Tintagel Castle Coastal Circular Walk
Explore the pretty village of Tintagel and visit the spectacular coastal castle. The walk starts in the village and then takes you over a bridge to the island where you enter the courtyard through a gate. Here you will find 18 acres to explore with a garden, chapel, tunnel, well and the remains of the Great Hall.
You continue along the beautiful coast path to Lye rock before returning to the start point in the village.
The area is steeped in Arthurian legend with the walk taking you past King Arthur's Hall in Tintagel village. This historic building contains works of art telling the story of King Arthur and is a popular visitor attraction.
The South West Coast Path runs past the castle so you could continue your walk along this long distance trail towards Boscastle.
The walk from the village is a very popular way of visiting the castle. It's about a 4 mile route along a rugged piece of coast. You can see more details on the Boscastle to Tintagel Walk page.
Please click here for more information
Tintagel Ordnance Survey Map 
- view and print off detailed OS map
Tintagel Open Street Map 
- view and print off detailed map
Tintagel OS Map 
- Mobile GPS OS Map with Location tracking
Tintagel Open Street Map 
- Mobile GPS Map with Location tracking
Pubs/Cafes
There's lots of great options for refreshments in Tintagel village. Charlie's can be found in the centre of the village and well worth a visit. It's a small, well established, family restaurant and delicatessen with great food and a nice outdoor seating area. You can find it in an old 14th century cottage located on Fore Street with a postcode of PL34 0DA.
Dog Walking
The castle is dog friendly but you are advised to keep them on short leads as there are a lots of steps and cliff edges.
Further Information and Other Local Ideas
To extend the walk continue south along the coast path and visit the lovely beach at Trebarwith Strand. It has 800m of sandy beach, contained by cliffs, in which natural caves are found.
There's also the delightful St Nectan's Glen in nearby Trethevy. There's nice footpaths here with woodland, river paths and waterfalls to see. The glen's most prominent feature is St Nectan's Kieve, a spectacular sixty foot waterfall through a hole in the rocks. It's located about a mile north east of the village and one of the most popular tourist destinations in the area.
Continue south and you will soon come to the noteworthy village of Port Isaac. The picturesque village has been made famous by ITV's 'Doc Martin' featuring Martin Clunes. The Port Isaac Walk will take you to the nearby Port Quin where there is a beautiful bay. See the Tintagel to Port Isaac Walk for full details of how to reach the village.
If you continue north along the coast path you can pick up the circular Crackington Haven Walk. It's another popular local area for walking with fine cliff top views and a nice beach. There's good facilities too with a car park and a beach-side pub with sea views. The walk also includes a visit to the historic Norman church at the little hamlet of St Gennys. The Boscastle to Crackington Haven Walk will take you to the village, notably passing High Cliff, the highest point on the Cornish coast.
For more walking ideas in the area see the Cornwall Walks page.
Cycle Routes and Walking Routes Nearby
Photos
Coastline at Tintagel
Tintagel Castle. Taken from the grounds of the Camelot Castle Hotel, looking west. The site might have been inhabited during the Romano-British period, as indicated by various artefacts from that era found on the peninsula. However, there's no definitive evidence of any Roman structures there. It became a settlement in the early medieval period, likely serving as one of the seasonal abodes of the regional king of Dumnonia. In the 13th century, during the High Middle Ages, Richard, 1st Earl of Cornwall, constructed a castle on this site. Over time, the castle deteriorated and eventually became a ruin.
Waterfall at Tintagel
St. Materiane church. The ancient church is thought to date to the 11th or 12th century. It is Grade I listed. The initial church on this site was likely established in the 6th century, founded as a subsidiary church of Minster. These are the only churches dedicated to the saint, who is commonly associated with Madryn, Princess of Gwent, although some have proposed that the dedication might be to Saint Marcellina, the sister of Saint Ambrose. The current structure of the church likely dates back to the late 11th or early 12th century. Noted art historian Nikolaus Pevsner, writing in 1950, indicated that its Norman-era architecture incorporates some Saxon elements, while the tower could have been constructed in either the 13th or 15th century.
Barras Nose
Looking across fields towards Gullastem
Tintagel Island. Tintagel features prominently in the literary world, being used by Alfred, Lord Tennyson in his poem "Idylls of the King" and by Algernon Charles Swinburne in "Tristram of Lyonesse". Additionally, Thomas Hardy's play "The Famous Tragedy of the Queen of Cornwall at Tintagel in Lyonnesse", published in 1923, continues to explore the same legendary narrative. Tourists have the opportunity to visit King Arthur's Great Halls in Trevena, an impressive structure from the early 1930s. The discovery of the Artognou stone in 1998 further fueled the legend associated with Tintagel, although historians generally do not believe the inscription on the stone is directly linked to King Arthur.
The Cove at Tintagel