Tuesday: Sennen Cove is about as close to Land’s End as you can get, so It was a bit of a novelty to spend the night here. The morning had me walk just up and over the cliff to Land’s End proper. I thought it would be desolate and lonely, but I was met by a multitude of shops and even the “Dr Who Experience” What’s that all about???? However, it’s in places like this with the unforgiving coastline, that you realise how easily all those shipwrecks I mentioned earlier could have taken place. It’s a really rough environment.
Next it was onto the Minack Theatre. This is a wonderful theatre built in the side of the cliff and would not have looked out of place in any Roman town. The twist is, is that it was built by Rowena Cade, and English woman in the 1930s. It’s always inspiring when someone has a dream and pursues it to its conclusion. This is what Rowena did, actively involved in it’s construction and the performances held there until her death at 89 years of age. I think Orthello, Loves Labours Lost and The Tempest are the best seats in the house (the seats are inscribed with past performances and their dates). The granite cliff here at Manick is wonderful and good for a walk down to the sandy beaches below. Again, I thought I was back in Aus with red and yellow flags sticking out of the sand and a life saving board nearby.
Next it was onto Prussia Cove, another pretty site with rugged rocks tumbling into the sea and then inland and over to St Just. On the way I paid a visit to Carn Euny. This is the remains of an ancient village believed to have existed since neolithic times. The remains there today are from the Iron Age. These consist mainly of the remains of round houses, but also an intriguing fogou (cave….underground passage). The use of this is still unknown, so you’re free to let your imagination run wild. I think I’ll stick to some ritualist significance!! The Penwith Peninsula in Cornwell has so many ancient sites. Someone told me that it was the highest concentration in Europe. It’s quite amazing and unless you’re looking for them, you’d never even know they were there as they’re not talked about and most don’t even have a sign. Seems a shame really. I just happened upon another one earlier in the day, The Merry Maidens. This is a stone circle which is quite amazing and complete, but it seems the Cornish folk wish to keep them all to themselves!
St Just is a beautiful little cliffside town which enjoyed its boom time during the 1800s when the mining of copper and tin in the area was at it’s peak. The ghostly silhouettes of old mine chimneys are scattered all around the horizon in this area and the ground still pocked with shafts, ready to swallow up any unsuspecting passer-by! The town is tiny but I counted about five pubs located around the central market square. Such original and forward-thinking retailers here!!
XXX
