Sunday Straphanger Tintagel Castle

Stacked slate and stone walls.

This is third in a series of posts on Sundays focusing on some places I've been to or of something that's caught my eye.  Today features King Arthur's country, Cornwall, England (although the Welsh and the Scots have also claimed him as theirs.)  Hope you like this post on Tintagel Castle.

This photo doesn't show just how steep and long the climb to the top to reach Tintagel Castle, really was.  There was a Land Rover service you could pay to take you to the top and back down again, paying in each direction.  To save ££s we climbed, it was slow going with lots of Warning Signs!   "Steep, Slippery, and Treacherous!"  (It was.)  I remember signs saying that we were climbing at our own risk. 

Well, okay, the signs  repeatedly warned us, even saying to go back and take the car service.  We didn't take the car and climbed upwards. Out of breath and needing a rest, it was worth the trek, the views to the water below, were sumptuous.  On the walk down the mountain, a few curse words were uttered by our friends who said next time they would pay for the ride!


 

"I am Arthur!"

Have you seen the movie, "Camelot?"  Well, I'm only going to have one chance I thought, so walking through the doorway in the photo on the left, I yelled out, "I AM ARTHUR!" Richard Harris as King Arthur shouted that out in the movie, and I did it here, but without a beard, crown, or his accent.  Ha! 

I had to do it, eyebrows were raised and my husband and friends were a bit unnerved and a couple of tourists looked puzzled, but I wasn't going to regret not doing that in the moment, on the mountain top in the mist on that September day where ancient ruins and mythical and real characters used to live.   It's a breathtaking place, not just for the steep climb, but for the views and the history around you.  You don't have to look through glass cases, you can touch the walls, sit on them, and dance around if you are in the mood.




Castle ruins

 




King Arthur was born sometime around the mid 400's and Tintagel Castle was built in the 1200's on the site of a monastery.  The present ruins are made up of several forts, castles, and buildings.

On the edge looking down at caves

Pirate caves at low tide are safe but otherwise, drownings?  I had no desire to get caught in the cave when the tide came back in, so with the timing not quite right we enjoyed the mountain and the views below.

You can go into the caves for a look around, one is named, "Merlin's Cave." 



Rocks, cliffs, churning waters and the Celtic Sea beyond.









I feel refreshed by the open waters, it's no wonder I want to visit it again.

Hope you enjoyed this vista.