It’s one castle I’ve always wanted to visit and I finally got that chance last year. On a sunny, wind swept day, my family and I headed out to the craggy outcrop and climbed. And climbed. How they managed to build that castle on such a challenging terrain amazes me. The huge uneven steps and sheer drops rather freaked me out and I panted my way to the top. Tintagel is special because it was built across a bridge, linking the mainland to an island.
Little remains of Tintagel. What is left is more myth than substance. A castle forever linked with the Authurian legends – was it Dimilioc, the castle where Arthur’s mother Igraine hid away from Uther, who took on the form of her husband to seduce her? If it was, they were super fit those legendary knights. My kids bounded up the steep steps, while I followed behind gasping.
The island has been inhabited since Roman times, throughout the Dark Ages, when it was used to trade with the Mediterranean Sea. The castle was built by the first earl of Cornwall in 1233. Little is known about the castle’s use other than it served as a prison. Coastal erosion didn’t help with maintenance and the bridge decayed.
The views are spectacular. Here are my own pictures.
Official picture
The bridge was reconstructed recently following a competition. A bit of a challenge for a vertigo sufferer!
The Quiet Writer 
Wow, look at that! I’m sure you’re right though, all that climbing looks like a killer!
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It’s the steep steps that made it hard work. Once at the top, the views were fantastic.
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Wow awesome pics…am gasping at the very thought of scaling it 😉
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It’s not huge, but the steep steps were a challenge for my creaky knees!
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Ps umm sorry but did u miss S or did I?
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Scheduled the wrong post!
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I thought so – but never mind it happens. In fact my first thought was that I had messed up 🙂
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This is absolutely freaking amazing! I wish I could go to see it.
Rian’s Randomness
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It’s been worth the wait. One I’ve wanted to tick off for years.
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Love Tintagel. But we have been here a bit baffled about the climb – we don’t recall it bing hard!. Perhaps we are fitter than we thought! ~Liz http://www.lizbrownleepoet.com
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You must be fitter than me! It was more the steep steps and vertigo that made it hard work. I’m not great with heights.
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Amazing photos!
Yvonne V
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Thank you!
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I’m a long time enthusiast of Arthurian legends. I so envy you for having visited Tintagel
@JazzFeathers
The Old Shelter – Jazz Age Jazz
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I remember going there as a child on a really hot day and those steps were a really big deal! However having returned more recently I found it nowhere near as bad as I remembered – not least because the last time I went I’d already walked 264 miles of Cornwall’s coast over the previous months. I love your vertigo-inducing shot of the stairs.
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We went last April, during an unexpected warm spell, unlike this year! We’d dressed for a cool spring day, not a mini heat wave. I don’t think that helped with the climb.
That’s an impressive amount of walking and that coast must be amazing!
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Don’t worry I didn’t do it all in one go, I’m not that crazy – spread it out in little bites over six months or so. Every day was different though so it was such an amazing experience: https://opencurtains.wordpress.com/category/cornwall/coastlining/
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