Tintagel is an historic site on further down the coast, connected by legends to King Arthur (but not by facts, it seems). It is pronounced "tin-taj-el" (with "a" as in "bad"). There are ruins of settlements and fortifications there on a dramatic headland which projects out into the Atlantic. It was once part of the mainland but erosion has caused much of the land to collapse into the sea, leaving it now barely connected to the land. It has become a very popular tourist spot, so the little village now has lots of large carparks, and even at this late time of year was full of people.
It was sunny but there was a moderate gale blowing in off the ocean. The whole setting is striking, with steep cliffs dropping into the sea, and the wind and waves thrashing against the rocks below. There were quite extensive settlements here, some over 1,000 years old, yet there is just a tiny path connecting it to the mainland. The steep steps are great exercise for one's knees!
The historic information explained that there are several accounts of walls or parts of buildings falling into the sea when cliffs collapsed occasionally. Each time they just rebuilt a bit further back from the edge!
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| Looking down on the connecting bridge from the mainland. |
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| Looking back to the mainland (same bridge visible on left). |
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| There are paths and ancient sites across the island. |
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| Mysterious sculpture of King Arthur. |
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| High above the Atlantic Ocean. |
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| A sign, in case you hadn't noticed the huge vertical drops into the sea. |
It's one of those (many) places where photographs do not do a very good job of conveying the impression you get from seeing it yourself.
On today's trip south we also passed the first proper beaches we have encountered - still fairly wild and windy, but with real sand. At Widemouth Bay there was a class of small wetsuit-clad kids learning to surf, and a couple of experienced kite-surfers racing about in the surf. We also discovered we are now in a part of the world where every place you might stop to look at or walk on a beach is staffed by a chap in a hut who demands a few pounds for parking.
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| Widemouth Bay. |
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| Daymer Bay. Lots of windsurfers, kite surfers, and dog walkers. |
