Island Life Magazine Ltd June/July 2015 | Page 41

FEATURE The Haven runs a regular schedule of daily talks by keepers, as well as monkey feeds, snake talks and the opportunity to get face-to-face with one of the resident owls. Shanklin Chine I t’s one of the UK’s earliest tourist attractions, and certainly was the first one on the Isle of Wight – in fact, Shanklin Chine is heading for its bicentenary in 2017! Queen Victoria was just a teenager when she first visited the stunning attraction with her mother. At that time, William Colenutt, who built Fishermans Cottage in 1817, had the concession to charge admissions to the Chine. Now almost 200 years on, visitors can still enjoy the unique tranquility of the famous leafy gorge which has been admired by poets, artists and writers down the ages. The steep-sided winding woodland is a magical place for rare plants, wildlife and enchanting waterfalls. Visit the nature hide with live action from the squirrels’ feeding station, and remember the Chine is illuminated after dusk during the summer season. There’s also a permanent display to PLUTO (Pipe Line Under The Ocean), with new material for this year. Wight Wa FW