The Chasms

On the clifftop between Port St Mary and Cregneash the ground is split by a series of deep vertical fissures where blocks of slate have separated from the cliff and begun to slide seaward, some of them narrow enough to step across and dropping tens of metres into darkness. Sugarloaf Rock stands offshore below, a sea stack with a seabird colony on it. There are no fences and the fissures are hidden in the grass.

What you actually see

• The fissures - deep vertical splits in the clifftop, some narrow enough to step over.
• Sugarloaf Rock - the sea stack below with its seabird colony.
• The cliff edge - the unfenced clifftop with the sea directly beneath.
• The coastal path - the route linking Port St Mary and Cregneash across the top.

When to go

April to October is safest for footing and best for seabirds. Wet grass and mist make the site dangerous. Nesting birds are on Sugarloaf from April to July.

Honest expectations

The fissures are unfenced, hidden in grass and genuinely lethal; this is not a site for children running loose or for poor visibility. Nothing is marked or interpreted. The clifftop is exposed and slippery when wet.

Nearby

Cregneash is west, and Port St Mary is northeast.