Welcome to our new feature, Romance Wanderlust! In this column, we’ll talk about some real life locations that would fit quite nicely into a romance novel – some of which are open to paying guests, others of which are just super cool. We’ll visit mansions and treehouses and pirate ships and tropical islands and more! Please note that this column is not a review or an endorsement of the locales. Tragically our expense budget does not extend to sending me around the world to personally investigate every location. This column is brought to you by Google, not by personal experience (usually). If you have visited any places mentioned in this column, please let us know how they measure up in reality!
Ever since The Bitches started watching Poldark, we’ve been daydreaming about living in a castle in Cornwall. Cornwall is chock full of real life castles, although were I going to live in one it had darn well better have central heating and excellent plumbing, features that most castles lack (alas). Space does not permit me to list them all, but here’s one of my favorite historical castles, Tintagel Castle.
There’s not a whole lot left of Tintagel Castle, but it looks pretty impressive for something that’s been around since at least the year 1000 A.D. It’s possible, but not proven, that there was a fort at the site of the current castle in the Iron Age in Roman times. It seems to have been a significant settlement in the Dark Ages and then quieted down for a while, resurfacing as an important settlement in 1023. By this time, Geoffrey of Monmouth had made the site famous as the location of King Arthur’s conception. Henry III’s brother, Richard, built the castle whose ruins we see today. The scenery, the ruins, and the Arthurian legends give the site a definite aura of medieval romance.
Tintagel Castle features heavily in Arthurian legend. According to the legends, King Uthur fell madly in love with the Duchess of Cornwall, Igraine. While her husband, Gorlois, was away at war, Merlin disguised Uthur as Gorlois so that Uther could enter the castle and sleep with Igraine (whether or not Igraine was in on the plan depends on the version of the legend). Thus was King Arthur conceived, and it’s because the whole arrangement was so dodgy that Arthur was raised by foster parents and kept ignorant of his relationship to Uthur.
One of the more fascinating natural features of the Castle is the cave beneath it, known as “Merlin’s Cave.” The cave passes completely under the island. The adjoining village, Bossiney, is home to Bossiney Mound. Legends say that Arthur’s Round Table is under this mound, and that it rises on Midsummer’s Night when Arthur and his Knights are due to return.
Romantic poets loved Tintagel Castle. It shows up in the work of Alfred Lord Tennyson in Idylls of the King ( A | BN | K | G | AB | Au | Scribd ). Algernon Charles Swinburne uses it as a setting for his story of Tristan and Iseult in Tristam of Lyonesse ( A | BN | K | G ). Later, Thomas Hardy wrote about the castle, and Edith Wharton set The Buccaneers ( A | BN | K | G | AB | Au ) there. Mary Stewart sets a large part of The Crystal Cave ( A | BN | Au ) in Tintagel.
I’m not suggesting that romance readers stay at Tintagel Castle, because you can’t. But can you imagine the cosplay possibilities? I long for nothing more than to get all dressed up in Period garb or gowns modeled from ridiculous Romantic paintings and swan about the battlements as I gaze pensively at the restless sea, making cryptic prophetic comments about dragons of various colors and quoting tragic poetry as my hair flows behind me in the wind. I better start knighting people now. Or better yet, I should practice my gambit of PRETENDING that I’m about to knight them, and then stealing their armor and their horse at swordpoint and riding off into the sunset.
If I manage to pry myself off the battlements, the castle does have a small museum and gift shop. There’s even a café, where they serve “Cornish Rarebit using Yarg cheese.” Yarg cheese, people. I don’t know what that is, but I want it. According to Lynher Dairies Cheese Co., it has an “edible nettle rind” and a “delicate, mushroomy taste.” Yes, please.
After a long day of wandering around the ruins quoting Tennyson I’ll no doubt be ready for a pot of tea, and luckily Tintagel is home to a village with several inns and cafes. I’d be sure to visit Tintagel Old Post Office, a Medieval Manor House that hosts all kinds of historical events, classes, and displays, and King Arthur’s Great Halls (so much stained glass!).
I would certainly make it a point to stop at the Village Tea Rooms, which, according to Trip Advisor, has “The best cream tea in Cornwall.” Everybody on Trip Advisor goes on and on about the waitress at Village Tea. Is someone trying to woo her with Trip Advisor reviews? Someone please write the tale of the hardworking yet warm and delightful waitress and her shy customer who can’t of speak his or her love but instead posts positive Trip Advisor Reviews. This is romance gold, people. Make it happen.
