Arthurs

The cliff face bridge leads to an 800-year-old castle, but some visitors have refused to cross due to the ‘pretty scary’ height.

The UK boasts countless historic marvels, yet getting to one of its most stunning and ancient castles can prove remarkably challenging, with some tourists abandoning their visit the moment they catch sight of the crossing. Tintagel Castle Bridge is a fairly recent addition, constructed in 2019 to provide easier access to the 800-year-old castle sharing its name, which sits dramatically atop a rugged coastal island.

It’s frequently cited as one of Britain’s most nerve-wracking bridges, being lengthy, slender and suspended roughly 200 feet above the cliffs, meaning anyone making the crossing can see the ocean waves pounding against the rocks far beneath. The Cornish coastline is notoriously blustery too, so while the bridge is entirely secure, traversing it during powerful winds can leave visitors feeling rather unsettled.

The bridge also features a small gap at its centre, deliberately designed by architects to symbolise the journey from mainland to island, though peering down at the sheer drop below is enough to make anyone’s legs turn to jelly.

Tintagel Castle is deeply entwined with Arthurian legend, widely believed to be King Arthur’s birthplace, which makes it an exceptionally popular visitor attraction. The castle is additionally connected to the tale of Tristan and Iseult, a heartbreaking medieval love story involving a Cornish knight who falls for an Irish princess.

It’s a spectacular location that has been inhabited since the mid-5th century, though the castle structure itself was erected in the early 1200s by Richard, Earl of Cornwall, King Henry III’s brother.

Yet it remains an extraordinarily isolated location, and accessing it before the bridge’s construction proved challenging, requiring visitors to descend hundreds of twisting steps down a cliff face into a valley before climbing back up onto the island.

Throughout the Middle Ages, a natural land bridge linked the two sections, though it vanished sometime between the 14th and 17th centuries.

The new Tintagel Castle Bridge emerged from an architectural competition and was constructed by William Matthews Associates, who designed it to blend seamlessly into the surrounding landscape.

Building Tintagel Castle Bridge cost more than £4million, but it marked the first time in five centuries that the two stretches of land were reconnected.

On Tripadvisor, numerous visitors have given Tintagel Castle Bridge glowing reviews for its stunning views, though many have cautioned that it can feel quite daunting when you first attempt to cross it.

One visitor wrote: “It’s not for the faint-hearted. Looking at it from a distance, when you can see the drop, it looks long and narrow and pretty scary. However, it feels surprisingly safe when you walk across it.”

Another reviewer said: “It’s a beautiful spot, but if you are scared of heights, then don’t bother. You need to walk alongside a drop into the sea to get to a bridge to get over to the castle itself, and then once there, you are faced with narrow paths, one person width only, with drops to the side. “

Another visitor remarked: “Upon seeing the bridge I realised my fear of heights would prevent me from walking over it, it looked amazing but it is also very exposed with iron bars at each side to give you a fantastic view of the sea and cliffs around/beneath you and a small gap in the middle of the bridge where both sections meet.”