The Chilton Chine is a geological feature on the south west coast of the

Isle of Wight The Isle of Wight ( ) is a county in the English Channel, off the coast of Hampshire, from which it is separated by the Solent. It is the largest and second-most populous island of England. Referred to as 'The Island' by residents, the Isle of ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. It lies to the west of the village of

Brighstone Brighstone is a village and civil parish on the Isle of Wight, 6 miles southwest of Newport on the B3399 road. Brighstone was previously known as "Brixton". The name derives from the Saxon name " Ecgbert's Tun". Brighstone is the largest vi ...

. It is a small coastal gully, one of a number of such

chine A chine () is a steep-sided coastal gorge where a river flows to the sea through, typically, soft eroding cliffs of sandstone or clays. The word is still in use in central Southern England—notably in East Devon, Dorset, Hampshire and the Isl ...

s on the island created by stream erosion of soft

Cretaceous The Cretaceous ( ) is a geological period that lasted from about 145 to 66 million years ago (Mya). It is the third and final period of the Mesozoic Era, as well as the longest. At around 79 million years, it is the longest geological period of th ...

rocks.

Overview

It runs from the hamlet of Chilton Green down to the A3055 Military Road where it passes under the road and continues for about 200m to the beach at

Brighstone Bay Brighstone Bay is a bay on the south west coast of the Isle of Wight, England. It lies to the south and west of the village of Brighstone from which it takes its name. It faces south west towards the English Channel, its shoreline is 7 km ...

. The sides of the gully are fairly shallow and allow the growth of hardy bushes, scrub and rough grasses. The Chine drains water off the mainly flat agricultural land that surrounds Chilton Green. Important fossils have been found in the chine. To the east of the Chilton Chine is the Isle of Wight Pearl Centre, a tourist attraction which overlooks the chine. The

Isle of Wight Coastal Path The Isle of Wight Coastal Path (or Coastal Footpath) is a circular long-distance footpath of 70 miles (113 km) around the Isle of Wight, UK. It follows public footpaths and minor lanes, with some sections along roads. Route The pa ...

follows the top of the chine from the cliff edge to the carpark next to the A3055.

External links

Useful info on chines of West Wight
{{Chines on the Isle of Wight Chines of the Isle of Wight