Manky Monkey Motors

One sunny day in 1996 I stayed at a guest house in Porthcurno Cornwall. It's a little cove near Lands End.

It's claim to fame is that it is where the first undersea telegraph cables were laid from and has a museum dedicated to that subject. It has a beautiful white sand beach on which you can see the cables poking out in places. 

Early in the evening I heard a fair amount of traffic passing and knowing that the road only went as far as the pub at the top of the cliff I went to investigate. I stumbled across the incredible Minack Theatre.

It is an open air theatre that is set into the cliff with views out over  the Atlantic ocean. I sat and watched a George Bernard Shaw play about American Independence.

The theatre was entirely the work of a lady by the name of Rowena Cade who purchased the land in the 1920's and built a house on the headland. After making costumes for a production of A Midsummers Night Dream in 1929 it was proposed that the Minack headland would be perfect for a production of the Tempest in 1930. That winter Rowena and her Gardener fashioned a basic stage and some seating on the cliff and the Minack Theatre was born.


She lived until her late 80's and until she died was working on the theatre. Much of it is made of local granite carved by Rowena and her gardener and when they could no longer afford granite she perfected the art of replicating it in concrete using a screwdriver!!!!

She would carry sand from the beach in bags and steal timbers from wrecked ships in the cove in order to build theatre


It is the most amazing place to see production and truly takes your breath away. The sound system allows you to clearly hear everything and just adds to a memorable experience.

For More information visit. www.minack.com/theatregoers/history.htm (http://www.minack.com/theatregoers/history.htm)

That's great Byz. Just the sort of write up I'm after,
Haven't heard from Yodie for a couple of weeks but I'll send that over to him & ask him to add it to the Places To Visit section of the site. We still on for a visit there next year?
Thanks for that.

Right. The wonderous Mr Yodles has added this to the Places to Visit section of the main site now. Thanks again Byz. Anyone else got a favourite spot they'd like to share? Doesn't have to be bike or car related, just a nice destination to take a trip to.

I once sat on the empty beach one evening at Porthcurno with my girls when they were young and we watched the tide come in for 3 hours.  Wonderful!

It is a truly wonderful place. When I was there it was a bit weird as cable and wireless had just shutdown their operations and it had deserted feel but seemed like it should be busy.

Will be taking a ride down there next year and Manky has signed up to go too! Will be looking for more of the Manky Crew to join us on the MMM cornwall invasion. ;D

I'd better get on with my trike then! Yup, definitely up for some mileage next year to make up for not doing much in '06.
It's the mountains of the Scottish Highlands for me Bobbi. Could sit & enjoy the solitude for hours & hours & hours -& have.

Wouldn't mind doing Scotland too. Have been several times to various off the beaten track places and loved it every time.

I've spent the last few years staying in Fort William & exploring the lochs & mountains from there. My favouritest place in the whole wide World. Didn't go last year after splitting up with the long term partner I used to go with, but was going every October. The weather was always superb & the place was deserted. A 10 hour drive at a steady 80mph from my neck of the woods, so would be a two day journey on the trike. Got into the habit of breaking the journey by staying in a Travel Inn in Carlisle overnight. There's a Sunday morning bike meet at a place called the Green Welly Stop at Tindrum that I've always fancied attending.

I'd prolly be up for a Manky trip to Cornwall next year.

I'll be going down there early next month, doing RBR landmarks then spending the weekend at the Calstock Bike Show and Regatta. (see Events section)

Yeah, the Calstock show looks nice Bobbi. Wouldn't mind doing that one -but got no transport.  :-\
Maybe we should come up with a name for this first annual MMMotors road trip! Sounds like it'll be mainly trikes, which'd be fun -never ridden in a large group of 3 wheelers before. What's the collective noun for a bunch of trikes I wonder?

