Wednesday, June 22, 2016

Wednesday 22nd June 2016.....a really great hike to the end of the country!!!

Today was hiking day!!!

After a nice light breakfast I was packed up and first went to visit this different and lovely place!!!



The Minack Theatre clings perilously to a cliff, a stone’s throw from Land’s End. Its story revolves around the sheer determination of one woman, Rowena Cade.
The daughter of a mill owner, Rowena was born in a village near Derby in 1893. She made her stage debut in a local production aged eight, but her contribution to British theatre was only just beginning. After the First World War, she moved to Cornwall and built a house overlooking the sea near Porthcurno. In such a remote location, entertainment had to be homemade and she became involved with a local theatre group which staged an open-air
production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream in 1929.
For their next project, The Tempest, the theatre group needed a more dramatic stage. Rowena initially offered her garden, but decided instead to build a stage into the cliff beneath her house. With no previous manual labour experience, Rowena learned how to build from her gardeners, with whom she created the rudimentary beginnings of the theatre that exists today.
The 1932 Tempest production at the new Minack Theatre earned a mention in The Times, but before its newfound popularity could be realised, the Second World War intervened, and the theatre was ruined. Undaunted, Rowena and her gardeners set to work to recreate it after the war. She worked on the Minack every winter until she was well into her eighties. When she died in 1983, she left behind a solid and lasting – albeit rather windy – theatrical legacy, which now houses an exhibition on Rowena Cade as well as staging summer productions.

Enjoy the photos!!


 and this lovely beach could also be seen from the stage!!

The roads to my hiking start were so narrow
 I have no idea what kind of plant this is but it was huge!!
I then arrived at the tiny village to start my hike but before I did I explored the small beach and the caves!!




and then the start of the hike
Below tells you a little about the area!!

Fascinating discoveries found onsite dating back as far as the Mesolithic Period (10,000-4000 BC) prove the fact that people have been travelling to and living at Land’s End for ten thousand years or more.
Land’s End is the legendary Cornish destination that has inspired people since ancient Greek times when it was referred to as Belerion – the shining land.
The many names for Land’s End are centuries old; the earliest  name for the site seems to ‘Penwith Steort’ recorded in 997; Penwith is Cornish for ‘extreme end’ and Steort is Old English for ‘tail’ or ‘end.’
The Middle English name ‘Londeseynde’ appears in 1337 and ‘Penn an Wlas’ – Cornish for ‘end of the land’ –is first recorded in 1500.
Throughout the ages, Land’s End has held a fascination for many people and the place has inspired many stories and works of art.
The mythical ‘Lost Land of Lyonesse’ is said to lie beneath the waves between Land’s End and the Isles of Scilly; according to legend, Lyonesse was a rich part of King Arthur’s realm which was drowned by the sea on a cataclysmically stormy night.
There are in fact, over 130 recorded shipwrecks around the Land’s End as well as countless more unrecorded.
In modern times, Longships Lighthouse at Land’s End forms one point of an important protective triangle - Longships Lighthouse, Wolf Rock Lighthouse and the Lizard Lighthouse collectively create one of the best lit waterways in the British Isles.
Undoubtedly the breadth and depth of history at Land’s End has a part to play in the continuing appeal and popularity of this world-famous attraction.
Nowadays, over 400,000 visitors, from all over the globe, travel to Land’s End every year and the site employs between 50-150 local people throughout the season

The hike was all along the cliff tops just stunning so come join me....
 This is the area where I am headed!!


 Always love cliff top walks with yellow directional signs reminds me of my Camino days!!
As you can see a true cliff top walk!!!

 I don't even flinch when I go past these guys anymore!!
Getting closer..
It took me 90 minutes to get to the end and I had a lovely scenic view for my lunch!!!


 Check out the color of the ocean!!!


So there you have it my first visit to Land's End!!!  the hike was almost 8 miles and I really enjoyed every aspect of it!!!
Came home and straight into a nice long hot tub, then some dinner and then watched two great live soccer games from France....I have no idea what i shall do tomorrow evening as there are no games scheduled!!!!
I leave in the morning and a drive of about 90 miles to my next air bnb it is close to a waterfall I want to explore of Friday.....
Hope you enjoyed the hike!!
Yashi Kochi!!!!

2 comments:

Peter Kouwenhoven said...

A beautiful place and excellent pictures. Thanks for sharing.

mexicokid said...

It truly was a great hike..thanks les

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