The End of the Adventure? – King Arthurs Camelot – Cornwall

It can be really challenging returning home from a trip, especially so if that trip has been for a considerable amount of time, or somewhere that has a dramatic impact on you.

Actually I think challenging is not descriptive enough, it can be harrowing!

Seeing this sign fueled me with fear… although really it should have felt like home…

I returned home from travelling the world for a year, and in the space of a few days, I had been dumped by my girlfriend, I received the mother of all credit card bills, I had had the ‘future’ chat with my parents and if that wasn’t enough I simply felt lost. Coming home, in my eyes was the end of my adventure and REAL life struck me like a hammer.

My goal was to return, see Katie and plan to move to Ireland and live together. That was the adventure I was ready for, that was the next step, that was one of the reasons I came home in the first place…That was all lost now.

I was picked up from the airport by my sister and taken straight to Cornwall for my mums 60^th birthday.

Initial pleasure of seeing the family was soon overtaken by a huge desire to leave again, I was lonely, I was uncomfortable, I was lost and overall I felt like I no longer belonged, I had no idea what to do. I lay on the couch just reflecting on my wandering memories, all the adventures I had, all the fun, all the people I met… During the first few days, I noted how my family would talk about their day to day lives, and honestly I couldn’t connect with anything they said. I was full of conflicting emotions…

This was going to be really hard…

I was aware that I had been quiet for a few days, and this must have seemed a bit strange to my family. Did they just think I was adjusting back into normal life? A few days in my parents decided we would visit Tintagel, a small village a few miles from where we staying. I don’t know if they had this place in mind for me, or if it was just all a coincidence, but it did have an affect me.

I knew nothing about Tintagel when we arrived, but it immediately peaked my interest. The town itself is beautiful and traditionally Cornish, lying on the northern coast of southern western peninsula, with the dramatic Atlantic Ocean lapping at the huge daunting cliffs. The village however was not why we were there; we were there for the castle…

Tintagel is home to an incredible legendary castle ruins, suggested throughout mythology as none other than Camelot. Yes Camelot, King Arthur’s castle… Is there any place more inspiring than an ancient castle shrouded by whispers, stories and mythology? This is a place your mind can wander, your imagination can play, and you can release your inner self.  The medieval castle ruins themselves are sprawled along dramatic cliffs and coastline with very little except green pastures surrounding it.

photo credit: Lower and upper mainland courtyard and chapel – Tintagel Castle – Tintagel, Cornwall via photopin (license)

Getting to the ruins is a challenge, as they are based on very uneven ground, with many steep climbs, bridges and eroding tracks. In my opinion, the location makes it so much more authentic than the full castle experience, such as Windsor. This place was were history was made, where real ancient history was conceived. I know that the modern legend of King Arthur is majority fiction; however I like to believe that dramatic battles were fort here, that some stories are based on truth (however loosely). It may be silly, but hey…

This was allegedly where some of the most famous stories in history were based… the Knights of the Round Table, the Sword in the Stone, the Lady of the Lake, Lancelot and Guinevere… I know they are just tales, stories, but who cares… It’s all in the beholders imagination and at that moment in time I wanted to believe, if only for an instance. History does state that there was an English King called Arthur who had a huge influence on the building of Britain – even if that’s the only story that is true – that’s still pretty impressive.

What a place to inspire a lost soul!

Along with the incredible ruins, there is a rickety old wooden walkway, zigzagging down the cliff face to the secluded beach underneath the castle. The journey down is the easy part, just make sure you can make it back up… This walkway is dramatic on its own but the true beauty is the scenery. The dark cliffs, the beautiful golden sand and the rough open ocean battering the coastline were just inspiring. What I didn’t realise was that underneath the castle at the bottom of the staircase was a cave… None other than Merlin the Magician’s cave… Now we are getting into true fiction, but hey; a part of me was expecting to see a dragon roar out of the huge archway.

photo credit: Tintagel Castle, Cornwall (461293) via photopin (license)

photo credit: The Haven – Tintagel Castle – Tintagel, Cornwall via photopin (license)

I vividly remember the cold wind battering my face, the feeling of no longer being warm but cosy all wrapped up in my winter clothes, and the smell of the salt water, the green pastures and the fresh British air, was intoxicating. The scenic beauty of the location and the sheer marvel of the ruins was just what I needed. In a strange way it was healing… reigniting my sense of adventure, and giving me time to just reflect on what was to come…

It also helped that my Dad had come with me on the walk to the ruins and cave, and there is no better person for the job than your dad! It truly made me feel like a kid again… it felt like a true adventure.

All of a sudden Tintagel gave me the realisation that my adventures were not over; there were thousands of places all over the UK and Europe that I could visit. Millions of different experiences… My adventure was definitely not over… In fact it had just begun… Inspiration could be found anywhere…

This post was inspired by FattyMcCupcakes who posted an amazing blog recently that inspired me… Thanking you and I hope you like this one… Unfortunately a lot of my imagery from these days was on a corrupted hard-drive so photo credits have been added 😦