Tintagel Castle

Geoffrey of Monmouth wrote in about 1136 that Arthur was conceived at Tintagel, and Richard, Earl of Cornwall, built a castle here around 1233 that had no strategic value whatever, apparently to attach himself to that story. But the site was genuinely important long before: excavation has found a substantial settlement of the fifth to seventh centuries with enormous quantities of imported Mediterranean pottery, amphorae from the eastern Empire and North African fine ware, more than anywhere else in Britain and Ireland combined, indicating a high-status place trading directly with the Byzantine world. A slate inscribed with names including Artognou was found in 1998, which is not Arthur but caused excitement. A cantilevered steel footbridge opened in 2019 rejoined the mainland ward to the island.

What to look for

• The 1233 castle - Richard of Cornwall's ruins on the headland and island.
• The Dark Age settlement - terraced footings of a fifth-century trading site.
• The 2019 footbridge - a cantilevered steel crossing to the island.
• Merlin's Cave - a sea cave beneath the headland, accessible at low tide.

When to go

April to October; the site is fully exposed and closes in high wind, which is frequent. Merlin's Cave is reachable only at low tide and floods fast. Booking a timed slot is required in summer.

Before you go

Access involves a steep descent and around a hundred and fifty steps up to the island, with a Land Rover shuttle only to the valley bottom. The site closes in wind without much notice. The Arthur connection is literary, not archaeological, and English Heritage's handling of it has been criticised by historians.

Nearby

Boscastle and its harbour lie north-east; Port Isaac and Padstow are south.

Key facts