Tintagel is best known for its associations with King Arthur. The great medieval work “Le Morte d’Arthur”, the first book to bring together the previous various legends about Arthur and borrowing from an 11th century Welsh book, indicates that Tintagel was the home of Arthur’s mother Igraine, the widow of the Duke of Cornwall, and that he was conceived there, but not that he was born or ever lived there. The idea that Tintagel was Arthur’s birthplace seems to have been popularised, if not started, by Tennyson in his 19th century book “The Idylls of the King”. Since then, Arthur and Tintagel have become inseparable. Whatever the history, Tintagel Castle occupies a superbly atmospheric location, well worth a visit.

The walk starts outside the Tintagel Visitor Centre, near the centre of the village; this is a particularly useful starting point as the main bus stops for Tintagel, the toilets and two of the car parks are all here.

From the Visitor Centre walk along the road towards the village centre. Pass King Arthur’s Great Halls and on into the village. The Arthurian connection has had an inspiration on a number of people. The Great Halls were built in the 1930s in a mock-medieval style by a romantic millionaire, and house a version of the story of King Arthur.

Continue along the village street past the Old Post Office. The Tintagel Old Post Office, one of the most interesting buildings in Cornwall, dates from the 15th century. It was built as a small manor house, or a steward’s house. Some of its slate walls are 2ft 6ins to 3ft 6ins (75 to 105cm) thick. Now the property of the National Trust, it is open to the public in season.

Continue through the village to the Cornishman Inn on the left, and turn left down the narrow lane immediately after the inn, signposted to Parish Church and Glebe Cliff. The lane drops then rises to arrive at Tintagel churchyard, at the War Memorial. Enter the churchyard past the coffin rest, crossing what was a Cornish stile. Cornish stiles were early versions of the modern cattle grid, though made of stone rather than metal. This one has now had its grid filled in.

Continue along the path to the church. Tintagel Church is low in profile, for protection against the elements on this exposed cliff. It is worth investigating, having many historic features. These include many Norman elements in the structure, a possible Anglo-Saxon door and 12th century door hinges. There is also a Roman milestone, once used as a coffin rest and a sharpener of reap-hooks.

Leave the churchyard opposite the main church entrance door, passing another coffin rest and filled-in Cornish stile and bear right to the parking area. Turn left here along the track next to the hedge. Ahead, the coast is now laid out to Port Isaac on the cliff face and beyond to the Camel Estuary with Trevose Head in the far distance.

Keep ahead at the junction of tracks and again at the next junction, onto the tarmac lane next to the bungalows. When this arrives at the B3263 Tintagel-Camelford road continue ahead on the footway for some 80m then turn right along the road signposted to Treknow. When this road bends by the Penhallick Hotel take the right fork, continuing ahead past the rear of the Atlantic View Hotel. The track continues roughly parallel to the coast and then arrives at a little group of houses, ending here. Ahead and right a grassy footpath continues downwards. The track and the footpath ahead are the line of an old donkey track from the village of Treknow to the cove at Trebarwith Strand. Seaweed was brought up the track to fertilise the farmland around.

Follow the path downhill towards the sea, with Trebarwith Strand now visible below and left. Keep on downhill to join the Coast Path on the cliff above the cove. If you wish to miss out the cove and its facilities, turn right here, uphill on the Coast Path, and pick up the further directions below.

To continue to Trebarwith Strand turn left at the junction, downhill. Two parallel paths descend the cliff, meeting just above the cove. The sunken path, the inland of the two, is the continuation of the donkey track.

Go down to the cove at Trebarwith Strand. Trebarwith Strand was known as Port William in the 19th century, a name retained for the pub above the beach. It was used to export slates from the many local quarries until the late 1800s. It is now a beach and surfing resort and has a cafe and toilets as well as the pub.

After finishing at Trebarwith Strand, retrace your steps up the cliffs on the Coast Path. Return to the junction of paths where the outward leg of the route joined the Coast Path. (Those who omitted Trebarwith continue from here.) A little further on the Coast Path begins to pass the remains of a number of coastal cliff quarries. The earliest slate quarries in this area may date back to medieval times, but most operated from the 17th century until the 1800s. Note especially the pinnacle of slate left by the quarrymen in one of the quarries. This pillar, 80ft/24m high, now almost has the appearance of a natural coastal stack.

Keep on the Coast Path to cross a stile by a National Trust ownership sign for Bagalow. In the field ahead bear left to a stile leading to a rocky platform. Cross this and follow the path down to Penhallic Point. This is a superb viewpoint, giving wide views back to Trebarwith Strand and a great sweep of the coast beyond. Below the point was a 19th century wharf, reached by a zig-zag path, which was used to export some of the slate.

From Penhallic Point keep to the path as it contours round the cliff. Fork left at the gate then left again to more old slate workings at Dunderhole Point, then climb behind Tintagel Youth Hostel. Tintagel Youth Hostel occupies the administrative offices and manager’s house of the Dunderhole slate quarries.

Reaching the cliff top Tintagel Church can be seen over to the right. By-pass the church, keeping to the cliff top path, and suddenly the bulk of Tintagel Island comes into view, with the castle ruins. Further away, on the next cliff, is the square shape of the Victorian Camelot Castle Hotel. Tintagel Castle is the source of the legendary local Arthurian connection. There seems to have been a Roman settlement here and later it was a trading centre of the Cornish kings. During this period it also became associated with the Tristan and Isolde legend, itself later woven into the Arthurian story. It seems to have been identified as the place of Arthur’s conception by the early medieval period and it may be this story which prompted Richard Earl of Cornwall to build his castle here in the 13th century. The Arthurian connection was later expanded in the 19th century by Tennyson. History or legend, the castle has a spectacular location and it is not surprising it has provided inspiration to so many.

The path descends to the castle gatehouse. Turn right here then left to descend to the castle entrance and toilets, cafe, shop and information. From here follow the track up the valley back to the village. Arriving at the village continue ahead to return to the Visitor Centre.