Blackgang Chine

During Blackgang Chine's early years, the area was a steep gaunt ravine, or chine, overlooking Chale Bay, stretching around three-quarters of a mile down to the shore. It was a quiet place, visited by few people other than local fishermen with rumours of a thriving smuggling trade, which has now become a key theme of the park. On 11 October 1836 the cargo ship Clarendon was wrecked at the foot of Blackgang Chine, with the loss of many aboard. During Victorian times, people were seeking out new healthy holiday resorts, ideally near the coast. As the railway network was getting closer and closer to the south coast, the Isle of Wight was becoming an increasingly attractive holiday destination.…

Owing to recurring landslides, the chine itself has been destroyed, and coastal erosion has a significant impact on the area today. The park's focus now is themed entertainment for families with young children, lifesize animatronic dinosaurs being a noted feature. The same owners run a sister site, the Robin Hill countryside adventure park. Clifftop walks in and around the area give panoramic views of the English Channel and the south-western Isle of Wight coast. Although the etymology is simply "black pathway", and in a related documentary,Far From the Sodding Crowd. In a 2010 interview, actor Rupert Grint stated that his family's favourite holiday was visiting the Isle of Wight, their…