Walpen Chine facts for kids
Walpen Chine is a special natural valley found on the southwest coast of the Isle of Wight, England. It's located just west of a village called Chale. This valley is a type of landform called a "chine." It's like a deep, narrow gully or ravine that cuts through the soft cliffs by the sea.
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Walpen Chine: A Natural Valley
Walpen Chine is a cool example of how nature shapes the land. It's a sandy valley that stretches from the top of a 190-foot-high cliff down towards the beach at Chale Bay. You can find it right next to the Isle of Wight coastal path, which is a popular walking trail.
What is a Chine?
A chine is a unique type of valley, often found on the Isle of Wight. These valleys are formed over many, many years by streams or small rivers. The water slowly wears away soft rocks, like the sandy rocks from the Cretaceous period (the time of dinosaurs!). This process is called erosion. As the water flows, it carves out these deep, narrow channels, creating the chines we see today.
How Walpen Chine Formed
Walpen Chine was created by a small, unnamed stream that flows down from Chale. This stream collects rainwater from the western side of St. Catherine's Hill. Over time, this one stream has actually created three different chines!
The Story of the Stream
- First Chine: The stream first flowed to the cliff edge and started carving out a valley called Ladder Chine.
- Second Chine: As the cliff slowly eroded and moved back, the stream found a new, shorter path to the sea. This new path started to create Walpen Chine, which is located to the east of Ladder Chine.
- Third Chine: The cliff kept eroding, and the stream moved even further east. Now, it's busy carving out the newest valley, called New Chine.
A Dry Valley Now
Today, both Ladder Chine and Walpen Chine are dry. This means the stream that once flowed through them has changed its course and no longer runs through these valleys. If you visit Walpen Chine, you can still see the old river bed. It looks like a path heading back uphill towards where the cliff used to be. It's a cool reminder of how much the landscape can change over time!
