High Down is a chalk down making up the western extent of the ridge that crosses the Isle of Wight, England, and overlooking The Needles rock stacks. It includes Tennyson Down. The Needles Batteries and the Rocket Launching site are located on the Down It is here where the Black Knight and Black Arrow rockets were tested before being shipped to Woomera in Australia.
Location
358 m
Tennyson Down is a hill at the west end of the Isle of Wight just south of Totland. Tennyson Down is a grassy, whale-backed ridge of chalk which rises to 482 ft/147m above sea level. Tennyson Down is named after the poet Lord Tennyson who lived at nearby Farringford House for nearly 40 years. The poet used to walk on the down almost every day, saying that the air was worth 'sixpence a pint'.
669 m
Lacey's Farm Quarry is a 1,300 square metre geological Site of Special Scientific Interest near the large village of Freshwater, Isle of Wight, notified in 1993.
844 m
Christ Church, Totland is a parish church in the Church of England located in Totland, Isle of Wight.
1.1 km
Watcombe Bay is a bay on the south west coast of the Isle of Wight, England. It lies just to the west of Freshwater Bay. It faces south towards the English Channel and is one of the smallest bays of the Isle of Wight. It is cut into the chalk cliff face of Highdown Cliffs. Its shoreline is less than 100m in length. Because of the steep cliffs it is only accessible by foot by scrambling round on the rocks from Freshwater Bay at low tide.
The seabed is a mixture of mud, sand and shells. The beach is predominantly shingle
The bay is best viewed from the cliff top on the Isle of Wight Coastal Path which passes by the bay.
In the mid-19th century, a tunnel and steps led from the clifftop to the beach. A second tunnel, intended to connect the beach to the grounds of Redoubt House above, was commenced in the 1930s by EH Crinage.
1.2 km
Widdick Chine is a geological feature on the west coast of the Isle of Wight, England. It is west of the village of Totland.
It is a steep coastal gully, which is overgrown with vegetation. The water that used to flow down the slope has been redirected through a pipe which takes it to beach level to reduce its effect on erosion to the cliff. A set of steps have been constructed down the chine to provide access from Totland to the beach of Totland Bay.
The Chine pipe drains water from the northern slopes of Tennyson Down.
The Isle of Wight Coastal Path passes up the steps of the chine. At the bottom of the chine is the old Totland lifeboat house.
The entire site is now owned by the National Trust, although it is bordered by The Needles - Landmark Attraction at Alum Bay, which is owned by an independent company. The Rocket Testing site is free to enter, although the Old Battery requires a modest fee.
See also
Headon Warren And West High Down SSSI
