Tintagel

Hello friends, today we're going back to England to visit a most exquisite area of Cornwall.  This is a continuation of our Golden Anniversary trip.  As usual, I'm recording our visit in the order in which we toured for our celebration.

In my journal for this day I see I recorded that it was a lovely bright sunny day in which to travel to the coastline.  Along the way many beautiful sights treated us.

Riding through the countryside we pass many cottages here and there as we leave Devon and ride into the county of Cornwall.

The sight of the ocean always thrills my heart and riding through this beautiful area along the coastline was exciting for me.

Oh England, I never tire seeing your green and pleasant land!  The name Tintagel comes from the Cornish word, Dindagell, meaning "fort on the constriction" referring to the fort or castle on the headland.  Perhaps you have heard that it is believed to be the birthplace of the legendary King Arthur.  This area has history dating back to Roman times.  

Tintagel Castle (Kastel Dintagel) is looked after by the English Heritage.  After parking our car we check in and walk the very steep hill down to the ocean floor to view Merlin's Cave. My photos don't show how steep the incline is, but believe me we had to take baby steps to descend.

Remember you can click on my photos for a larger view to be able to read the signs if you wish.

The views from all angles were spectacular!

Here at the bottom we went inside the small information center to learn more about this area and its legends.

Back outside of the information center we explore the area more.  All that remains of the castle are foundation walls and ruins.  Many archaeological digs continue to find out more about the castle and life here from over a thousand years ago.

The legendary Merlin's Cave.

This area has been used for many reasons.  You can read about it above.

We did not walk down to the beach, but you can see from this photo how large Merlin's Cave is with the perspective of the folks below.

When you walk down a steep hill, I'm sure you know you must walk back up.  At this point we (I) decided we (I) wanted to pay the 4 pounds a piece for a ride back up the hill!  

We stopped in a little cafe' and had sandwiches.  I was surprised when I ordered a chicken salad sandwich it came out as a breast of chicken and tossed salad on top between bread.  Grayden enjoyed a lovely panini sandwich.  After our lunch we walked about Tintagel and stopped in the Old Post Office.

The Old Post Office is taken care of by The National Trust.  The old wavy house dates from 1380 and is an example of a medieval hall-house.  The house has had many uses, but most recently it served as a Victorian Post Office in the 1870's. 

Walking inside one can tell by the beams and the floors and the hearth that this is a very old dwelling.

As in all National Trust properties, there are flowers from the garden.  I love this and it thrills me to see them every time.

The north bedroom has simple furnishings of the day.

The post room is furnished with the necessary implements of a Victorian post office.

The narrow spiral stairs leads us to the south bedroom.  From here we can see the wavy roof line!

These old beams support this unique roof line.  It reminds of a David Winter Cottage.  So charming!

Out back there is a small garden.  Again, you can view the wavy roof line!

Tic tac toe, anyone?  Or maybe dominoes?  

While in Tintagel, we decided to go inside of King Arthur's Great Halls.  For me it was quite commercial, but if you are a fan of Arthurian Legend I'm sure you would enjoy it.

This hall was built in the 1930's by Frederick Thomas Glasscock for the Order of the Fellowship of the Knights of the Round Table.   Glasscock formed this organization to promote Christian ideals and promote Arthurian medieval chivalry. 

After leaving the King Arthur Hall we walked back to the car park.  The legend of King Arthur certainly lives on here in Tintagel. 

November Walk

It should come as no surprise that I am no athlete.  I've never had a sport to rely on for exercise.  The one thing that has kept me active and healthy is a daily walk.  Grayden and I both enjoy this activity and for that I am so thankful to join my sweetheart in a walk.  It's so lovely to step out our door and walk for a couple of miles each morning. 

 

When we were in Myrtle Beach last month, we increased the distance of our walks.  Returning home, we decided to increase our walks here as well.  Our daughter came for a visit to celebrate her Daddy's birthday and to visit her son that lives with us.  Her sport is swimming, but she also is a walker so she joined us each day for our morning walk.  Our city has a lovely circuit trail that is 3.5 miles.  That is a respectable walk in our opinion!  Every day when we take this walk we have been hoping that our leaves will be changing.  It's been so dry, many of the leaves have just turned brown and fallen to the ground. 

 

Come along with us as we take our morning walk and see how our leaves have begun to change after getting some much needed rain!  The Heritage River Trail trail follows the Rappahannock River for a ways and then connects to the Canal Path Trail.

Fredericksburg is full of history and there are markers here and there to remind us.

Walking along this morning it was quite chilly.  We're both bundled in our warmest clothing complete with hats and gloves.  The wind chill is quite noticeable, but the view is worth it. 

If you look across the way, that is where we continue our walk.

Despite the cold day the river is a beautiful blue this morning.

Rich golden hues of Autumn dot the banks of the river.

As we cross the footbridge over the old canal we continue our walk.  

The old canal through Fredericksburg is not in use now. 

The two paths link together to make a circuit, the Heritage River Trail and the Canal Path Trail. 

The city has gone to great expense to continue the path under Fall Hill Avenue.  Pedestrians, joggers, and folks on bicycles can safely use this path without danger of local traffic.

Late Autumn seeds dot the landscape as we continue down the Canal Path Trail.

The birdsong and the rustling of the leaves in the wind are the only sounds as we take one step after the other.  I must say this is a most contemplative walk.  

The colorful tapestry of fallen leaves frame the edge of the pathway.

The still canal water mirrors the trees that surround its edges.

"Nature never did betray the heart that loved her."
William Wordsworth

We are thrilled to see color on this windy morning.  Though it's brief, it's lovely.

The bright green leaves of this morning will probably be gone this evening as a we are expecting our temperatures to drop to 25 degrees, a killing frost.

As we walk the last segment, headed to our car, we see many lovely shades of orange, red, brown and gold.  Oh Autumn how I love your show!