FRIDAY'S partial solar eclipse seen from the old clay works at Meeth was sheer magic. The Devon Wildlife Trust who now run it as a nature reserve did us proud. As we arrived from 8am the mist was so thick we could hardly see across the gathering area where seating and telescopes had been provided, but in true British spirit there was much cheerful banter and enjoyment of excellent bacon butties and hot drinks cheerfully served by DWT volunteers. There was even a portaloo! Their staff had also brought a large quantity of empty cereal packets and showed the many excited children how to make safe viewing boxes. There were also special framed lenses on sale which went quickly as no-one wanted to be left out should the mist lift.  At about 8.50am somebody yelled 'There it is!' and about 50 pairs of eyes swivelled upwards and saw the wondrous sight of the sun with a bite out of it, beautifully clear but with enough cloud cover to give perfect viewing with the naked eye. We saw the bite get bigger until at 9.35am the sun looked like a slowly revolving crescent moon and then the bite got smaller again and finally disappeared at 10.45am. By this time there were only two of us left rooted to the spot and determined to admire the action to the very end. The DWT staff were busy preparing for that night's skywatch event. They were to be congratulated on a very well planned and run event which was so enjoyed by a surprising number of people who felt really well looked after. All in all a truly memorable experience. Zoë Bradshaw Okehampton