No spot in Cornwall is more fraught with ancient, still very much alive legends than Dozmary Pool. Located in the heart of Bodmin Moor, this small, mysterious body of water has fueled tales that go back to King Arthur’s times. The most famous legend, still told in Cornwall’s chilly evenings by the fireside, is about the Lady of the Lake. The Lady, a mysterious, ethereal figure, is believed to dwell in the depths of Dozmary Pool. It’s said that this is the place where a young Arthur rowed out and received the magical sword Excalibur from her. After Arthur was fatally wounded at the Battle of Camlann, it is believed that Sir Bedivere returned the sword to the Lady of the Lake by throwing it into Dozmary Pool. A hand emerged from the water, caught the sword and then disappeared beneath the water’s surface. Despite the unassuming nature of Dozmary Pool, believed by some to have no bottom, one can’t resist feeling the shiver of the ages-old tales reverberating above its opaque, slate-grey waters. There were attempts to drain the pool in the eighteenth century, and Local people were supposed to have said: ‘Do not do this, for the Lady in the Lake will reclaim it,’ meaning it was somehow sacred and should not be disturbed. Sure enough, as the story goes, when the work was eventually abandoned, the pool re-filled. Even today, on wintry days or nights when the mist descends on Bodmin Moor, many say you can still see the spectral figure of the Lady of the Lake, silently watching from the shores of Dozmary Pool, guarding the lost Excalibur.