Tintagel Castle

We spent another gorgeous afternoon, today at Tintagel Castle, which stands on windswept cliffs in North Cornwall on one of England’s most dramatic coastlines. The castle (the literature boasts) is believed to be the birthplace of King Arthur who, as legend has it, was protected from the evil magician Merlin by his magical sword, Excaliber.

It was our first castle (one of many, many, many for sure) and a real watershed moment when mom and dad discovered that a scintillating locale can prompt a toddler (who generally moans about exhaustion during a two-block walk) to run and lope uphill for a mile, never a complaint, never a puff or a withering look. Just the desire for more, more, more.

The views were spectacular. While there isn't much left of the castle, it is a wonderful piece of history on a spectacularly beautiful bluff. It reminded me so much of the Cape of Good Hope, like standing at the end of the Earth. Harry was captivated and wept when we descended the hillside and didn't continue down to the beach to enter Merlin's cave (the mule train was waiting and bad mommy blamed it on Aunty Bean's "exhaustion." I may never be forgiven- by either of them.