We’re off on our motorhome travels again, this time around Cornwall in the south-west corner of Britain. I’ll be visiting some interesting places and posting about the great regional food and drink to be found in this part of the world.
First stop is Tintagel on the north coast – an ancient castle up on a rocky headland, with views out to the Atlantic. The site is full of mystery, having links to the legend of King Arthur.
Those making it to the summit are greeted by the imposing figure of Gallos, shown in my main photo above. This statue in bronze symbolises the power of the ancient Cornish rulers who reigned here in the Dark Ages, around the 6th Century AD. His ghostly, semi-transparent, sword-wielding figure evokes the legend of Arthur.
We walked here from our campsite, 3km along this rugged coastline via the South-West Coast Path.
The Castle ruins are on an island, reached by walking across a high suspension bridge that’s replaced the causeway – long since eroded and tumbled down into the sea.
Several steep flights of steps take you down to the beach below, which can only be reached at low tide. The final set of steps has been washed away by the sea, leaving one to clamber over the rocky debris to reach the sand.
Many people make the descent to explore the vast hole cut into the rock face by the waves. It is known as Merlin’s Cave, supposedly the place where the famous wizard resided.
I was surprised how vast it was inside. I took this photo looking out towards the headland opposite and the crashing waves.
Excavations of the Castle site suggest that the people who lived here in the Dark Ages ate and drank well. There is evidence of a sea trading network with the Byzantine Empire, and fine foods and pottery imported from the Mediterranean.
The taste for fine food certainly continues in modern day Cornwall, as a walk up into nearby Tintagel village will show. There is no shortage of tempting pubs and cafes offering delicious Cornish Pasties, cream teas and clotted cream ice cream. Meanwhile, any budding wizards will also find a unique range of shops specialising in all things alternative therapy, sorcery and witchcraft.
Hungry after a morning of walking, climbing and scrabbling over rocks, we settled at the Cornish Bakery, where I opted for this Cornish Pasty. It had a delicious filling of chorizo, mozzarella and Cornish sea salt.
Sweet was a slice of Cornish Pudding, a local take on bread and butter pudding, with pastry baked in custard, laced with berries and chocolate.
Magical!
Today’s musical choice just has to be prog rock: there is enough mysticism about Tintagel to inspire an entire Led Zeppelin album. This track is a duet between Robert Plant and Sandy Denny, from Fairport Convention, over some intricate acoustic mandolin by Jimmy Page. Light up an incense stick and enjoy Led Zeppelin with The Battle of Evermore 🙂
A Different Kitchen 