A great place to explore (Tintagel Castle)

Member Name: chrisc92

Product:	Tintagel Castle
Date:	27/06/09 (13 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A must for those who are interested in ancient history/love exploring

Disadvantages: Very steep and exposed, very tiring, cost £4.95 per adult + souvenirs

We visited Tintagel Castle last week (24 June 09), it was not the brightest of days, as rain was in the air and it was pretty grey.

When we say we visited it, well we walked down the steep path (approx 1/4 - 1/2 mile) to the cafe, shop and toilets, and round the side onto the wooden pathway leading up to the ruins. We walked along the pathway to the beautiful cove below with wooden steps leading to the beach below - it's a bit of a trek but worth it with 1 cave going right the way through the front half of the castle (known as Merlin's cave). It's pretty dark inside and as you get towards the other side gets rather wet. There are other caves around, but as the sea was on its way in I certainly wouldn't want to take the chance.

The castle itself is split in 2 halves, one half on the mainland can be accessed using the coastal path, the other is on what is called the Island and a wooden bridge crosses over to it at which point a spiralling staircase leads you into the inner courtyard. We didn't walk over to the castle for a number of reasons - the Island part is run by English Heritage and £4.95 per adult seemed a little on the steep side, but my head for heights and our lack of energy certainly were the significant factors. Perhaps next year when we've done a few assault courses or marathons will make us more athletic - well it didn't effect any of the elder generations walking over, but we didn't see anyone that wasn't a bean pole walking back!

The castle is probably about 180ft above sea level, and many parts have been affected by the incoming tide, with parts of the castle falling away into the sea - some in the last 20 years. There are some very steep areas that you can walk along, but I felt a little worried - especially as many of these were rather exposed. I certainly would like to see the inside of the castle, and heights or not next time we will. One thing to note is that it's not a good idea to visit on a rough day - it is prone to high levels of sea spray.

We visited Tintagel from a caravan park in Bude (not listed on this site) which is approx 20 miles away, and as an added extra we passed through another recently known village - Boscastle. If you enjoy walking/hiking and interested in history there's enough around the castle and the church to keep you entertained for hours. There is parking available, but limited - our car park was around £2.50 for about 4 hours.

As for the Arthur legend, well that's down to your imagination, was he born here or not, and who was he really? You will never know for certain, but it certainly will inspire you.

Summary: A great place to explore, but leave yourself plenty of time