Eclipse

One evening in August 1999, me and John jumped into our car and took the long journey to Falmouth to see the total solar eclipse. A once in a lifetime opportunity that we did not want to miss. Falmouth beach had been recommended as the best place to see it, Sir Patrick Moore and his BBC team would be stationed at Falmouth, ready to relay the latest news of the eclipse to a TV audience.

Anyone wishing to make the journey to Cornwall were advised to set out early, as long traffic queues were expected. Hotels in the area were fully booked in advance, so in order to accommodate the influx of people heading to the event, Cornish farmers had set up temporary campsites in their fields, had hired in rows of portaloos and were charging campers £5 to use their facilities.

It was very late when we hit Cornwall, but the roads were surprisingly quiet and although we did drive by some campsites, there was not a tent in sight. It was all very peculiar, as though we had turned up at the wrong place on the wrong day. But no worries, we continued with our own plan which was to park up somewhere, sleep in the car, rise early, make our way to Falmouth beach and find some breakfast.

Sleeping in the car was impossible, we got no sleep at all. It was on that day that I promised myself to always book somewhere comfortable to stay if I’m away from home; I simply cannot manage without basic luxuries and that’s the last time I will be sleeping in a car, thank you very much!

The sky at Falmouth beach didn’t look too hopeful, it was a thick blanket of grey cloud and sadly it stayed like that all morning. Folks who had gathered on the sand were armed with their folding cardboard glasses, designed specially for viewing the eclipse safely, their eyes focusing on a thin crack in the cloud where an occasional glimmer of light showed through, unrealistically hoping that the cloud would clear. No such luck. Instead, nine thirty arrived, the total eclipse was taking place on the other side of our dark fucking cloud and no-one at Falmouth beach got a glimpse of the disappearing sun, nor the famous ‘diamond ring’ we’d all set our hearts on seeing.

But the eclipse at Falmouth had a spooky sensation that I will never forget. The birds became quiet, then total quiet as all who were there respected the wonderment of what was happening, the pitch blackness, the weight in the air made my body feel heavy and gravity seemed weirdly strong that day, then finally the intense band of brightness lighting the horizon as the eclipse reached totality. I'm so glad I didn't miss it - and I might just get a second chance if I live to be 131.

Back to normality then, and needing some breakfast we headed for the cafe at the edge of Falmouth beach where we joined a long queue. An hour passed and we were getting a little nearer, only thirty hungry people in front of us now, but at least we could see the cafe door. A woman appeared at the door and made a shocking announcement. ‘WE HAVE NO MORE BACON’, she shouted. 

Partial eclipse from Preston, 20th March 2015

Well, that was it. John did not want to stay in the queue any longer and decided to visit the hotel he could see in the distance and see if they could do a breakfast for two non-residents. I was happy when he returned waving at me with a smile on his face, in no time at all we were being ushered into the breakfast suite, where a uniformed gent was laying out our table with full silver service. Somehow it seems wrong to compare a solar eclipse with a cooked breakfast, but although the eclipse was awesome you really can't beat a good bit of bacon.

This year we saw a partial eclipse in the UK, one of those rare occasions when you get something awesome for free; no real effort required, simply protect your eyes, go out, look at the sky and enjoy a natural wonder of the universe all for yourself. I hope that like me, you all had the opportunity to escape from your workplace or just go out into your garden to see it. I would like to thank my friend who sent me a lovely photo that he took in his garden, it clearly shows the treat we had here in Preston on the 20th March 2015.