Historic churches · South West England
St Nectan's Glen
In or near Tintagel.
Saint Nectan's Glen (Cornish: Glynn Nathan, meaning deep wooded valley of Nathan/Nectan) is an area of woodland in Trethevy near Tintagel, north Cornwall stretching for around one mile along both bank
Rob Purvis — CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons licence
Plan your visit
- Typical visit
- 30 min–1 h
- Free entry
Getting there & planning your visit
St Nectan's Glen is located in Cornwall with the postcode PL34 0HL. Entry is free. There is no nearest railway station mentioned, so please plan your visit accordingly.
About
Saint Nectan's Glen (Cornish: Glynn Nathan, meaning deep wooded valley of Nathan/Nectan) is an area of woodland in Trethevy near Tintagel, north Cornwall stretching for around one mile along both banks of the Trevillet River. The glen's most prominent feature is St Nectan's Kieve, a spectacular sixty foot waterfall through a hole in the rocks. The site attracts tourists who believe it to be "one of the UK's most spiritual sites," and tie or place ribbons, crystals, photographs, small piles of flat stones and other materials near the waterfall. In 2025, a horned skull resembling that of a so-called “unicorn” was discovered by a family visiting St Nectan’s Glen. The find received widespread media coverage and prompted a flurry of speculation. While scientists have not identified the specimen as anything beyond natural remains, local legend quickly embraced it as “Merlin’s unicorn” — a mythical creature said to have been ridden by the wizard during the legendary Battle of Badon. The skull’s discovery renewed public interest in the Glen’s mystical associations and contributed to contemporary Arthurian folklore.
Photo gallery
See it from the streetimagery from 2022
Imagery © Mapillary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0
Protected designations
- Site of Special Scientific Interest: St. Nectan's Glen SSSI
- Site of Special Scientific Interest: Tintagel Cliffs SSSI
- Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty: Cornwall
Designations sourced from Natural England open data under OGL v3.
From the Wikipedia article
Saint Nectan's Glen (Cornish: Glynn Nathan, meaning deep wooded valley of Nathan/Nectan) is an area of woodland in Trethevy near Tintagel, north Cornwall stretching for around one mile along both banks of the Trevillet River. The glen's most prominent feature is St Nectan's Kieve, a spectacular sixty foot waterfall through a hole in the rocks. The site attracts tourists who believe it to be "one of the UK's most spiritual sites," and tie or place ribbons, crystals, photographs, small piles of flat stones and other materials near the waterfall. In 2025, a horned skull resembling that of a so-called “unicorn” was discovered by a family visiting St Nectan’s Glen. The find received widespread media coverage and prompted a flurry of speculation. While scientists have not identified the specimen as anything beyond natural remains, local legend quickly embraced it as “Merlin’s unicorn” — a mythical creature said to have been ridden by the wizard during the legendary Battle of Badon. The skull’s discovery renewed public interest in the Glen’s mystical associations and contributed to contemporary Arthurian folklore.
Excerpt from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0. See the source article linked in Sources below.
Background
History
It is believed locally that, in the sixth century, Saint Nectan had a hermitage above the waterfall and rang a silver bell to warn ships of the dangers of offshore rocks at the mouth of the Rocky Valley during storms. and the valley has no religious connections save the remains of a monastery and a small chapel in nearby Trethevy dedicated to St Piran. The site was known as Nathan's Cave in 1799, named after a local character, either Nathan Williams or Nathan Cock. There is a late nineteenth or early twentieth century half-timbered private residence known as The Hermitage, constructed on the remains of an eighteenth century summer house or folly. Further downstream are the brick remains of…
Sourced from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Coordinates
- 50.6648, -4.7192
- District
- Cornwall
- Parish
- Tintagel
- Postcode
- PL34 0HL
- Parliamentary constituency
- North Cornwall
Sources
- wikipedia: St Nectan's Glen (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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Frequently asked questions
- Where is St Nectan's Glen?
- St Nectan's Glen is in South-West England, United Kingdom (postcode PL34 0HL), in the parish of Tintagel.
- What is St Nectan's Glen?
- Saint Nectan's Glen (Cornish: Glynn Nathan, meaning deep wooded valley of Nathan/Nectan) is an area of woodland in Trethevy near Tintagel, north Cornwall stretching for around one mile along both bank
- How do I get to St Nectan's Glen?
- Drivers can use postcode PL34 0HL.
- Is St Nectan's Glen a protected site?
- Yes — St Nectan's Glen is part of the St. Nectan's Glen SSSI Site of Special Scientific Interest and the Tintagel Cliffs SSSI Site of Special Scientific Interest.
- Is St Nectan's Glen free to visit?
- Yes, St Nectan's Glen is free to enter.
- How do I get to St Nectan's Glen?
- Drivers can navigate to postcode PL34 0HL. It sits within the North Cornwall parliamentary constituency.