Back Roads Great Britain (Eyewitness Travel Back Roads)

45

7 Tintagel
Cornwall; PL34 0HE
Was this clifftop castle the birthplace
of the legendary King Arthur? Did
the medieval kings of Cornwall live
there? Mystery surrounds the ruins
perched on a rocky headland
beyond the village’s single main
street. The castle’s ruined battle-
ments (open daily) date back to the
13th century and are well worth the
steep climb for exhilarating views of
the dramatic coastline. In the village

8 Delabole Slate

Cornwall; PL33 9AZ

The largest man-made hole in Britain,

at Delabole Slate, has been quarried

for more than 600 years. Over 1 km

(half a mile) across and nearly 1,500 m

(500 ft) deep, the hole is Europe’s

oldest continuously worked quarry,

producing 120 tons of slate a day.

(tours of surface works May–Aug, Mon–Fri).

ª Leaving Delabole Slate, turn left

onto B3314 and left at Westdowns onto

B3267 to join A39 towards Wadebridge.

After Wadebridge, turn right at St

Breock onto A389 to Padstow. Prideaux

Place is on the edge of Padstow, off

B3276 towards Newquay. Park on the

quay or in Prideaux Place car park.

EAT AND DRINK

BUDE

Pengenna Pasties inexpensive

Beef, lamb, cheese & onion, vegetable

or vegan is the choice of traditional

Cornish pasties at this small bakery.

Arundell House, Belle Vue, EX23 8JL;

01288 355 169; http://www.pengenna

pasties.co.uk

The Castle moderate

Smart restaurant with sea-facing

terrace in the Castle Heritage Centre;

strong emphasis on local produce.

The Wharf, EX23 8LG; 01288 350 543;

http://www.thecastlerestaurantbude.co.uk;

closed Sun eve

AROUND BUDE

Life’s A Beach daytime: inexpensive;

evening: expensive

By day this is a popular beachside café;

at 7pm it turns into a sophisticated

restaurant, specializing in fish.

Follow signs from Bude to Summerleaze

Beach (1 mile), EX23 8HN; 01288 355

222; http://www.lifesabeach.info

TINTAGEL

Cornishman Inn cheap

Atmospheric, beamed pub with a

restaurant noted for its steaks; 10 rooms.

Fore Street, PL34 0DB; 01840 770 238 ;

http://www.cornishmaninn.com

Above left Bude’s grassy clifftops Above

right Life’s a Beach café at Summerleaze

DRIVE 2: Bideford to Bodmin Moor

Eat and Drink: inexpensive, under £25; moderate, £25–£50; expensive, over £50

coastguard’s hut, erected in Grecian
style as a symbol of Bude’s ambitions.
Look back past the Haven over
twin sandy beaches Summerleaze
and Crooklets; in Victorian times
Crooklets was for women’s use only.
The path along the clifftop crosses
Efford Down 6. Here in 1643
Cornishmen in the Royalist Army
camped on the eve of the English Civil
War battle of Stamford Hill, where they
defeated the Parliamentarians.
At Upton, turn left inland and
follow the lane down to the canal at
Rodd’s Bridge 7. Turn left along the
towpath, noting the stone mile-post
8 beside it, dating from 1820, and
carry on along the towpath that
flanks Bude Marshes nature reserve
9 , where a variety of wild birds and
flowers flourish, back to the start.
ª Turn left out of car park and leave
Bude on small clifftop road signposted
to Widemouth Bay to rejoin A39 in
direction of Camelford. Turn right
onto B3263 to Boscastle and then
Tintagel, where several car parks are
signposted in village and near castle.

Below left The rocky headlands of Tintagel Below right Medieval battlements at Tintagel Castle

itself are the 14th-century Old Post

Office (open Mar–Oct daily) and King

Arthur’s Great Halls (open daily),

telling the legend of the king. On

the rugged clifftop you can see the

12th-century church of St Materiana.

ª Return to B3263 in direction of

Camelford, turning right at sign to

Delabole on B3314. Delabole Slate

quarry is signed to the left in the

village. Park in the quarry car park.