Cornwall, Castles, and King Arthur

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This weekend our journey took us to Cornwall and the Atlantic Ocean. We visited the Cornish coast community of Tintagel, home to the mythical birthplace of King Arthur and the very real Tintagel Castle. The castle is another of the English Heritage sites throughout the U.K.

http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/daysout/properties/tintagel-castle/ 

When the road is not wide enough for 2 vehicles to pass, the line in the middle disappears. Surprisingly, no one has the right-of-way so politeness is required. 

Some buildings have front doors that open into a traffic lane!

The narrow and winding country roads brought us into the quaint town of Tintagel (pronounced Tin-ta-jell) high above the Atlantic and overlooking the remains of medieval Tintagel Castle; Camelot of King Arthur fame although the castle was not built until after Arthur's time. (Arthur and his knights fought the Saxon's shortly after the Romans abandoned Britannia.)

Even the car park has a view. The island in the background is where Tintagel Castle once stood.

We hiked alongside a stream down to the English Heritage reception building where an employee, noticing Matthew's toy sword, let him hold a full size replica Excalibur (Arthur's sword). Then we climbed up to the cliff-top castle and, using the guidebook, imagined the castle as it may have been ages ago. No one knows why the castle was built in this non-strategic location but there is evidence that it was once a place for the wealthy and influential.

At the top of the trail before hiking down to sea level.

The stream is just to the left of the trail. Note that Matthew already has his jacket off because it was 20 degrees Celsius.

We are going down but the castle is above???

We found the path to the castle. I am holding Matthew's souvenir Cornish flag; somehow, Lori and I end up with all of Matthew's souvenirs.

The previous photo was from the bridge on the right. The many stairs to the top are irregular size, uneven top surface, taller than average, and steep, too. We are half way to the top.

Our hotel, Camelot Castle, is on the cliff in the background.

At the top, in the ruins of the gatehouse, Matthew checks out the wall before noticing the sign; oops!

What a spectacular castle this must have been.

From the gatehouse to the living quarters and gardens.

This collapsed tunnel was probably for cold storage.

Our heroes!

The view from the top of the island.

We climbed back down again to check out the waterfall and beach.

Merlin's Cave from the inside looking toward the waterfall.

My Queen and Prince in the cave.

Merlin's Cave from the beach.

Merlin's Cave, explored during low tide. On our way out, we passed some adventurers in wet suits and helmets, on their way to play in the cave during high tide.

Back in the town of Tintagel, we enjoyed an outdoor, relaxing Cornish cream tea after all of the climbing up and down.

Cream tea in the garden.

The restaurant is also a bakery specializing in...

...pasties! (Notice that I have on my Pasty Corner, Iron River, MI t-shirt.)

Our hotel, Camelot Castle, overlooks Tintagel Castle and our room had a great view of the Atlantic Ocean and the coastline. Since it is said that a picture is worth a thousand words, I'll just show the details.

The entrance of the hotel. The Bentley and the Aston Martin belong to the owners. Although the hotel was unique, it was also a monument to their egos; cars in front, photos of themselves in the lobby, self produced artwork throughout, and a homemade, self-promoting video in each room. The location makes the hotel; the rest was a little much.

Our room had a four poster bed...

...with an old Royal Crest...

...and a queen...

...and a king...

..and views...

...fit for royalty- me!
(That's not my own idea. The Bible says that I, as a follower of Christ, am a king and a priest forever.)

We explored the grounds on Sunday.

Matthew wanted these flowers for his mum so I photographed them.

This photo is out of order but was enjoyed the games in the common area before retiring.

After breakfast on day 2, we hiked the trail next to our hotel. You can't tell how steep the path is from this photo...

...but you may be able to see as Matthew runs down the hill ahead of us.

A view of Tintagel Castle island from the base of Barras Nose.

A trail marker at the base of Barras Nose. The castle is in the background.

The caves may have been used by smugglers and pirates (yes, Cornwall was pirate country).

Do you think this is the original round table of King Arthur? I am sitting in Arthur's place.

Matthew liked the antique lift. It was behind a door that looked as if it were a closet.

Resting on the 4.5 hour drive home; what is he pondering? (or is he just worn out?)

Our first guest!

What a great weekend with my brother, Steve. We picked him up from Bristol at the end of business trip to the U.K. On the way to Oxford we stopped in to visit Stonehenge. The English Heritage site was surprisingly not busy and we received priority concierge service to the front of the line because we are English Heritage members.


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Matthew and his Uncle Steve.

Steve and the ancient rock calendar

Brothers. We have similar tastes; note the clothing. (No, we didn't coordinate outfits.) We even have almost identical cameras!

After a few hours at Stonehenge, we drove to Woodstock (only 7 miles from our home) to spend the afternoon at the birthplace of Winston Churchill and one of our favorite weekend destinations, Blenheim Palace. We had a light lunch before touring the staterooms and gardens. Unfortunately, guided tours are not offered on Sundays. After tea, we explored the "Behind the Scenes" exhibition on the top floor of the palace.


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Steve and Matthew in front of the palace.

Matthew's impression of John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough.

View from the lower garden. The lake is behind us.

We finished the day with pies at a local pub, the Victoria Arms.

Mark in front of the fireplace next to the table; Oliver Cromwell sat here.

On Monday, we rode the bus to the Oxford Rail Station to catch the train to London. The Underground took us to St. James's Park where we arrived for the end of the changing of the guard. The crowds were light at Buckingham Palace, too!

Buckingham Palace from St. James's Park.

In front of the palace. Note the small crowd behind us for the changing of the guard ceremony.

We walked to Westminster Abbey and took the self-guided tour of the interior.

In Parliament Square next to Westminster Abbey. Big Ben, Parliament, and the Eye are in the background.

The side entrance to Westminster Abbey.

The front of the cathedral.

We walked to the London Eye and took the 30 minute ride with no waiting in line!

Our lunch stop, Note the sign; pound cake?

Changing of the horse guard

The rest of the detachment in their winter uniforms.

We walked down Whitehall, past 10 Downing Street, to the Horse Guards, arriving just in time for the changing of the guard.

Matthew in Trafalgar Square on Nelson's Column.

We walked through Trafalgar Square, Piccadilly Circus, and to Oxford Circus stopping to visit Hamley's, the world largest toy store, and Selfridge's, a posh department store. We didn't purchase anything; it was fun to just look.

The underground took us back to Paddington Station and the train back to Oxford.

EVERYONE reads a paper on the underground.

Matthew at Paddington Station.

On Tuesday, we started late and caught the bus in front of our house to Oxford city centre. We took the hop-on-hop-off tour bus and then wandered the sites.

The evening ended with a delicious meal at Jamie's Italian on George Street; thanks, Steve!

http://www.jamieoliver.com/italian/oxford

We really enjoyed having Steve visit. Who is next?