Tintagel Castle bridge opening delayed by weather Published duration 8 August 2019

media caption Drone footage reveals majesty of a bridge at Tintagel

The opening of a £4m bridge linking a 13th Century castle to the mainland has been postponed due to forecast storms.

The 229ft (70m) footbridge has been designed to connect Tintagel Castle, in Cornwall, without the need for steps.

It had been planned to open on Friday but weather warnings for wind and rain which have resulted in the cancellation of Boardmasters in nearby Newquay mean the bridge will now open on Sunday.

English Heritage said the castle was in a very exposed coastal location.

The charity's head of historic properties in Cornwall Georgia Butters, said: "For the safety of our visitors and staff whenever the wind reaches gale-force eight, it is normal procedure for us to close access to the island side of Tintagel Castle.

"With winds forecast at that level and above for Friday and Saturday, we have taken the decision to postpone the reopening of the castle until Sunday."

image copyright Jim Holden image caption There is a 40mm gap at the centre of the bridge which has been designed to represent the transition between the mainland and the island

Any bookings for Friday will be automatically transferred to Sunday, and bookings for Saturday will be automatically transferred to Monday at the same times.

The new bridge follows the line of a narrow strip of land that once linked the gatehouse on the mainland and the courtyard on the jagged headland or island before it was lost to erosion.

media caption The bridge needs to be "tuned" for traffic says English Heritage

Tintagel gained literary fame when medieval scholar, Geoffrey of Monmouth, named it as the place where King Arthur was conceived.

He also wrote that the original land bridge was so narrow that "three armed men would be able to defend [it], even if you had the whole kingdom of Britain at your side".

About 250,000 visitors go to the castle each year.

image copyright David Levene image caption Work started on the new bridge in June and it is now due to open on Sunday