Update on Tintagel Castle Opening
Work on the new footbridge at Tintagel Castle is well underway and both the castle and bridge will open this summer. We will announce the opening date as soon as possible.
The footbridge is an ambitious, complex engineering project and one that we need to get right.
We are working towards opening as soon as we can but until we know more we have notified tour groups that we will not be taking group bookings for the Castle until after the 5 July.
We are promoting through our group bookings team, website and social media that Tintagel village is open for business and there are great attractions in the area.
We are very much aware of concerns from some local businesses. The new footbridge is an exciting project and one that will bring long-term benefits to Tintagel and its businesses. We have worked hard to make sure that the site is closed for as short a time as possible.
The steel sections of the bridge have been fabricated offsite and will start to arrive at Tintagel Castle in the next couple of weeks. The sections will then be slotted into position, recreating the historic link between the mainland and island one piece at a time. There are no planned road closures or plans to close an entire car park. Any disruption to Atlantic Road should be similar to that of normal business deliveries.
During the works the coastal path and public footpaths will continue to be accessible.
I will be providing a further update to the Parish Council Meeting on the 5th June.
When the site reopens there will be a few changes to how our visitors experience Tintagel.
We will be introducing timed ticketing, to manage the flow of visitors through the day. This means that for the first time visitors will be able to book their tickets in advance. Booking is not compulsory and tickets can be purchased on the day at our normal ticket outlets.
To help ease congestion on our busiest days, we will be encouraging visitors to take a circular route and enter the castle from its original entrance on the mainland before walking across the bridge to the great hall. Our newly improved footpaths on the island will make it easier for visitors to explore all the points of interest before heading down the existing steps towards the exhibition, toilets and beach. Anyone who cannot use the steps will be allowed back across the bridge. Anyone who would rather not cross the bridge will be able to use the existing steps up to the island instead.
If you have any questions please email tintagel.bridge@english-heritage.org.uk