If any of our readers have been so fortunate as to visit Tintagel Castle, please report! Does the cheese really have a delicate, mushroomy taste? Is the waitress at the Village Tea Rooms really that wonderful (I don’t doubt it a bit)? I might not actually make it to Tintagel, but at least I can indulge in Romantic Wanderlust! Meanwhile, I can read the guidebook and catch up on my history at english-heritage.org.uk.
I have visited Tintagel (I lived in Wales for four years and traveled as much as humanly possible) and it’s just as beautiful and magical and romantic as you can imagine. I never had the chance to do the cream tea (why, oh why?) so I can’t speak to that, or the cheese (although as much as I’m known for my love of cheese, I’m known for my loathing of mushrooms, so I may not be the best judge anyway).
All that said, my real favorite place is near Tintagel: <a href="St. Nectan’s Glen.
Mom’s from Somerset and our ancestors hail from Cornwall, so we visited Tintagel on one of our Cornwall forays. It’ s a pretty darn incredible site. As much for the amazing landscape the ruins sit on as for the ruins themselves. Worth the visit, for sure.
This was several years ago, so may be improved since, but when we visited you had to descend from the headland before going back up to the peninsula where the main ruins are. Quite steep! I had sturdy shoes on, but they were not lace-up so I couldn’t tighten them, and it seemed as though my feet were going to bust right through the toe and out the front as I walked down – that’s how steep the slope was. The majority of the paths were uneven and up-and-down, so this site is not the best if you aren’t mobile-ly comfortable. Just something to keep in mind.
Also, my American-English pronunciation of Tintagel was way off. Luckily, Mom corrected me before we arrived. The emphasis is on the middle syllable, not the last. Tin-TAAH-jull. (Not Tin-tuh-GEL)
We didn’t visit the local tea rooms, but I can attest that the cheese in the area is divine. Mom grew up a hop, skip, and a jump from Cheddar, so I consider myself ‘raised right’ when it comes to cheese. And, no, our version of cheddar here in the states is not legit. That being said, the stronger the better when it comes to cheese for me, so if you like the mild stuff, maybe don’t be too adventurous with some of the sharper local versions.
A recommended visit, and if you are up for steep slopes, don’t miss Clovelly just up the coast in Devon. A positively charming village with a sled by every front door for the locals to transport goods up and down the ‘streets’. We paid good, hard cash for the jeep ride back up to the top, and gladly!
We spent a lot of our childhood in Cornwall, and it all runs together after a while. Falmouth is a gorgeous little seaside town with some nice beaches and nice walks. My parents and sister both live there now, so I visit at least once a year. A lot of the county suffered from the end of mining there, so it’s quite a poor part of the country. Poldark is really riffing over what was going on at the time it was written there.
Tintagel is very exposed – visiting the ruins of a fortifications built on high, seafacing cliffs in one of the wettest parts of the UK means you need a lot of layers. I mean, one windproof layer isn’t going to cut it against those Atlantic gales; you need at least two guaranteed windproof, and preferably a good woolly jumper too (in summer). Cosplay in your thermals!
Yarg is lovely. It’s one of those slightly nutty, tangy cheeses, that goes with oat crackers.
I’ve been to Tintagel! Well, as close as my friends and I could get with my wheelchair in tow (the bridge/stairway is pretty much impassable if you’re wheelchair bound). It was gorgeous in anycase, and, to this day, Cornwall is the most beautiful place I’ve been.
Tintagel is beautiful! I haven’t tried the local cream tea, but I do recommend the walk on the cliffs. You can’t get anymore romantic than that.
You can also take a walk on the moor not far from there if you want to go for a killer combo. However, shivering under the rain while soaking my feet in the mud and digging up bits of sheep skulls felt much less romantic in real life than I had anticipated. Go figure 😉
Tintagel is fabulous – but so is the whole of the Cornish coast! If you make your way to Cornwall, do also drop in on the Boscatle witchcraft museum – it’s a fascinating place. But watch out for the rain…
My family also hails from Cornwall and I too have isited Tintagel, although a long time ago, no gift shop or cafe then, but it is a gorgeous site. You’d have to change into your cosplay stuff after getting onto the ‘headland’ – it’s getting very close to being an island – and indeed wear thermals underneath. Cornish cream teas are good and can be found all over the county, even in places like Princeton most famous for Dartmoor Jail, mind it is so bleak up there on the moor that you need a warming pot of tea and something comforting to eat.
