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“ It lies under Cader Idris, although the summit is not visible from it; two great craters, however, carved in its rocky flanks, form a fitting background on the left. In front lies a valley, by ascending which the Cross Foxes Inn is reached, and subsequently Dolgelley. Extravagant praise has been lavished upon the lake by many travellers, but one misses some essentials to claims of exceptional beauty. No quality of mystery appeals to the imagination; the lake does not lie in an appalling neighbourhood of black riven rocks or in a glen of surpassing beauty. ”

“ Asaph passes a few coalpits near Mold, but presently winds about in a valley between the Clwydian Range and the Halkin Mountain. The village of Cilcain lies to the left of the route, at a distance of two miles, on the lower slopes of Moel Fammau, and is noted for the magnificent carved oak roof of its church, brought from Basingwerke Abbey, near Holywell. Nature is now in her pleasantest mood, and as the road winds with many a sharp turn down the long slope towards Caerwys, the mountains on both sides become softened and rounded, and clothed in many parts with trees to their summits. ”

“ Soon after turning to the right the road enters the main street of picturesque old Witney at right angles. Extending away some distance to the right is the pleasant elongated belt of green, giving much charm and distinction to the place, and at the end of the grassy perspective, rising in stately dignity from old trees, appears the tower and spire of the cruciform church. ”

“ Upon the bridge before mentioned on Sunday evenings after church or chapel the youths and maidens of the village congregate to sing the sweet Welsh refrains handed down through long generations, and harmonized with a beauty of feeling which only a music-loving nation can express. Among the men singularly rich basses prevail; north of Barmouth, strange to say, tenors predominate. ”

“ To become intimate with the exquisite valleys and secluded upland villages, one must be in a mood to potter and loiter, and be content to desert the car at intervals in order to plunge into some beautiful beech-wood, falling steeply down a declivity, and revealing glimpses between the tall smooth trunks of the Vale of Severn, or some sleepy hollow wherein a silver-grey village nestles. ”

“ The beautiful Norman pillars and graceful arches, ornamented with the most elaborate chevron and zigzag mouldings of the Transitional period; the clerestory springing directly from the dwarfed triforium with which it is incorporated; and the whole surmounted by a finely-wrought timber roof, make a picture of the rarest perfection. The colouring is full of subtle richness, the stonework being of a soft dove-grey combined with a bluish tinge. The building dates from 1180, the previous church having been burnt down by pirates. The tower fell in 1220, and was rebuilt at different periods. ”

“ With the rooks cawing high overhead in the tree-tops, and a sweet solemnity pervading the whole abbey precincts, it is almost impossible to picture the ghastly scene of civil war which, four and a half centuries ago, soaked the meadows in human blood and turned the noble church into a shambles. ”

“ In such an exposed corner of Britain it is not surprising that everything should take what shelter it can find, but to walk through a rather dreary and wind-swept Welsh village, and to discover a magnificent cathedral cowering almost out of sight at one's very feet, is not an everyday occurrence even with the touring motorist. ”

“ From South Mimms a long and easy ascent leads to the summit of Ridge Hill, where the massive tower of St. Alban's fane comes into view in the midst of a beautiful landscape. An equally long and easy descent leads to a turn, where a cottage stands upon the left, at some white gates. This is the entrance to Salisbury Hall, a picturesque moated grange of exceptional interest, with quaint gables, twisted chimneys, and beautiful surroundings. ”

“ It is often stated that the great Norman tower is the most perfect in this country, but the people of St. Albans would no doubt question this claim. The tall wooden spire, covered with lead, fell during service on Easter Sunday in 1559, and was never replaced. Inside the church one sees little that is not pure Norman, and for solemnity and vast, imposing dignity it would be difficult to find any building able to overshadow Tewkesbury. It may be compared with Durham, Selby, and Christchurch. The west end has a wonderfully fine recessed window of immense proportions. ”

