An English castle believed to be where King Arthur was conceived could be lost forever as climate change quickens the pace of coastal erosion.
Tintagel Castle, perched on top of the clifftops of North Cornwall, is one of several English Heritage sites at risk from rising seas.
The body says the rate of land loss over recent years is “alarming,” placing many of its coastal properties in jeopardy.
It has now launched a major fund-raising drive to shore up the sites it manages.
"Erosion along England's coastline is nothing new but the rate of land loss that we have seen over the past few years is alarming, and some scenarios indicate that sea levels could increase by up to a metre by the end of the century,” said Rob Woodside, director of estates at English Heritage.
"To give this some context, last century sea levels rose by 14cm along the southern coast of England.
"Climate change is accelerating the issues faced by our coastal heritage and creating huge challenges for organisations like English Heritage seeking to protect it."
The site of Tintagel Castle has been inhabited since the late Roman period but it came to fame in the 12th century, when chronicler Geoffrey of Monmouth named it was the place where King Arthur was conceived.
His mythological account of the history of the kings of Britain, Historia Regum Britanniae, cemented King Arthur, and Tintagel's, place in the national imagination.
The legendary king is said to have led a knightly fellowship called the Round Table. Although historians cannot confirm he actually existed, many believe he was a real warrior from the sixth century who led British armies against Saxon invaders.
It is believed the association with King Arthur prompted Richard, Earl of Cornwall, to build a castle at Tintagel in the 1230s.
The site has long-since battled with erosion, with parts of the castle already falling into the sea by the 14th century.
But English Heritage said areas of the cliff directly in front of the castle had been lost, affecting the viewing area and the coastal path.
It aims to raise £40,000 to repair the damage and that caused by last winter's storms.
Tintagel Castle is not the only castle vulnerable to coastal erosion. Others include Bayard's Cove Fort near Dartmouth in Devon, which was built in Tudor times and is vulnerable to flooding because it is located on a terrace cut from the rocky river bank.
The Garrison Walls, an English Heritage property on the island of St Mary's in the Isles of Scilly is another at risk.
The walls, which were built to strengthen the island's defences after the attempted invasion by the Spanish Armada, have "pinch points" which take the full force of the tide and make them vulnerable to erosion.
Several fortresses built by Henry VIII are also in peril. A huge section of the 18th century east wing of Hurst Castle in Hampshire collapsed in February 2021 after the sea undercut its foundations.
Calshot Castle, another of Henry VIII's fortifications located close by, is battling erosion, and its low lying site puts it at risk from flooding as sea levels rise.
Piel Castle, which dates back to the 14th century, is located on a rapidly eroding low-lying island around half a mile from the coast of Morecambe Bay.
Built to guard Barrow-in-Furness against pirates and Scots raiders, swathes of the surrounding island have already been lost, while some of the castle fell into the sea in the 19th century.
In recent years, English Heritage said the sea banks and modern gabion sea defences, loose stones shaped into blocks by wire cages, had been undermined by coastal erosion, costing at least £25,000 to repair.
Mr Woodside said hundreds of heritage sites in the UK and around the world are increasingly at risk.
"If these coastal properties are to survive the coming decades, we will need to strengthen their walls and build sea defences to protect them. It is for this reason that we are launching a public appeal to raise funds for this vital conservation work," he said.
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Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
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The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
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A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
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Lynsey Addario, Penguin Press
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UAE cricket captain
Age: 31
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Copa del Rey
Semi-final, first leg
Barcelona 1 (Malcom 57')
Real Madrid (Vazquez 6')
Second leg, February 27
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1: Commit to countering all types of terrorism and extremism in all their manifestations
2: Denounce violence and the rhetoric of hatred
3: Adhere to the full compliance with the Riyadh accord of 2014 and the subsequent meeting and executive procedures approved in 2014 by the GCC
4: Comply with all recommendations of the Summit between the US and Muslim countries held in May 2017 in Saudi Arabia.
5: Refrain from interfering in the internal affairs of countries and of supporting rogue entities.
6: Carry out the responsibility of all the countries with the international community to counter all manifestations of extremism and terrorism that threaten international peace and security
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126: The length in metres of the legs supporting the structure
1 football pitch: The length of each permanent spoke is longer than a professional soccer pitch
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Squad: Majed Naser, Abdulaziz Sanqour, Walid Abbas, Khamis Esmail, Habib Fardan, Mohammed Marzouq (Shabab Al Ahli Dubai), Khalid Essa, Muhanad Salem, Mohammed Ahmed, Ismail Ahmed, Ahmed Barman, Amer Abdulrahman, Omar Abdulrahman (Al Ain), Ali Khaseif, Fares Juma, Mohammed Fawzi, Khalfan Mubarak, Mohammed Jamal, Ahmed Al Attas (Al Jazira), Ahmed Rashid, Mohammed Al Akbari (Al Wahda), Tariq Ahmed, Mahmoud Khamis, Khalifa Mubarak, Jassim Yaqoub (Al Nasr), Ali Salmeen (Al Wasl), Yousef Saeed (Sharjah), Suhail Al Nubi (Baniyas)
THE POPE'S ITINERARY
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1pm: departure by plane from Rome / Fiumicino to Abu Dhabi
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Monday, February 4
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At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Zayed Sustainability Prize
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Engine: 4-litre twin-turbo V8
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