The Battle of Camlann ("Arthur's Last Battle") is a multi-group re-enactment event held every year at Tintagel in Cornwall (the place where King Arthur was conceived according to some stories). In 2007 there were several hundred re-enactors there, including small contingents from DAS and Wychwood. It's very different from shows like Hastings. Most places care lots about historical accuracy and that sort of thing. Tintagel doesn't. At Tintagel, the only thing that matters is looking funky. Tintagel has a fairly packed series of events, including two different battles, all of which are done identically on Saturday and Sunday. Mornings - Knights in Shining Armour - The Dark Ages - Other Stuff Mornings Beornwulf in the sword-and-shield tournament The mornings at Tintagel feature a whole load of small events. There's a parade through town in full armour, one-on-one combat tournaments (like the video above of one of my mates), archery competitions, bird of prey displays, that sort of thing. Mornings - Knights in Shining Armour - The Dark Ages - Other Stuff Galfridas is about to die... The first big battle at Tintagel, just after lunch, featured everyone in their best Hollywood-style (or possibly Monty Python-style) knightly costumes. Lots of clanky metal knights hitting each other hard. It was really good fun, if a bit tiring! The fights followed a fairly simple script. We'd run together, clash, fight for a bit, then separate. And repeat, with occassional champion fights thrown in. I wore my red-and-yellow Galfridas costume, although most of my mates just wore normal Anglo-Saxon or Viking gear. Mornings - Knights in Shining Armour - The Dark Ages - Other Stuff Godfrid and Wychwood (plus a random behind us!) The second big battle at Tintagel was a Dark Ages fight, something a bit more like the historical Arthur. In theory. In practice, costumes weren't actually all that much different: people just left off their plate armour and tabards. In 2007, this battle was a bit more complex than the medieval battle, and featured a shieldwall charging a line of archers. This was very exciting, if rather terrifying! I wore my Godfrid costume, plus a helmet and chainmail coif. Some people do headshots at Tintagel, so the extra protection was essential! Mornings - Knights in Shining Armour - The Dark Ages - Other Stuff Galfridas's page tries on his big bro's helmet for size... Lots of other fun stuff happened at Tintagel. There was a market to buy shiny things and cloth at, a living history encampment and a beer tent with very buxom serving wenches (which sold mead and was cheaper for re-enactors!) Also, my Little Bro turned up and acted as my page all Saturday (in a matching tabard), which was very cute.

Made by Hauk, DAS New Member's Rep & Wychwood Old Git - Main page: www.haukr.co.uk - Email: haukragnarsson@googlemail.com