To See & Do
Tintagel Beach & Merlin’s Cave – Having reached the bottom of the track from the village, you can choose whether to turn left and visit the Exhibition, cafe or Tintagel Castle itself, or you can carry on down to Tintagel Beach, some quite narrow steps, to the beach itself.
The beach at Tintagel has a real mystical feel about it. The colour of the Ocean, the waves, the tiny pebbles on the beach and the black cliffs. But there’s more to the beach than this, there are two tempting caves and a fabulous small waterfall.
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If you’re looking out to sea, there’s a large cave to your left – if you enter this cave, you can walk right the way through. On the other side, there’s a further expanse of water and ahead of you another tempting cave entrance. Entering the cave on the right is for intepid and fit explorers only, it’s tricky to get into it and quite dangerous.
On the other side of the beach, under the Castle itself, is Merlin’s Cave. This Cave is considered quite safe, if the tide’s out. You’ll find a majority of people on the beach will be walking through Merlin’s Cave and out the other side.
You can visit those you can see a few walls of the Castle itself, but to cross the bridge and walk around the ruins, there’s an entry fee.
Visit Tintagel Village – King Arthur is famed for his Knights of the Round Table. It’s said that he created a round table for the knights to sit at so nobody is at the “head of the table”, thereby ensuring everybody is equal. While you’re in Tintagel, check out the other Arthur-themed visitor attractions, such as the King Arthur Round Table Centre. Or, if you’re into historical buildings, then Tintagel Old Post Office is right there on the High Street too. Tintagel Old Post Office is a 14th century farmhouse and is owned by the National Trust so there is a fee to look round. The building, with its ramshakle roof and tiered chimney stacks, looks like something out of a kid’s story book. Other attractions in Tintagel include the Tintagel Toy Museum and King Arthur’s Great Halls, an entire building dedicated to the great legend with over 70 stained glass windows.
Boscastle is about 5 miles away from Tintagel by foot along the coastal path or by road with a spectacularly located fishing village and tourist attraction on the north coast of Cornwall, in the southwest of England. The oldest and most attractive parts of the village surround the cliff-bound harbor and extend up the river valley. The more modern part of the village rises up the steep valley sides surrounding the harbor and valley.
The main things to see in and around Boscastle are the village and harbor, (especially at sunset) nestling in a spectacularly steep sided narrow valley, together with the surrounding cliffs and coastal scenery, most of which is accessible via the Cornish Coastal Path. Specific attractions are:
- The Lookout. This vantage point gives quayside and then walk up the footpath to the left.
- Museum of Witchcraft. Located alongside the harbor, the Museum of Witchcraft houses the world’s largest collection of witchcraft related Sa 10:30AM-6PM; Su 11:30AM-6PM.
- Walk the Cornish Coastal Path.
How to Get There
Accessing the Castle – From the village of Tintagel, which has a very large car park, you walk down a very long and quite steep earth track to the clifftop. There is an alternative route to approach the Castle, by parking just north and following a footpath round.
There is a regular Land Rover trip running from the village to the Castle. The Land Rover just goes up and down the track all day long, taking people up and down – there is a small charge for this. This service runs from April to October.
The site is a very challenging one if you have limited mobility. The terrain is very steep and there are a lot of steps (100 steps) to gain access to the Castle. A lot of the paths are bare earth and gravel.
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The Legend of King Arthur – Locations & Activities
Tintagel Castle