King Arthur is perhaps an underappreciated part of British culture, paling in popularity to other mythologies such as the Norse. In fact, the Viking invasion of Lindisfarne up the coast and across the country in Berwick-Upon-Tweed is spoken about as often as tales of Camelot.
There’s one major difference though. Unlike the Knights of the Round Table, the attack on Holy Island in 793 isn’t fiction. Guy Richie’s 2017 film King Arthur: Legend of the Sword, starring Charlie Hunnam in the lead role, didn’t dazzle at the cinema, which didn’t help plant the ancient story in the minds of a global audience. Still, a small part of pop culture has embraced Arthurian characters.
Author Bernard Cornwell wrote a series of books about the legendary king during the 1990s, finally collecting them as the Warlord Chronicles in 2011. Knights of the Round Table (1953) and Camelot (1967) provided a different take on Arthur’s court when they put his tale to film. In the digital realm, online casino games also cater to fans of Arthurian lore. The slots online at Paddy Power include Arthur and the Round Table, The Return of the Green Knight, and Merlin’s Grimoire.
A Pauper’s Grave
So, how does a fictional king lend itself to adventure in the British Isles? Just like Game of Thrones, which has birthed several tour companies dedicated to finding Westeros in real life (or just the sites used as locations in the show), some of the places in Geoffrey of Monmouth’s 1130 piece Historia Regum Britanniae can be found beyond the pages of the book.
A good place to start is Winchester, where a version of the Round Table exists. This was reportedly created for King Edward I at the end of the 13th century, rather than for the wedding of Guinevere to Arthur. Still, it has spaces for 24 of England’s most chivalrous knights.
Alternatively, start when Arthur’s tale ends. The regent and his wife are “buried”at Glastonbury Abbey in Somerset. It’s a bit of a pauper’s grave these days, possessing just a plaque after the original black marble tomb was pulled down in 1539. Glastonbury owes its fame to more than the annual festival. The fabled Grail is supposed to lie close to Arthur’s final resting place.
Tintagel Castle
Castles are central to Arthurian legend. Tintagel Castle, one of the most unusual fortresses in the country, lying on an island off Cornwall’s northern coast, is where Arthur was born. Merlin’s Cave is found below.
Tintagel might be more recognizable to visitors than they expect, as a popular subject of photographs – a metal statue called Gallos – stands watch over the outcrop. Tintagel Castle and Gallos lay in ruin (deliberately, in the latter case), a trait that suits a legend withered by time. A complex series of walkways and footbridges provide access to the site today.
As for Camelot, nobody truly knows where it is. The parody movie Monty Python and the Holy Grail uses Doune Castle in Stirling, Scotland (“’tis a silly place”) but Somerset’s Cadbury Castle is one of the most popular guesses for the structure’s true location. As an Iron Age hillfort, however, there’s little to explore today. Finally, if it’s Excalibur you seek, visit the Lady of the Lake at Dozmary Pool on Bodmin Moor. Beware the Beast that’s said to roam nearby.
