Hidden Britain AtlasOpen the map
All places › Holy wells & springs
Holy well

St Nectan's Glen

Near Tintagel, Cornwall

A waterfall that punches through a rock arch, said to be home to fairies.

Deep in a wooded valley near Tintagel, a river plunges about 18 metres into a rock basin, then pours through a hole in the rock. Legend says the hermit St Nectan lived here in the 500s and rang a silver bell to warn ships of danger.

Read the full story, see it on the map, get directions and find what else is nearby in the free Hidden Britain Atlas map.

Open St Nectan's Glen on the mapReport a sighting here
When
From the 500s
Where
50.6580, -4.7080
Group
Holy wells & springs

Visiting

A woodland walk from Trethevy. Entry to the waterfall is by ticket.

Cover of The Ledger of Lost Britain by Cale Mills
Read the full story in the book

The Ledger of Lost Britain

The Romans arrived in AD 43. For most people that is where the history of Britain begins. But by the time the legions landed, people had already been living on these islands for thousands of years. They had hunted, farmed, mined flint, dragged stones across the country, raised a hill by hand, and buried their dead in great tombs. They left no written words. What they left was the ground itself. Every place in this book can be visited, or has been dug up, or is in a museum.

Buy on AmazonAll books by Cale Mills

Nearby mysteries