Merlin's Cave

Merlin's Cave is a cave located beneath Tintagel Castle, 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) south-west of Boscastle, Cornwall, England. It is 100 metres (330 ft) long,[1] passing completely through Tintagel Island from Tintagel 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.[1] The cave fills with water at high tide, but has a sandy floor and is explorable at low tide.[3]

The cave's entrance at low tide

General view

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]

References

Bird, Eric (2008). Coastal Geomorphology: An Introduction. Chichester: John Wiley & Sons. [n.p.] ISBN 978-0-470-51729-1. Retrieved 2 April 2012.
Wilson, Gilbert (1971). "The Influence of Rock Structures on Coastline and Cliff Development Around Tintagel, North Cornwall". In Steers, J. A. (ed.). Introduction to Coastline Development. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. p. 152. ISBN 0-262-19089-3.
"Merlin's Cave at Tintagel, Cornwall". King Arthur, and the legend of the Knights of the Round Table. Retrieved 20 February 2014.
Tennyson, Alfred (1859). Idylls of the King (PDF). The Pennsylvania State University. pp. 12–13. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 July 2012. Retrieved 19 February 2014.

External links

Media related to Merlin's Cave, Tintagel at Wikimedia Commons

50.6683°N 4.7594°W / 50.6683; -4.7594

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[bird-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. (ed.). Introduction to Coastline Development. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. p. 152. ISBN 0-262-19089-3.

[3] "Merlin's Cave at Tintagel, Cornwall". King Arthur, and the legend of the Knights of the Round Table. Retrieved 20 February 2014.

[4] Tennyson, Alfred (1859). Idylls of the King (PDF). The Pennsylvania State University. pp. 12–13. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 July 2012. Retrieved 19 February 2014.