The main draw at Tintagel has always been the romantically
sited castle ruins perched on a promontory, or 'island', surrounded by the angry North
Cornwall seas. The castle is famous for
its links to King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, celebrated by the
12th century Geoffrey of Monmouth in ‘The History of the Kings of
England', and later by Lord Tennyson in his work ‘Idylls of the King’ in the 19th
century. There is no evidence that King
Arthur actually ever lived there, however there is no doubting the historic
significance of the site, which reputedly goes back to the Romans. In fact, fragments of Mediterranean amphorae
have been discovered at the site, suggesting early imports of wine and olive
oil.
According to recent news reports, English Heritage, which
runs the site, has incited the wrath of the locals, who have accused them of the
‘Disneyfication’ of the castle. The
embellishments placed on the site by EH which led to these complaints consist
of the bronze statue of a king clutching a sword and a carving of Merlin’s face
in a rockface. While not exactly on the
scale of the touristic vandalism visited on Land’s End (see my first blog post), some people
consider this a step too far in such a beautiful and historic spot.
As for the village itself, most of the cafes, inns, shops and
other visitor attractions are strung out along the stretch of road leading from the
Visitor Centre to a car park proclaiming itself the nearest to the castle. Those heading down from here on foot make their way
down a minor road through a valley before facing some taxing steps to get up to the castle, while there is a land rover available for the visually impaired and the disabled for access to the exhibition and shop. All the clambering up and down the steps giving access to the ruins will no doubt work up an appetite for the
pasties, fudge and other Cornish delicacies on offer back in the village. As well as EH, the National Trust gets a look
in with the 14th century Tintagel Old Post Office, a quaint stone house with a slate roof by the side of Fore Street. The house was originally built in the style of a medieval manor
house serving as a farmhouse, but in the 1870s it assumed its role as the village post office.
Map of the area.
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| Tintagel Castle - geograph.org.uk - 646. Photo by Alan Simkins, via Wikimedia Commons. |
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