Season: summer
It was wet and mild at Tintagel for this visit, but the sun eventually broke through. Recent heavy rain had swelled the waterfall and the receding tide enabled access to Merlin’s Cave. The beach was busy with European and Japanese visitors, enthralled by Sir Thomas Malory’s interpretation of the King Arthur legend. The practicality of the Haven, as Castle Cove is known, was clear to see from a shipping perspective, as it lies in the lea of the prevailing south westerly winds and has a convenient loading area, protected by a wall for deep-drafted vessels.
With Lauren on Castle beach, Tintagel, as she explains what the beach means to her.
Norwegian Geid endorses the calming effect of the beach.
Inside Merlin’s Cave, a sea tunnel under the island, as the tide starts to fall back.
On Castle beach in the rain.
My childhood holidays were always at the beach. The exceptional sensations a beach offers makes it a harvest of rich memories. ‘The sand between your toes’ is a phrase I associate with catharsis. The overwhelming sense of uncertainty that fills the mind before I plunge into the visually inviting but tangibly cold water has a strong connection with the beach. A playground, an opportunity to break from life’s routine, its fast pace, a place to take stock and to think, or not to think. A place to unwind and to lose track of time. Sitting out beyond the breakers, it is a place to wonder at the natural world, a place where internal promises of a greater commitment to more earthly pursuits are made, only to be broken as I climb back on life’s treadmill.
Born and brought up by the sea in TINTAGEL, I take it all for granted, as I pull back the curtains in the morning and see a new dawn breaking, with the different moods of the sea, and Lundy Island on the sky line. Holidays are lovely, but coming back home to TINTAGEL is best!!!
The beach is a place where I can connect with elemental forces, nature, history and magic. It’s a source of inspiration and a place of great beauty, which touches your heart and your soul.