Although the weather was half-decent, Land's End is so exposed, any breeze quickly becomes a gale. As we pulled up to the vast carpark, we suspected that the strong winds and grey skies may have put off potential visitors. It was empty, bar two other cars who had already disgorged their intrepid adventurers. In the summer, the carpark and the shows in the Land's End theme park are packed. Unsurprisingly, in the depths of winter, they were all closed, but fortunately the Land's End Trading Store was open so Jan could pick up a woolly hat - she'd forgotten to bring one. It was £3.99 well spent, protecting her from the wind which howled around us on the short but bracing walk to the last house/café in England. The café was closed and with the cold seeping into our bones, we only stayed long enough to admire the view and the flying skills of a falcon who appeared to be hovering motionless in the swirling gusts above the cliff edge while we struggled to stay upright below.
After a warming drink in the near deserted Land's End restaurant, we drove the short distance around the coast to the wonder that is the Minack Theatre. Ann, Jan's mum, had suggested we include it in our Land's End trip. In 1929, Rowena Cade, a keen thespian, decided to create a theatre out of the natural hollow in the cliff edge at the bottom of her seafront garden for the local players to put on a production of the Tempest. With just the help of her two gardeners, over the next three years, using a combination of carved granite rock and concrete, Rowena built a spectacular arena with stunning views and some of the most amazing seating of any theatre in the world. But she hadn't finished there. The rest of her life was dedicated to expanding and improving the theatre.
Despite its remoteness, the theatre soon proved popular and was even used as a set in the 1944 movie Love Story. Reputedly the six grand pianos used in filming were thrown over the cliff behind the stage because no one wanted to carry them up the steep stairs back up to the road.
The theatre has gone from humble beginnings to worldwide repute with top actors, like Michael York, (who, in one of his weaker moments, played the English Agent's Controller in Austin Powers) performing there. Nowadays, the Minack Theatre stages a different play every week during the summer months and, when not in use, is a popular museum. When we arrived, the sun was trying to emerge, and when it finally did, it turned the clear waters of the adjacent Porthcurno bay turquoise and the sand golden, like a scene from the Caribbean. Eating a pasty for lunch, in the comfort of the café overlooking that view, was pretty special. Having not heard of the place before Jan's mum mentioned it, we look forward to making a return visit to see a play during the summer months.
From Minack, we headed along the south coast, through Penzance, on to St Michael's Mount. Fortunately the tide was out, allowing the three of us to walk along the causeway to the island. The island's "Castle" only opens twice a week in winter and we arrived on a closed day, so we strolled around the harbour. Two old men sat on a covered bench asked if we knew what time the next bus was. We laughed, all knowing full well that there are few vehicles on the little rock, other than the odd delivery van or the tourist bus that wasn't running that day. They would have a long wait.The sun was setting and the tide was on its way back in as we retraced our steps back along the causeway and across the beach to our car. It had been a lovely day but wasn't over yet. We still had Martha's birthday dinner to look forward to while we caught up on family news.
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