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Visit Britain: Join King Arthur and his fabled court on a visit around Britain

There are few more familiar and enduring legends in British history than the story of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. A tale told for nearly a Millennium, first in ancient manuscripts, later on the musical stage and now in movie theaters. With the new King Arthur ‘Movie Map’ available from VisitBritain, visitors can now explore some of the many locations in Britain that claim links with the Arthurian Chronicles.

If you believe all of the legends told, then Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table were well traveled throughout England, Scotland and Wales. A good place to begin a journey through Arthur’s Britain is in the south-west county of Cornwall, a stronghold of Celtic resistance to invading Saxons, where the future king was said to have been born in Tintagel Castle, only 15 minutes from the increasingly popular fishing village of Padstow. Although today’s dramatic ruins date from the 12th century, a sixth century site on an island promontory behind the castle is more or less contemporary with him.

A short distance from Cornwall, the county of Somerset has several Arthurian associations, notably Cadbury Hill Fort, first described in the 16th century as the original site of Camelot, his famed citadel. One of the most intriguing Arthurian links in Somerset is that at Glastonbury Abbey and the nearby hilltop called Glastonbury Tor. The now ruined abbey is said to be the oldest Christian sanctuary in the British Isles. It is here that Arthur is said to have been brought for burial and there is a plaque marking the spot where, in 1191, builders working on the restoration of the abbey apparently uncovered his tomb.

Visitors can see depictions of the Round Table throughout England, Scotland and Wales. One of the finest can be found in the cathedral city of Winchester in Hampshire, England’s ancient capital and former seat of King Alfred the Great. A wooden table hanging in the Great Hall dates from the 14th century, probably made at the command of King Edward II and later repainted on the orders of King Henry VIII, who is shown in the guise of Arthur on the current table.

The earthworks in a field below the castle walls of Stirling Castle, Scotland are said to be the site of a stone slab, known as the Round Table, at which the Knights used to meet. A huge crag above the capital city of Edinburgh has been known as Arthur’s Seat since the 15th century.

According to Geoffrey of Monmouth’s 12th century “History of the Kings of Britain,” one of the earliest sources of the Arthurian legend, the once Roman fort of Caerleon in south-east Wales was Arthur’s chief city, rivaling the later Camelot in its splendor and importance. Arthur, goes the story, was crowned there and held his first court at Caerleon, which presently contains the ruins of a Roman amphitheatre and extensive buildings. A central earth mound was once known as the Round Table.

Bardsey Island off the North Wales coast is reputed to be the site of Merlin’s observatory, while St. David’s Head, on the south-west coast overlooking the Atlantic, has one of many prehistoric burial chambers which bear the name of Arthur.

Visitors looking for Sir Lancelot, should head to Bamburgh Castle, a massive medieval fortress on the coast of north-east England believed to be the original site of Sir Lancelot’s castle. This northern most part of England is scattered with thousands of years of history and heritage, from Hadrian’s Wall, the northern most point of the Roman Empire, to the Holy Island at Lindisfarne.

Organized Arthurian tours to Britain are available but, for the independent traveler, many Arthurian attractions are accessible to the public using the Great British Heritage Pass. Starting at $35 for a four-day pass, it offers great savings for visitors exploring Britain's acclaimed historic sites by allowing them unlimited entry into nearly 600 castles, stately homes and gardens in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The “Movie Map”, and further information on sightseeing throughout Britain is available free from VisitBritain’s Travel Center, Suite 701, 551 Fifth Avenue (at 45th Street), in New York City, Mondays through Fridays between 9.00am and 6.00pm. VisitBritain’s Travel Center can also be reached via email at: travelinfo@visitbritain.org or telephone on Toll Free: 1 877 899 8391. Online: www.visitbritain.com/usa.

VisitBritain media contacts:

New York: Paul Chibeba, tel. 212 850 0311; Email: paul.chibeba@visitbritain.org

Chicago: Helen Bull, tel. 312 787 0464; Email: helen.bull@visitbritain.org

Los Angeles: Wendy Missenden, tel. 310 470 2782; Email: wendy.missenden@visitbritain.org

Online: www.visitbritain.com/mediaroom.

Photographs of places referred to in the text can be seen at:
http://www.britainonview.com/cgi-bin/WebObjects/BOV.woa/1/wa/shareLightBox?id=6594

King Arthur tours are available through these, and other, tour operators:
Backroads Touring – www.backroadstouring.co.uk/LandoftheCelts.htm
Dragon Tours – www.dragontours.zx3.net
Astral Travels – www.astraltravels.co.uk/uk-london-tours/king_arthur_tour.htm
Old Country Tours - www.oldcountrytours.com/kingarthur.htm

VisitBritain
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New York, NY, 10176-0799

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