Tintagel castle (also known as "King Arthur's Castle") is perched on an island which was joined by a land bridge in the middle ages. The ruins that you see today were built in the 13th century by Richard Earl of Cornwall, though from coins and pottery fragments found at the site it is thought that before this the site might have originally been a Roman settlement and later in the early middle ages a Celtic settlement. There is speculation amongst historians that the site was a Summer residence for one of the Celtic kings, perhaps leading to the legends of Arthur.
The castle setting is certainly dramatic, especially in Winter when huge Atlantic waves pound the island. There are a number of nice coastal walks from Tintagel Castle either back towards St Materiana Church (15 min) or on towards Barras Nose which is also a good fishing spot. To the right of the castle you can climb down steps to Castle Beach from which Merlin's Cave runs beneath the island.
There are a couple of possibilities for parking:
- Park at St Materiana church (5 min drive from Park Farm) and walk 10 minutes along the cliff path.
- Park in Tintagel (10 min drive from Park Farm) and either walk 15 mins or catch the landrover service down to (or more likely up from) the castle.
The Arthurian legends associated with the castle stretch back centuries, popularised in the 12th-century Historia Regum Britanniae. It is thought that Richard Earl of Cornwall built his Medieval castle here to establish a connection with the Arthurian legends already strongly associated with the site in the middle ages. Arthurian legend had a renaissance in Victorian times when Tennyson published his Idylls of the King making Tintagel a popular Victorian tourist destination and the nearby Camelot Castle Hotel was built as themed accomodation. It's thought Richard Earl of Cornwall also deliberately built his castle in an old-fashioned style (compared with other 13th century architecture) to make it appear more ancient in an attempt win over his suspicious Cornish subjects!
See our page about Tintagel for more information about the village of Tintagel including the Halls of Chivalry.