed brook that descends from Chale that drains rainwater from the west side of St Catherine's Hill. The other two chines are Walpen Chine and New Chine. 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, creating the two other chines to the east of Ladder chine. Ladder Chine is now dry.

The Isle of Wight Coastal Path runs along the cliff top above this chine.

Location

• Location map: 50°36’1"N, 1°20’7"W

Outside links

• Island Rivers: Whale, Ladder and Walpen Chines
• Isle of Wight Coastal Path passing Ladder Chine