“ The situation is superb and the scenery delightful. The spirit of romance is free from any of the handicaps usually suffered by the historian, for in this castle among the clouds, in connection with which history is silent (except a reputed origin in the thirteenth century at the hands of Rhys of Wales) , the wings of imagination may soar to any height. This is a site awaiting the novelist in search of a romantic setting for a story of the Middle Ages. It stands about five miles to the south-east of Llandilo, overlooking the Vale of the Towy. ”

“ The furnishing of the interior savours so much of the Roman church that one might easily imagine oneself on the other side of the Channel. One notices a bell conspicuous on the altar steps, and 'sacred' pictures, with candles and half-withered floral offerings in front of them, are placed on the pillars and elsewhere! Is the Bishop of Oxford aware of these strange reversions to the practices condemned by the Protestant Church of England for the last four centuries? The leaden font is of Norman workmanship, and is a comparatively rare object. ”

“ For three hours before sunset the struggle waged round the site of the church, and when at last Percy's army broke and fled, they made for Wem to the north, or the higher, wooded ground to the east. The road to Whitchurch passes through Wem, from which Hawkstone Park may be seen towards the west upon high ground, and the obelisk to Rowland Hill. The scenery upon the route is eminently characteristic of English pastoral life, with farmsteads and cottages nestling in charming seclusion amid a wealth of foliage, or upon the summits of the small undulations which diversify the Shropshire plain. ”

“ From the village itself not a mountain is visible, but all around are beautiful glades and the profuse richness of vegetation flourishing in subtle, harmonious accord with rocks and dashing waters. The Miner's Bridge lies about a mile along the Capel Curig Road, with the Swallow Falls a mile farther. To Capel Garmon a footpath ascends, and also a zigzag road. It affords a magnificent panoramic view of the chief heights of the Snowdonian Range, with the exception of Snowdon itself, which is hidden by the grand mass of Moel Siabod. An interesting cromlech lies near Capel Garmon. ”

“ The road upon the town side traverses the former moat. A view across the river gives a glimpse of a Roman camp near the stream, while to the north-west stands Clyro, reached by a main road, and enclosed by beautiful woods. A mound of earth and a moat are now the sole remains of the proud and lordly Clyro Castle mentioned by Leland.
The ruins of Cusop Castle and Mouse Castle lie at a short distance from the town, and a favourite excursion is that to the far-famed Llanthony Abbey, lying amid romantic wilds some ten miles to the south. ”

“ LLANEGRYN,
lying off the main road, but approached by a lane, appears on the left. It contains a church well worth visiting, inasmuch as the superb rood-screen is among the finest in the British Isles. It is of early Perpendicular work, and the loft above is quite perfect except for the actual rood and the figures of saints. A good roof and an interesting Norman font should also be noticed.
THE BIRD ROCK
may be seen from this point, an isolated crag of peculiar shape standing up black and dour against the mountains beyond. The weird beauty of the landscape can hardly be overpraised. ”

“ At the Cross Foxes Inn the road turns sharply to the left and mounts to Cold Door Pass, situated upon a bleak moor, with a splendid view of Cader Idris standing in grand isolation and beauty. Many mountains suffer by the proximity of other heights, but Cader is an exception. From the pass the road gradually descends through a valley, increasing in beauty of verdure and foliage, to Dinas Mawddwy. ”

“ The many windings in the road accentuate its charm, glimpses, sometimes of entrancing beauty, being frequently presented to the traveller. Besides the scenery there are no special objects to be indicated upon the road; just beyond Brintirion, however, a stream descends which has passed through the gold-field of St. David's, lying upon the slopes of the mountain above. The ruins of Cymmer Abbey, near Llanelltyd, remind one forcibly of Valle Crucis Abbey, so charming and reposeful are the surroundings. ”

“ Upon the summit, which affords a magnificent view for many miles round, are the ruins of one of the strongest of the early British forts, said to have accommodated 20,000 men. It is a matter for infinite regret that this important link with primitive Wales should be doomed to disappear through the steady advance of the huge quarries now eating into the hill. These quarries, and the steep tramway-lines up to them, also very seriously detract from the beauty of the spot. After leaving the village, the great round hump upon the summit of the mountain can be plainly seen from the road. ”

