Hiking in Cornwall, UK—Day 3
Posted By auntie on May 18, 2019
5.4 miles; Cornwall, UK
Today’s third and final hike was from Boscastle to Tintagel. And for those members of my readership who are familiar with the Arthurian Legend, you can understand my excitement. It was ultimately kind of disappointing, as most things eagerly anticipated are in life. But I hiked there, so I’m feeling pretty good about the whole experience
Another Day Another Breathtaking Image
I honestly cannot begin to describe the beauty of this coastline, and my photos are poor substitute for being there. Trust me. It’s awesome.
Wild Foxgloves
And more wildflowers. These are wild foxgloves.
Wall Pennywort, Umbilicus rupestris
I was fascinated by these small succulent plants that grew in the many rockwalls along our hike. They’re Wall Pennywort, and they are, apparently, edible.
Beautiful Rock Walls
And speaking of the rock walls, they all looked like this—kind of a tweedy-looking pattern of flat stones laid diagonally. Miles and miles of them.
Black-faced Sheeps
These may or may not be Scottish Black-faced Sheep. I am not a sheepologist, so your mileage may vary. They did have black faces, though.
Just Another Gorgeous View
The hiking was, if anything, more strenuous than anything we had yet encountered, and that’s saying a lot. But after a day of taking it easy, plus the fact that this was “only” a 5-mile section, I was pretty comfortable and [Ed. just barely] able to handle the ascents and descents. I was not breaking any land speed records, but then, I never do.
The Ladies Windows
We stopped for photos at this interesting feature. We couldn’t resist. And one of us has an Instagram account (hint: it ain’t me).
Rocky Valley (duh)
I think this was the longest steepest ascent/descent we encountered. It seemed to go on forever. Rocky Valley indeed.
Moar Wildlife!
We saw so much livestock, but aside from some rabbit holes and the occasional bit of fox poop, no wildlife. Oh, but snails. There were an awful lot of snails.
Tintagel Castle
Tintagel Castle is a legendary site in the Southwest of England. It is said to be the place where King Arthur was conceived. On the eve of a great battle in medieval Cornwall, Uther Pendragon, high king, sought the magical aid of Merlin the Enchanter to sate his lust for the beautiful Ygraine, Duchess of Cornwall, whose husband was away for the evening.
Detail of a miniature of King Uther Pendragon (left) conversing with Merlin, while, in the background, Igraine looks on from her castle; from Peter Langtoft, Chronicle of England, England, c. 1307-c. 1327
As fate would have it, Gorlois, Duke of Cornwall, was killed in the battle as Uther conceived a son on his Duchess. That son would become King Arthur. Gives me chills to type those words. Gave me chills to see the castle ruin, even from a distance. Unfortunately we couldn’t tour the castle because the National Trust is rebuilding the bridge from the mainland.
In all, it was a fitting end to a legendary hike. For more information about the Southwest Coast path, visit here. As always, click the image above for details about this hike and to download the gps track.
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