One of my favourite museums ever, up there with the Pitt Rivers in Oxford and the Natural History in London is way down the coast in Zennor where a chap has gathered together the tools of the daily lives of Cornish people, domestic, agriculural and industrial. He gives explanations about hat the various implements were for where he can, but says he doesn’t know when he doesn’t! And if you do go to Zennor be sure to stop into the church to look at the mermaid on the pew end.
Cornish Yarg is scrummy, but it doesn’t taste of mushrooms. It’s creamy & crumbly and absolutely scrummy . It makes a fantastic cheese on toast & cauliflower cheese . BTW Yarg is Gray backwards. And that’s the surname of the couple who developed the Cornish Yarg recipe !
We visited Tintagel a number of years ago, and it was stunning. We were sort of wandering through Cornwall, and added a drive out to the castle because of its claimed connection to the Arthurian legend. Unfortunately, for us, what looks nearby on the map can actually be many, many miles of winding country road away, so we got there just as site closed for the day, but we hiked as close as we could (earlier comments about the extremely steep path up and down cannot be exaggerated).
It was July and quite windy and chilly, despite breathtaking, broad views of blue sky and bluer sea beyond the huge green cliffs. One of those places that only professional photographers with expensive equipment can do justice. It’s on our to-do list to go back–arriving much earlier in the day, of course.
As a teenager in the 1970’s, I was completely hooked both the Arthurian legends and on the original Poldark series, so the first time I went to England, I of course had to go to Cornwall and to Tintagel. It was so magical and mysterious, as well as being quite difficult to get to (it seemed like we were driving forever down narrow, winding mountain roads, out of the 20th century and into the mists of time). We were there in March and it was cold, foggy, and windy – the perfect weather to see such a place! Didn’t get tea but we did find a pub in the village after that was very cozy. I hope to go back someday. I wonder if any of the cheese is exported as it sounds delicious.
Another one who has been to Tintagel. On our first trip to England we stayed a couple of nights in London and then picked up a rental car and drove west. I had one destination, Tintagel. I’d seen a picture similar to this one in a guide book and knew I had to go there. Our entire trip was formed around that image.
And it was glorious.
http://files.fbstatic.com/PostImages/2641132/0/a4f29123-c099-4c10-90f5-23f15c8958b9.jpg
Cornwall figures heavily in the fantasy trilogy I’m writing now. We’ve been back for research and if I could choose a place to live, it would be on Cornish coast.
Same here: Tintagel visit, no cheese, no tearoom. The site is breathtaking and you will freeze your parts off in certain seasons. Much of the town caters to tourists, at least it did a number of years ago, with all the crystal and mystical shops one could wish for. I’m not saying don’t go, a visit is absolutely worth the time and climb to get there, just expect a more commercial aspect than the castle would indicate.
All of Devon and Cornwall is a must to explore. Rent a car, have someone or something navigate for you, and go.
Forgot to say–cream tea is to die for. I’ve had so many English cheeses now I pretty much just say Yes Please and get on with it. So delicious.
Speaking of mystical and crystal and witches and such… Also on that trip, and twice since, we went to Glastonbury. I would imagine that will show up here sooner or later.
Swoon! King Arthur? Cream tea? Stained glass? Battlements? I’m going to need a winning lotto ticket because I yearn!
I’m British and most of my childhood holidays were spent in Cornwall, so I’ve been to Tintagel a fair few times.
My favourite castles, though, are Cawdor (near Inverness, in Scotland – it pops up in Macbeth) – http://www.cawdorcastle.com/Home.aspx but most especially Arundel. I love love LOVE Arundel castle. http://www.arundelcastle.org/ It’s perfect – the oldest parts date from 1120 or so and so are really old and properly castle-y fied, and the newest parts are Tudor and very luxurious, so it’s the best of both worlds. Plus, Arundel itself is beautiful town, on the side of a steep hill with the castle at the bottom, overlooking the river Arun.
Oh yes, and of course you can’t go to Cornwall without having a proper cream tea with clotted cream (none of this whipped malarkey). And clotted cream ice-cream, clotted cream fudge and etc.
I realise the term ‘clotted cream’ doesn’t sound too appetising, but it’s delicous.
