- Distance: 6 miles
- Walk grade:easy-moderate
- Start from:Park Farm
- Recommended footwear:walking shoes or trainers in dry weather
Highlights
- Bossiney Haven and Benoath Cove
- Views over the Tintagel coastline from Willapark headland
- Views over Tintagel Castle from Barras Nose
- Tintagel Old Post Office and King Arthur's Great Halls
- Views over Tintagel from Trewarmett Downs
Directions
- Walk up the lane signposted to Trenale to the left of the post box opposite Park Farm.
- Walk straight along it passing by Tregeath Lane and Trenale Lane on your left. There are nice views over Tintagel all the way along the lane.
- Cross over the crossroads passing a wayside cross on your right. Take the second public footpath to the left (just before you reach the houses). The footpath leads through the fields and ends up in Bossiney.
- You might want to take a moment to explore the chapel and Bossiney Mound (a little further towards Tintagel in Bossiney on the left-hand side).
- Walk back to the top of the hill where the footpath comes into Bossiney. Cross the road to the triangular parking area next to the transmitter aeriel from which the footpath goes to Bossiney Haven.
- Walk down the footpath to Bossiney Haven. Half way down to the beach you cross the coast path. Follow the path down to Bossiney Haven and Benoath Cove. You may want to stop on the grassy area above the beach if you don't fancy the climb down and up. The rock arch on Bossiney Haven is known as Elephant Rock.
- Once you've explored the beach, climb back up to the coast path and (facing inland) turn right towards Tintagel.
- Walk along the coast path to Willapark, possibly taking a small detour to the end of the headland where there are remains of an Iron Age castle. The large rock just offshore is Lye Rock and the smaller neighbouring rocks are known as The Sisters.
- Follow the coast path round to Barras Nose.
- Take the footpath inland towards the Castle Hotel which brings you out at the far end of Tintagel.
- Walk along the main road into Tintagel. On the way you pass Pengenna Pasties on your left who make very good pasties by hand in the shop. There are also a number of cafés, pubs and tea rooms in Tintagel if you want to stop for refreshment.
- Walk further along the road until you reach Tintagel Old Post Office (where you may want to stop).
- Once you've had a look, walk further up the High Street. Just before the roundabout is Granny Wobbly's Fudge Pantry - free tasting highly recommended. Next to the roundabout is King Arthur's Great Halls which you may want to visit.
- Carry straight on up the High Street passing the Tintagel Visitor Centre (you might want to drop in to pick up some info about the area), car park and the village hall on the right before a right turn (don't take it).
- Keep walking up the High Street until you reach the Catholic church on the right. Turn right here towards Trenale.
- Walk up the road to Trenale until you reach a junction which brings you back onto the lane you set out on.
- Turn right and walk back down the lane into Trewarmett with views over Tintagel to your right.
In the medieval period, stone crosses were sometimes placed by the road or path. There have been various reasons for erecting these: markers placed along routes used by Christian pilgrims, or as a shrine in reverence, perhaps to a saint who has some connection to the locality. Others mark burial sites, a disaster, a miracle, or some other event that should be remembered. In some cases they were erected to mark meeting places for Christian worship and later churches were built adjacent to the cross, resulting in the cross being within the churchyard or close by.
In Cornwall many of the wayside crosses are Celtic crosses. Scholars speculate that the Celtic Cross (a crucifix with a circular ring) developed from the sun cross (a cross inside a circle), a common symbol in artefacts of Prehistoric Europe, particularly during the Neolithic to Bronze Age periods. When Christianity came to the celtic regions, Christians extended the bottom spoke of this familiar symbol to remind them of the cross on which their new Savior was crucified. There are said to be 360 Wayside Crosses in Cornwall.
Only a large mound next to the chapel remains as evidence of the twelfth century castle at Bossiney. Almost certainly the castle was built by Reginald, the illegitimate son of Henry I of England who made him Earl of Cornwall. According to legend, The Round Table of Camelot is supposed to be buried under the ruins of the Castle and on the eve of the summer solstice, the Round Table will appear when King Arthur and his knights are due to return.
Bossiney was one of a number of small parliamentary boroughs established in Cornwall during the Tudor period. Sir Francis Drake was elected MP for Bossiney in 1584 after giving his election speech from Bossiney Mound. War broke out with the Spanish in 1585 and his attention turned to their Armada.
Barras Nose was the first piece of coastal land ever bought by the National Trust. In victorian times the Castle Hotel was originally planned to be built on Barras Nose which gave rise to a local campaign to purchase the headland and save it. It's a popular spot with locals for fishing as there is rock platform and several surrounding reefs.
Tintagel Old Post Office is a 600-year-old Cornish Longhouse set in cottage gardens. It was built in the 14th Century when Tintagel Castle belonged to the Black Prince. In the 19th century the house was used as the district Post Office. For over 100 years it has been owned by the National Trust.
King Arthur's Great Hall was built in the 1930's by a custard millionaire whose company is thought to have invented "hundreds and thousands". The halls of chivalry are built from 53 different types of stone. 72 stained glass windows by Veronica Whall (a pupil of William Morris) tell the story of King Arthur and show the Coats of Arms and weapons of the knights. Over two hundred million people have visited the Halls since they opened in June 1933.
Map of Route
Best time to go
It is ideal if you can reach Bossiney at low tide so you can go on the beach, so for the optimal walk, set out from Park Farm an hour or two before low tide.