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Tuesday 13 September, Tintagel and to the south

Great Britain 2005 - part XXV

Elisabeth & Teije
2006-08-28 18:01:28

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When we go downstairs, the cook is already busy cooking and we don't see her. I think she is preparing a full English breakfast for us. Elisabeth hesitates, she really hopes not... But I was right, a few minutes later she (another woman than the cook yesterday night) comes in with two fully covered plates with beans, bacon and other things wqe rather not have for breakfast. We decide it is best to be honest about it and tell we would like to have only some eggs. We apologise to her that we didn't seek hert out in the kitchen, she apologises for not asking us first. Well, after a few minutes she returns with a perfect breakfast: fried eggs on toast for Elisabeth, scrambled eggs for me.
The day starts sunny, but it is not warm and soon the sun also disappears when we drive to the coast. We start on some smaller roads but we soon notice that we have a much better view when we take the bigger roads.

Tintagel is our first stop, another place connected to King Arthur. It is clearly good for the local economy and there are still quite a lot of tourists. And a lot of restaurants, so we start with having a coffee. The oldest building in the village is the old post office (picture to the left) from the 14th century and open for visitors.

Like everywhere on the west coast of Great Britain (and of Ireland) palmtrees can grow in the mild climate that exists here because of the warm Gulf Stream. With the greenhouse effect becoming stronger the average temperature on earth will rise, but the Gulf Stream would eventually disappear causing a sharp drop in temperature in western Europe.

The main reason we are here for is Tintagel castle where king Arthur is supposedly born. It was build in the 12th and 13th century and an impressive ruin is all that is left now on two seperate rocks. One of the rocks lies in the sea and we have to climb a steep stairway to come to the other side over the deep gorge. It is quite a climb.

The ...