And, on the pronunciation of Tintagel (mentioned upthread) although the emphasis is indeed on the middle syllable, it’s a short ‘a’. Tin as in the metal, ta as in ‘tap’.
Oh and also also, you can’t go into all of the Tudor parts of Arundel castle because the Duke of Norfolk (who was also the Earl of Arundel) lives there. So it really would be a good romance setting – an honest to goodness Duke who still lives in a castle! Sadly, the current Duke is 60 odd and married. His son is the current Earl of Arundel and only 30 and a racing driver, but also sadly married. Still, could make a good setting if you invent a new family!
St Michael’s Mount is another gorgeous castle and setting off the coast of Cornwall. Like Arundel, the castle/home is open to tourists who walk across when the tide is low, but the family still lives there. So magical.
I haven’t been to Tintagel, but I have eaten cheese. I live in a Bavarian theme town in Washington state (how cool is that?), which has a WONDERFUL cheese shop (I have tried others on line. crap. this one is reliable and trustworthy). I recommend that you call them up and ask them for EXACTLY what you want. I guarantee you won’t be disappointed, they ship. http://www.cheesemongersshop.com/ I advertise on the Smart Bitches site, I wouldn’t lie to you or you would pull my ad. Incidentally, I haven’t been to the Isles, but I did take the Rhine castle tour in Germany, highly recommended for both quantity and quality. So many castles, so little time. Thank you for this lovely article which just exudes ambiance, romance, mystery, and magic. The only question left is, “wine and cheese”? or “beer and cheese”?
Well done Patricia St Michael’s mount is majestic.
As a child and now as a family traveling to Penzance, it is the first thing we all try to spot as you get closer to the town.
Unlike Tintagel this castle was built by Giants. The legend tells of a giant Cormoran and his wife who are building the foundations when he wants a rest and falls asleep. The couple have been using a particular rock for the foundations. Cormorans wife can’t be bothered walking all the way to Wales to get the rock while he is asleep. So she only goes so far collecting a different type and on her return Cormoran wakes and she drops the rock close to the site, as her apron strings break. This rock sits a few hundred yards away from the causeway you walk on to get to the Mount. It called Chapel rock (a monk built a chapel on it, now no longer but steps still exist). The mystery is that Chapel rock is a massive sandstone in an area which is all geologically granite. Also the Mount was built within a forest, and at low tide you can find the tips of the trees breaking through the sand (petrified wood). I promise you its all there. This legend was told to me by my grandmother who lived in Marazion and Penzance.
I wish I’d known this when we were there! We walked the causeway and climbed the steep paths to the castle. It was glorious. To understand how much I love Cornwall and how tenacious I was on that trip, I had plantar fasciitis and was in horrible pain, and soldiered on anyway.
Pasties, cream teas, scones, and the coastal path–Cornwall is my idea of heaven. And if you want to see an amazing self-catering cottage, check out Girl Annie near Sennen Cove. We stayed there until our time was up, and then instead of moving along as we’d planned, we found another cottage to finish our trip.
You can’t drive half a mile without stumbling over more magic, like the mermaid of Zennor and–oh, and the smuggling sites! Like the smuggler’s tunnel in Sennen that goes from under the inn next door to the church! LOL!
I’d better stop, now!
You’ve got me now!…Before you get to Zennor, there is a stone circle called the 19 merry maidens and 2 larger stone in other fields near by. The story says that the maidens were turned to stone for dancing on the sabath. The 2 larger stones are called the fiddlers they too got turned for playing the music…I know, the magic is everywhere, (where the old ones still breath)and where old Scratch has a seat (Carn Kenidjack ‘Hooting Carn’)that’s another story…I always leave Cornwall with 3 things: Pasties for family, Roddars clotted cream and saffron cake!
The only thing keeping me from stabbing myself with a pencil out of grief that I’m not there Right Now is knowing that I’m about to start living there in my imagination and will for a few months. When I planned a research trip to Cornwall for this upcoming book, I chose the cottage Girl Annie for its view and figured we’d drive anywhere we needed to go around the county.
I then discovered that in the late 17th or early 18th century my own ancestor left that very village to go to the Virginia colony. Gave me chills.
And I then did my first websearch to find neolithic archeology and magic wells and magical sites in Cornwall, only to find that the very spot I’d chosen–for the view–had the largest concentration of all of the above in Cornwall, and perhaps all of England.
I guess I’m going to have to blog about some of this because I can’t keep blathering here! But thank you SO much for carrying on with me!