Whether you think of it as the place of King Arthur's conception, or simply as the remarkable castle ruins connected to the mainland by a single slender natural land bridge, Din Tagell or Tintagel Castle in Cornwall is one of the world's great treasures.

The 13th-century ruins are among the top ten most visited spots in Britain, with over 200,000 visitors annually. But part of it's charm is leading to its ultimate detriment, as the small, and some would say challenging, wooden bridge leading across to Tintagel is deteriorating as a result of its overuse and weather conditions.

English Heritage has stepped in to help save the magic of Tintagel in a very creative manner--it launched a design competition to build a better bridge. "A new bridge is needed not only to transform physical access but also to rationalize routes around the site," writes Malcolm Reading Consultants on the official Tintagel Castle Design Competition website. "Aligning with the original land-bridge, the new link will allow visitors to experience the historic approach and entrance to the castle's inner bailey and enable the relatively unknown stories of the Dark Age and medieval occupation of the site to be told."

They received 137 entries and winnowed it down to six finalists, all of whom they unveiled to the public last week. These entries are currently on display in the Tintagel Village Tourist Information Centre until December 11th and English Heritage is also inviting the public for their feedback. They will let will the competition jury know what the popular pick is when the jury meets in January and the winner will be announced in early February. The designs, like the one pictured above, are all memorable and unique, as befits the castle.