And when King Arthur made his Round Table, and all men's hearts became clean for a season, surely he had thought that now the Holy Grail would come again

The popular legend of King Arthur has many of its roots in the West Country and this tour has been put together to enable the visitor to appreciate the best of the region and it's links to the Arthurian legend.

You may wish to start the tour in Somerset at South Cadbury, found off the A303 dual carriageway. Close to the village can be found a magnificent Neolithic and Iron-Age hill fort, considered by some as the legendary 'Camelot' of King Arthur. A morning spent here among the Somerset countryside will take you back to the times of shining Knights with horses steaming in the early morning mist.

Close to South Cadbury through idyllic and sleepy villages can be found the small town of Glastonbury, with the magnificent Glastonbury Abbey, traditionally the oldest Christian sanctuary in the British Isles founded by Joseph of Arimathea in the 1st Century. Within the grounds can be found the Holy Thorn, the legendary burial place of King Arthur.

A significant Arthurian connection emerged in the 1190s with the excavation at the Abbey, of a grave containing a leaden cross which claimed that the grave was that of Arthur. Now it is generally held to be a late 12th-century fraud by the Glastonbury monks possibly for the benefit of the reigning king rather than for themselves.

Close by Glastonbury Tor can be found with the remains of a 13th century church. A walk to the top of the hill will gives wonderful views overlooking the town and beyond. Excavations on the Tor have uncovered post-Roman relics and a mysterious stone cairn which is believed to be a sacrificial altar.

A legend claims that King Arthur lifted his sword Excalibur and threw it into the River Brue which flows through the centre of Street. The town owes much of its development since 1825 to the influence of the shoe manufacturer Clarks, You can visit the shoe museum displaying shoes from Roman times to the present.

Nearby, Wookey Hole Caves with its spectacular caves is the legendary home of the infamous Witch of Wookey. In the caves you can see stalactites, stalagmites, translucent pools and the stone outline of a witch, which one legend claims was killed by King Arthur.

Moving to the south west of Cornwall and Slaughter Bridge which was, for some time thought to be the scene of Arthur's last battle. A stone by the stream marks the place where traditionally his demise has been mourned. It is said that King Arthur was born at Tintagel, on the rugged north Cornwall coast where he had his castle and lived with Queen Guinevere and the Knights of the Round Table. Merlin, his magician lived in a cave beneath the castle. The headland, with it's Norman castle ruins offers magnificent sea views. In the village can be found King Arthur's Hall of Chivalry where, depicted in stained glass and masonry, is the code the knights followed in their search for the Holy Grail.

Travel further south along the coast to Zennor to find a large, flat stone reputed to be where King Arthur dined with four Cornish Kings before a major battle against the Danes and further south still, find Mousehole, an old fishing port with twisting lanes and granite cottages. On a rock off Mousehole, the sword, Excalibur was withdrawn by Arthur from the fabled stone.

Taking a leisurely route through the centre of Cornwall, northwards to Bodmin Moor and Dozmary Pool which legend claims to be the lake where King Arthur cast his sword into the water. The battle of Camlan, the last struggle against Mordred the king's usurping stepson, took place on the banks of the River Camel on Bodmin Moor.

Travel north east to Amesbury near Salisbury. After the death of King Arthur his Queen, Guinevere, fled to Amesbury where she became abbess of the great abbey. After her death her body was taken to the Isle of Avalon by Sir Lancelot to be buried with her husband. Near Swindon, the village of Liddington with it's beautiful thatched cottages and old Manor House and set at the edge of downlands was the site of the Battle of Mount Bladon in c520, when Arthur defeated the pagan Saxons.

Please note that that this tour is merely an overview of the King Arthur legend. There are many more wonders to be found in the region. Please refer to the maps and further information provided by this website's links of West Country Destinations and Visitor Attractions sections.

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