Merlin's Cave
Encyclopedia
Merlin's Cave Merlin's Cave the name given to a cave that is located 5 km South West of Boscastle
, Cornwall
. Tintagel Head.
Tennyson made Merlin's Cave famous in his Idylls of King Arthur.
Tennyson described waves bringing the infant Arthur to the shore, and Merlin
carrying him to safety. Local legend has long associated this cave with Merlin and King Arthur
.
Merlin's Cave is on the right side of the rock at Tintagel (if you are standing facing the sea).
The steps down to the cave have been washed away and are blocked off. The only way down today is to clamber down the rocks to the beach. The cave fills with water at high tide, but has a sandy floor and is explorable at low tide. The cave goes all the way through the rock, and there is a smaller cave off it that can be entered on the southern side.
Boscastle
Boscastle is a village and fishing port on the north coast of Cornwall, England, in the civil parish of Forrabury and Minster. It is situated 14 miles south of Bude and 5 miles north-east of Tintagel....
, Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
. Tintagel Head.
Tennyson made Merlin's Cave famous in his Idylls of King Arthur.
Tennyson described waves bringing the infant Arthur to the shore, and Merlin
Merlin
Merlin is a legendary figure best known as the wizard featured in the Arthurian legend. The standard depiction of the character first appears in Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia Regum Britanniae, written c. 1136, and is based on an amalgamation of previous historical and legendary figures...
carrying him to safety. Local legend has long associated this cave with Merlin and King Arthur
King Arthur
King Arthur is a legendary British leader of the late 5th and early 6th centuries, who, according to Medieval histories and romances, led the defence of Britain against Saxon invaders in the early 6th century. The details of Arthur's story are mainly composed of folklore and literary invention, and...
.
Merlin's Cave is on the right side of the rock at Tintagel (if you are standing facing the sea).
The steps down to the cave have been washed away and are blocked off. The only way down today is to clamber down the rocks to the beach. The cave fills with water at high tide, but has a sandy floor and is explorable at low tide. The cave goes all the way through the rock, and there is a smaller cave off it that can be entered on the southern side.
External links
- http://www.showcaves.com/english/gb/caves/Merlins.html Caves of Great Britain.