“ The neighbourhood is full of interest to the antiquary and the geologist. About three miles beyond Erwood the castle and woods of Llangoed are passed, and Boughrood Castle appears on the left. Lyswen is reputed to have been an early residence of the Welsh Princes. The general character of the road between Builth and Talgarth may be stated as not wildly grand, but an exquisite combination of river scenery with eminently beautiful surroundings, where the ruggedness of the rocks is softened by a covering of verdure, and foliage in subtle gradations of beauty appears on every hand. ”

“ Here Henry Percy, in the wars with Glendower, tried to stem the tide of insurrection; and later, in the Wars of the Roses, it was a centre of that desolation and destruction which overwhelmed the valley under Jasper Tudor and the Earl of Pembroke, and reduced it to a land of smouldering embers. But one of the most stirring episodes in the history of the castle was the grand defence made by Colonel William Salusbury, the stout old Royalist, who, in the summer of 1646, valiantly held the walls against the Parliamentarians. ”

“ Externally dreary, too, are the places of worship, and one longs for a board of architects and artists who will supervise new building plans and save the land from further ugliness, so conspicuous where Nature is so full of artistry. The town is devoted to the Welsh flannel industry, and is well known to climbers as the jumping-off point for the ascent of Plynlimmon, about ten miles to the west as the crow flies. In the deeply furrowed shoulders of this mountain are the birthplaces of two famous rivers, the Wye and the Severn. ”

“ The town of Haverfordwest occupies an important position among those of South Wales, and is the centre of commerce for a large district. The streets are narrow and steep, with sharp turnings, probably caused by the confinement of the ancient fortifications which once protected the town. Of these practically nothing remains but the shell of a strong castle, now converted into the county gaol, standing upon a rocky eminence overlooking the town. ”

“ As the great Roman town and fortress of Segontium, the reputed birthplace of Constantine the Great, the site of a famous feudal fortress, and the birthplace of the first Prince of Wales, Carnarvon undoubtedly occupies a unique position in British history, and, as it still possesses tangible evidences of most of its past record, the traveller is unwise who passes by without a stay of at least a few hours' duration, though a few days would be more appropriate. ”

“ The church is new, but some interesting geological contortions occur near it. The view from the railway bridge is one of the most remarkable in Wales. (The toll is 2d., and one of the best times for seeing the estuary and its mountainous setting is at sunset.) High tide helps the scene enormously. A rich and sombre purple, partly clothing the mountains, melts into exquisite gradations of green and velvety browns. Cader Idris, upon the right, fills all that side of the picture; the Arrans furnish the centre distance; while the outliers of Llawr Lech and Y Garn occupy the left. ”

“ Although the scenery upon the south bank of the Mawddach is not so fine as that upon the north, yet the mountains of Ardudwy, as the hinterland of Barmouth was anciently called, present an imposing aspect, and sometimes compose a pretty picture when seen through the umbrageous foliage which lines the road on both sides. ”

“ From the grassy strath within the walls the level plain reaching to Rhyl is spread out very distinctly, and if the eye is allowed to wander to Morfa Rhuddlan, which lies like a great alluvial marsh within the triangle of Rhyl, Abergele, and Rhuddlan, the most desolate stretch in Cambria, the site of that great battle in 795 is seen, when Offa, the great king of Mercia, defeated the hordes of Caradoc, the king of North Wales, with terrific slaughter. ”

“ The Castle is the centre of attraction, although there are some good examples of half-timbered cottages to be seen in the long street of the little town. The fortress was in ancient times one of the strongest in England, as it afforded accommodation for a large garrison, and by reason of the lake and broad moats filled with water—now disappeared—it was almost impregnable. Numerous roads converged towards it as the centre of England, and for many years it was a royal residence. The Keep was built about 1170, and is a splendid example of military architecture of the late Norman period. ”