Bossiney Cove
Picturesque Bossiney Cove, or Bossiney Haven as it is sometimes referred to, lies between the villages of Tintagel and Boscastle on the rugged North Cornish coast. The cove has a small sandy north facing beach which is sheltered by the surrounding towering cliffs. At times of high tide there is no beach, at low tide Bossiney Beach joins up with neighbouring Benoath Cove. Access is by a half mile long footpath over farmland, steep steps then lead down to the beach. It is therefore unsuitable for pushchairs.
Elephant Rock is visible in the cliff face from the beach. There is also a large cave measuring around feet high at the entrance but only 15-20 feet wide. It opens up into a large cavern with two more caverns further within. A small campsite and an hotel overlook the beach.
Bossiney Mound (OS Grid reference- SX 066 887 lies near the chapel at Jill Pool, the site of the former borough gaol. Cornish legend states that King Arthur's golden Round Table lies buried beneath this circular mound; and rises only on midsummer night when King Arthur and his nights are due to return. In Norman times it was used to buld a timber castle.
Bossiney Hamlet
OS Grid reference- SX 066 888
The small hamlet of Bossiney lies inland from the cove, and is just a short walk from Tintagel. It is known in Cornish as Boskyny, meaning Cyni's dwelling.
An ancient settlement, Bossiney is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 where it is referred to as as 'Botcinnii, a manor held by the Count of Mortain from St. Petroc's Church'.
The famous Elizabethan seafarer, Sir Francis Drake was once a resident and MP for Bossiney. He gave his election speech from Bossiney Mound in 1584. It was also the Parliamentary seat of Sir Francis Bacon. The Old Borough House (pictured left) in the village dates from the seventeenth century. It was formerly the official residence of the Mayors of Bossiney, which included Sir Francis Drake, it was also the home of the famous playwright and broadcaster J. B. Priestley.
The Hendra Cross stands at a nearby crossroads, it has been moved from its former position due to road widening in 1959.
The remains of an earthen ringwork and bailey lie to the east of the village, they were unearthed during archaeological excavations which took place in the 1840s. The castle is not referred to in surviving contemporary documents, and it is therefore uncertain when it was actually constructed, but it is probable that it dates from the late eleventh or twelfth century. Nearby Willapark was once an Iron Age cliff castle.
Nearby lie the gorge-like Rocky Valley, a place of stunning rugged scenery and atmospheric St Nectan's Glen, where a dramatic waterfall plunges 40 feet over the rocks.