I love cornwall! Was in Falmouth just the other week, lovely! Have a convoy of bizarre vehicles down the 303! ;D

Woo hoo! Surfing Monkies.  ;D

eewww!  Does it have to be the 303?  I hate that road!



Anyway I spose there's be no point in me going that way from Wareham, I'd meet you lot en route!

Maybe it would be a Manky Monkey Marathon......
or a Manky Monkey Movement...

or......?

A30 is better :)

A group of Monkeys is called a TROOP or a BARREL.

Apes are a SHREWDNESS! ???

Gorrilas are a BAND 


So  a Troop of Mankey Monkeys we will be! ;D

Here they come, cruising down your street,
hey, hey we're the Monkies.....

Cornwall sounds good, could be up for that.
Done Scotland a few times not on bike or trike, Fort william, Cairngorms, Glenshee fantastic countryside although most of it was covered in snow hence why i was there  ;D

I always go to Fort William in mid October. Usually still warm enough to sit on the beaches up there, but the tourists & midges have gone by then. Some fabulous riding roads but I've always been in a hire car. Found myself driving along imagining I was on the trike!
I was in Wales yesterday. Some very similar countryside, though the mountains aren't as impressive.
If you take a look at the photo gallery of the brooklands autojumble, there's a couple of shots of the Wellington bomber they're restoring. It was pulled out of Loch Ness.

If it's only 'mainly' trikes. maybe to collective term would be a 'Manky Monkey Miscellany'

I would be up for this, please can we have a beer at the Red Barn on the seafront in Woolacombe, can we, can we?

Sounds good to me. Used to take my dog down there to play on the beach. Gorgeous place.

Are we nearly there yet?


 ;)

it was shown on tv last night, looked chill place to be. maybe with a beer and friends. not sure about the plays/opera though :)

What programme Pete? -says the man without a TV. We going to arrange a run down there in the Spring then?

It was called "A Wild Cornish Summer" it was on Friday 22nd BBC2 at 7pm. Was same guy that did the harley ride across usa route 66 & a ride across europe on a new mz (was pleasantly surprised with their new streetfighter :o)

Ride down seems good  ;D

I'm up for it. Just let me build something to ride on first!

I usually do a trip to Cornwall in the summer but I tend to go via odd out of the way places on my list of Landmarks for the RBR.

My best memory was standing alone on top of St Breock Downs above Wadebridge on a damp rainy day, taking a phot of a standing stone in the middle of a wind farm, surrounded by sheep. 

This summer I stayed in a Backpackers' hostel in Bude - very cheap (£12) very good, and great fun meeting all sorts of people!

Yeah, sometimes the best memories aren't the big spectacular things are they. Just little special moments.
Nice to see you back Bobbi. You've been quite lately Hon. How you been? Gertie still running O.K?

Gertie is still running like a bag of sh*t but she'll have to carry on like that till, maybe November when I've done all this years' rallies, then kind Mr Toad will sort out the carbs for me.  And probably the electrix too - I missed the last Poole bike night cos the battery was flat again!

In spite of her problems, can still get her up to a respectable 70+, just have to work round the flat spots!   (And avoid putting her on full right lock with engine running, cos it obviously joins a couple of wires that shouldn't be joined!)

In his trucking days, Mike would have called it "driver compensation"

 ;D

That's just added "character"!
Toad'll have it fixed in no time I'm sure. I'm looking forward to a few trikey trips in the Spring. Massed ranks of 3 wheelers on the roads should make an impressive sight!

What about St.Ives, really picturescew, or Port Isaac? May be a bit quiet at times but loads to see. Or even Newquay...real cool place great camp sites, holiday homes for rent etc???? Surfin' capital of somewhere or other.

Just dont bother going into Newquay in the evening! Loads of chavs and stag an hen dos! Dunno bout you but theres something very scary about an advancing hen party! :o
But other than that the west country rocks!

Newquay out of season can't be so bad, my younger daughter has just been down there for a kiteboarding course and she didn't mention the chavs!