Nowhere, it seems, is more steeped in Arthurian romance than here at Tintagel. The 'island' is a prime defensive position and would have been heavily fortified during the Iron Age when it was still joined to the mainland; The Cornish 'dyn tajel' means a narrow-necked fort. The 'castle' is a skeletal ruin and sadly has no connection with the legendary Arthur, son of Uther Pendragon. Arthur would have lived around 500 AD and the castle was not built until the mid 12th. century by Reginald, Earl of Cornwall.

However, situated near the ruins of a Norman chapel - itself built on the site of an earlier church - is the remains of a prestigious Dark Age settlement, originally thought to be a celtic monastery. Contemporary with the Arthurian legends, the possibility emerges that here may have stood the court of Camelot - seat of Arthur, his lovely Guinevere and the bold knights of the Round Table.