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Jack Hill of St Albans, who was determined to be in a really good position to experience one of the last great natural phenomena of the 20th century, talks us through his escapade on August 11th 1999:-
The spot selected for our eclipse observation at Edgcumbe near Falmouth in Cornwall was more or less on the central line of totality and so, in theory, we should have been in a ringside position to see the sun being eclipsed and the darkness approaching at a speed of some 1700 miles per hour.
From this vantage point we could see, over to the east, an area of open sea providing a clear view of 30 miles or so to the horizon. Westwards, beyond the small valley, were several low hills, one of which had an open frame tower like a tree with a group of VHF saucers at the top; one further away had the local television transmitting mast. This latter piece of equipment had several white strobe lights flashing at frequent intervals, which helped us to gauge the light.
Long before breakfast, the sky had been overcast and so the position of the sun was a complete mystery. The wind was quite strong, blowing from the east and carrying a light flurry of rain, giving a feeling of autumn and the need for shelter and so we squatted on the ground behind a typical Cornish wall of rocks, earth and brambles.
So, as the critical moments approached there was some confusion as to what we should be looking for, and because of the cold wind our backs were turned away from the east and towards a group of people in a field below us who had decided after a while that the rain was unpleasant and so fetched two cars to use as shelters.
Having binoculars, we were scanning the hillsides for items of interest such as striped tents, impromptu camping in the heather, and movements in the village. A bird of prey hovered in the next field for a short time then alighted on a post but hunkered down against the rain.
A very large black cloud seemed to be growing bigger every minute and promising a heavy downpour; this didn't happen, but its size meant that our area was quite dark for a long period.
With just a minute to go, a group of cattle with one mature nursing cow and several young heifers seemed to hear the sound of children's voices coming over the wind and began to make a startled dash through a gap in the adjoining wall towards us but then veered away. Whether the semi-darkness was affecting them it is impossible to say but for a few moments there was a sense of apprehension towards unpredictable creatures.
As the time crept towards the magic moment of ll.ll, I scanned the sky frantically looking for a sign and just managed to see for a second or two a break in the cloud and a very watery part sun almost hidden by a grey disc. I shouted to Con to get up from her sheltered spot to look but, halfway though the shout, the clouds closed in again.
As part of the bird spotting, we had been watching some swifts flying low over the grass but when our personal black cloud became blacker still they disappeared, presumably to a roosting place. Then the real darkness descended on us and one felt the stillness broken only by whoops from people in the village.
Camera flash lights appeared like a rash of stars among the hills A quick look to east and west gave us a glimpse of the streaks of light at the edges of this instant night. I took a flash photo of Con and then, like in the theatre. the lights came on as if the controller had pushed his rheostat forwards again. Automatic street lights and securitylights activated by the darkness were still shining in streets and backyards across the valley.
There followed a short post mortem on 'How was it for you' and then we made our way to the main road and a half-mile trek to the Halfway House for liquid sustenance.
The two minutes of darkness had given one a feeling of awe and wonder but that had been quickly lost in the return to normal. To have in our minds, a knowledge of the time table before and after the happening was very reassuring, but to ancient peoples who would have been caught unawares, one can only try to image their panic at the sudden disappearance of their light and warmth
There was a shortlived period of hope that one could claim back from Tesco an unused pair of EC certificated viewers but this was dashed when they were stepped on.
Next day, being a lovely bright sunny version of the previous day, invoked a slight suspicion that Nature as usual couldn't help being capricious about something that could have been out of this world for the million or so observers.
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