Smugglers used them; Robert Louis Stevenson's house overlooked one, and Winston Churchill had a near-death experience by falling from a bridge that spans one: the 3 chines of Bournemouth:
The word 'chine' means 'a deep, narrow ravine cut through soft rock by water', and is peculiar to Dorset and the near-by Isle of Wight. The path that leads to Alum Chine (pictured above) features a suspension bridge, and some suggest this is the bridge that Churchill fell from when visiting the area as an 18-year-old.
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