Searching for King Arthur

Tuesday, May 24, turned out to be a wonderful day weather-wise, warm, sunny and just a bit of a breeze.  We are off to discover a bit of the Cornwall coast.

Our first view

Surf lessons

 school kids on an excursion

Now we are off to find King Arthur's birthplace, Tintagel Castle,
at Tintagel, Cornwall.

There is evidence of a settlement here dating back to the dark ages.
According to one legend the infant Arthur was thrown by the waves on the beach by Merlin's cave. King Arthur's time in history was in the fifth century. He is identified with the known history of a Celtic chieftain of the period who led his countrymen in the West in their resistance against Saxon invaders.

Many believe that Arthur was of a mixed Roman and British parentage. It is always difficult to prove if Arthur did exist but certainly there wasa great warrior in the West of England who had some kind of fortress where Tintagel Castle, (King Arthur's Castle) is today.

The original fortress has gone but archaeologists have found proof in their diggings on the Tintagel Castle, that fifth century citizens lived on the site.The replacement Castle was built between 1230-1236 and is now nearly 800 years old. Within two hundred years the Castle was in ruins and remains so to this day.

This is the "Old Post Office" in Tintagel.  We did not explore inside but  thought the roofline was interesting, as it was undulating.  

the vistas here are just magical, I can see why people are 

in love with the Cornish coast

I see many steps in our future, I think this one is going to be 

more challenging than Mont St Michel

Merlin's cave at the base of the cliff (the big one on the left)

this is only one of several sets of stairs that are waiting to be conquered

it's a long way down there

well, enough procrastinating, time to make our assault on the summit

the view from one side

and the other

 this elderly gentleman is nearing the bottom, if he could do it - so can I

 reached the first level - it was a killer - the steps are varied in the rise, some over 12 inches high, the material is uneven, would be a killer in a rainy wet day

come on in

this is what the walls are made off

 looking down from the great hall

remains of building foundations

stairs here,

stairs there,

stairs everywhere

vistas everywhere you look

What amazes me about all these sites we have visited in  Europe, is the lack of  safety devices.  If this were in North America, there would be railings all 

around the perimeter, hand rails down each set of stairs and warning 

signs everywhere. The only hand railings were along the steep stairs 

where they were absolutely necessary, both to keep you from falling 

over the edge and use as a support when climbing and descending.  

Here all we saw was the occasional sign below.  It's like they expect people to use common sense and realize that you are on a cliff top, 

surfaces get slippery when wet. etc.  

And people were behaving appropriately.  

Children who were around were quiet and well behaved.  

Teenagers were not rough housing and even more amazing is that I 

saw very few selfies being taken.  

People were more interested in capturing and drinking in the 

natural beauty that was all around them.

the oven for drying cereals 

 we have reached the very top

this scared me, it was a young women sitting with a boy 

about two or three, on the cliff edge  

the kind of terrain we were walking on at times 

a small cave 

Arthur, found at last!

 more vistas

 the Chapel 

the Walled Garden

 we have to make it all the way back down there

                 

let the trek begin

this one is hard on the knees and hips and a good grip on the railing is a must

 down across the bridge and up the other side

the Gatehouse Courtyard

views from here too

 We arrived safely at the bottom.  It was as difficult a climb down as well as up.  I think the down was worse, as you were always looking down the steep incline and because the stairs were uneven in height.  My hip and knees took a good few jolts on the way down.  We opted to take the Land Rover back to the village, it was only about a 15 minute walk, but it was all uphill and I had about reached my limit for the day.  We treated ourselves to scones and clotted cream when we got back and bought a couple of Cornish Pasties to have for supper later.

All and all a magical day.