Merlin's Cave

View out the entrance of Merlin's Cave

Merlin's Cave is the name given to a cave located beneath Tintagel Castle, 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) south-west of Boscastle, Cornwall. It is 100 metres (330 ft) long,[1] passing completely through Tintagel Island from Tinagel Haven on the east to West Cove on the west.[2] It is a sea cave formed by marine erosion along a thrust plane between slate and volcanic rocks.[3]

Tennyson made Merlin's Cave famous in his Idylls of the King, describing waves bringing the infant Arthur to the shore and Merlin carrying him to safety.[4]

The lower portion of the steps down to the cave have been washed away, and it is necessary to clamber down some boulders to reach the beach.[5] The cave fills with water at high tide, but has a sandy floor and is explorable at low tide.[6]

References

  1. Bird, Eric (2008). Coastal Geomorphology: An Introduction. Chichester: John Wiley & Sons. [n.p.] ISBN 978-0-470-51729-1. Retrieved 2 April 2012.
  2. Wilson, Gilbert (1971). "The Influence of Rock Structures on Coastline and Cliff Development Around Tintagel, North Cornwall". In Steers, J. A. Introduction to Coastline Development. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. p. 152. ISBN 0-262-19089-3.
  3. Bird, Eric (2008). Coastal Geomorphology: An Introduction. Chichester: John Wiley & Sons. [n.p.] ISBN 978-0-470-51729-1. Retrieved 2 April 2012.
  4. Tennyson, Alfred (1859). Idylls of the King (PDF). The Pennsylvania State University. pp. 12–13.
  5. "Merlin's Cave". Retrieved 20 February 2014.
  6. "Merlin's Cave at Tintagel, Cornwall". King Arthur, and the legend of the Knights of the Round Table. Retrieved 20 February 2014.

Coordinates: 50°40′06″N 4°45′34″W / 50.6683°N 4.7594°W / 50.6683; -4.7594


This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 7/19/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.