English Heritage site Tintagel Castle has implemented a timed ticketing system to ease the chaos of peak times as a new bridge has been built to reconnect the site’s two separated halves.
The historical site in the north of Cornwall, which is the legendary birth place of King Arthur, dates back to the 13th century when the headland was connected by a narrow strip that has since crumbled into the sea.
Visitors coming to see the ruins of Richard, 1st Earl of Dumnonia’s castle previously had to climb 148 steps and endure long queues
As one of English Heritage’s top five attractions, Tintagel Castle sees almost 250,000 visitors a year, with up to 3,000 people a day at the height of summer.
The new timed ticketing system allows tourists to flow across the bridge’s 70 metre deck with ease.
A family ticket to Tintagel now costs £33.80, which users can book in advance on the English Heritage website. An adult ticket is £13, while a child between five and 17 years of age will pay £7.80.
English Heritage says on its ticketing site: “We’ve introduced timed tickets at Tintagel Castle, which are now available to book in advance on our website. This is to help us provide the best possible visitor experience at busy times, and preserve and conserve Tintagel’s archaeology and ecology.”
“We need to make money to look after our heritage,” Georgia Butters, English Heritage’s head of historic properties, said, according to the Guardian. “And it’s very important that we’re not snobbish and elitist about it. We must spark the interest of the next generation in these sites, because if people don’t care about them, they won’t be preserved.”
The new footbridge is set to reopen on Sunday, August 11 due to the severe weather forecast for Friday and Saturday.
Image: Reading Tom
Share this