Tintagel Castle

You have to visit Tintagel, simply a beautiful, magical little place that unfortunately has been somewhat over-​commercialized. The rocks and the walks are beautiful — and then there is the history of the ruins.
One of the best places to take pics in my opinion is up on the hill opposite by the big hotel. I have posted some of my pics.

Most people who visit the ruins here reflect on King Arthur, Merlin, Morgan Le Fay, the round table knights. I come from another perspective a real life hero of mine, John Steinbeck, who was captivated by the story of King Arthur as a young boy. I’m captivated by John’s stories. So there’s little point reviewing what is essentially a ruin, albeit a pretty ruin, by a beautiful cove, by the sea so let me use this review to show the influence of this place in folklore on one of Americas greatest writers. I was delighted to be here because he was here. John visited with his third wife, Elaine Scott. John wrote the book Acts of King Arthur and His Noble Knights as a retelling of the Arthurian legend, based on the Winchester Manuscript text of Sir Thomas Malory’s Le Morte d’ Arthur. John began his adaptation in November 1956 long after his two greatest biblically titled novels, the Grapes of Wrath (Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord, he is trampling out the vintage where the Grapes of Wrath are stored.) from the Battle Hymn of the Republic or John Brown’s body. John Steinbeck had insisted to his publisher that the entire hymn be replicated in every print of the novel or ‘just tear the manuscript up’ and East of Eden (where Adam & Eve were banished to.) The introduction to his translation contains an anecdote about him reading them as a young boy. His enthusiasm for Arthur and his affinity for the Anglo — Saxon language are apparent in the work. The book was left unfinished at his death, and ends with the death of chivalry in Arthur’s purest knight, Lancelot of the Lake. John Steinbeck took a «living approach» to the retelling of Malory’s work. He followed Malory’s structure and retained the original chapter titles, but he explored the psychological underpinning of the events, and tuned the use of language to sound natural and accessible to a Modern English speaker so if you are into the legend and the castle then this is a great complementary story. Finally his name came from the Germanic Grosssteinbecken. John’s father emigrated to America with his Northern Ireland wife (Hamilton). He removed Gross and en as he felt the Americans couldn’t handle a name with three s’es Rick Stein’s ancestors most likely had the same Germanic surname.

When Honeymooning in Cornwall, a visit to Tintagel (the legendary birthplace of King Arthur) is simply a must!
This site held the castle in which King Arthur (of the Round Table legends) was rumoured to live. Unfortunately, there is hardly any of the actual building left now (mostly just hints of rooms and marked out areas), but it’s defiantly worth a visit.
The modest entry fee covers you for the visitors centre at the bottom of the hill and all of the surrounding areas which house the ruins. As you can see from the photos, some of the structures do still stand but haven’t stood the test of time.
We visited during their summer season of events so were lucky enough to catch «Knight Fights» (actors fighting using the real weaponry of the era), which was a treat. Merlin’s cove is also a lovely little bay to look around, but you can only really get down when the tide goes out (which isn’t until a little later in the afternoon).
There may not be much left here, but there is still a definite sense of mysticism to the site. If you can face the steep hill going down and the up’s and down’s of the site (it’s certainly NOT recommended for people with mobility issues), it’s a great place to visit.
As a top tip, get the Landrover back up the hill! After you have walked down and scaled the peaks to get to the castle, your legs might not be able to hack the incline back up to the town again!

Legend? True or false. It does not matter. This was a great stop along our UK trip in the Cornish Coast.

«Oh who would walk the stoney roads
Of Merlin’s time
And keep the watch along the borderline
And who would hear the legends passed
In song and rhyme
Upon the shepherd pipes of Merlin’s time»
(Al Stewart)
Remnants of an old coastal fortification justifies the title of «Legendary Birthplace of King Arthur», or so the merchants fib to score your cash. There is no evidence, at all, to validate this claim other than the tourist dollar providing income to supply the novelty shops from selling Chinese-​made plastic swords and Merlin hats. And like a cheap knock-​off of Disneyland, this is a fantasy that lives within the active minds of children and peddlers alike.
Personally, I would’ve been just as keenly interested if they had advertised this site as «A really cool old coastal fortification with scenic cliffside walks». Because, like I said in my Stonehenge review, the nearest pint is but a pub away and even though we didn’t buy any plastic King Arthur trinkets or baubles, we did sink a few quid at the local pub. And I know for a fact that Merlin would’ve happily joined us.
So what’s next for King Arthur and his legendary knights, «Round Table» pizza? It just might sell.
And then, of course, there’s old Nessie up north…(According to Visit Scotland, Nessie tourism brings in more than £1m to the area per year.)

The legendary birthplace of Morgan le Fay — this was my personal Mecca. And it didn’t disappoint. Merlin’s Cave lies at the base, so make sure to hike down if the the tide allows. The remnants of the castle are along the coast on the rocky cliffs, as the pictures show. If the wind is high, they close off the little island section. Tintagel Castle is an important part of history, world history. Definitely a memory you’ll carry forever.

There was nothing much of a castle left to see, but oh-​my-​goodness with the view. It was amazing. You got to see amazingly beautiful view of the coast. It was one of the greatest experience and was definitely worth a visit in Cornwall.