Steel Bay facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Steel Bay |
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 The beach at Steel Bay |
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 Steel Bay
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| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| EU Parliament | South East England |
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Steel Bay is a beautiful bay located on the south-east coast of the Isle of Wight in England. It sits just east of the village of Bonchurch. The bay faces the English Channel and has a shoreline that stretches for about half a mile (0.8 km). It runs from Bordwood Ledge in the north down to the Dunnose headland in the south.
Exploring Steel Bay: A Hidden Gem
Steel Bay is a very quiet and remote spot. There are no easy paths to get right down to the beach. The best way to see the bay is from Dunnose. You can reach Dunnose by carefully climbing over an area called The Landslip. This area is near the Isle of Wight Coastal Path in the woods east of Upper Bonchurch. The bay also has a large rocky area that is underwater at high tide. These rocks can be dangerous for boats.
Unstable Cliffs and Landslides
Steel Bay is found below the Bonchurch Landslips. This area is part of a much larger landslide system known as The Undercliff. The cliffs here are very unstable and often experience landslides. The cliffs are made of different types of rock. These include sandstones from the Lower Greensand group and a type of clay called Gault Clay. There are also loose materials from older landslides, including rocks from the Upper Greensand and Chalk. Major landslides happened along this coastline in 1810 and 1818. A smaller landslide also occurred in February 1995.
The Shipwreck of the Underley
In 1871, a large iron sailing ship named the Underley got into trouble near Steel Bay. The ship weighed 1,292 tons and was caught in a strong gale. It ran aground between Monk's Bay and Steel Bay. The Underley was traveling from London to Melbourne, Australia. It had thirty passengers and a lot of cargo on board. Sadly, the ship was lost, but almost everyone on board was saved.
There was one sad story from the wreck. A ship's steward went back onto the breaking ship to save his pet bird. As he did, a wave washed him overboard, and he was lost. Today, if a strong storm moves the sand around, divers can still see pieces of the Underley wreck in the area.
