Page:Notes and Queries - Series 12 - Volume 7.djvu/156

 124 NOTES AND QUERIES. [12 s. vn. AUO. u, 1020. river being here of considerable depth : indeed, is navigable for coasters as high as Der- wentas, that is within about two miles of Machynlleth. On our return to Machynlleth we turned to Plinlimmon is not a single hill but a mountainous mass of considerable extent, the top and sides of which appear formerly to have been covered uniformly with peat to the depth of from 8 to 12 feet. This covering is however in many places the rizht up the valley of a stream that rising worn away by the rains forming small stony from Plinlimmon forms during the whole of its course the boundary between N. and S. Wales. This valley is a very deep narrow and rocky glen with a roaring torrent running through and forming a succession of rapids and small falls. The sides are thickly lined with oak timber. The road, which is scarcely accessible except to Welch plains thinly sprinkled with heath and coarse grass ; in some places the rains have only inter- sected the peat by deep gullies forming as it were a sort of network which has a very singular and desolate appearance to those who are wan- dering in them, as was our case in our road to the Severn head. We descended by a different horses, follows the course of the stream where pack irom that by which we ascended and were the rocks are nearly perpendicular, but where m more instances than one indebted to the spirit they are more accessible it quits the stream and a. nd surefootedness of our horses for our extrica- winds by a rapid ascent through towards the top of the mountain, elevation on looking back you see part of the estuary of the Dovey appearing like a great lake at the bottom of the glen, and on ascending still higher the sea makes its appearance above the trees. We crossed the mountain on our left and got into another glen somewhat broader and cultivated, but abounding in oak wood down which we proceeded and thus joined the main road within a short distance of Machynlleth. The savage romantic character of these two glens - renders them well worthy of a visit. September 14. Being a rainy day we remained within doors, occupied with the Saddler, <kc. in equipping our new poneys. September 15. A promising morning, so hired a guide and made the other necessary pre- parations and set out about 10 on horseback for Plinlimmon. The first part of the road lay though deep and cultivated valleys containing several oak woods. As we ascended the woods and cultivated lands gave place to moory hills and boggy valleys over which roamed large the woods I tion from the bogs. We reached Machynlleth From this | by about 7 in the afternoon, having been actively employed during the whole 9 hours of our excur- sion. Plinlimmon itself and the adjoining mountains appear composed entirely of primitive argillaceous schistus with veins of quartz. September 16. Proceeded after breakfast down the vale as far as Aberdovey, a paltry little port at the mouth of the river. It consists for the most part of a single row of houses built on the beach and sheltered from the north by a ridge of slate rock of considerable elevation, over which we passed by a rough and steep road, but were compensated by the delightful view of the bay of Cardigan which we enjoyed from its summit. In this slate rock are several veins of yellow Copper pyrites with quartz which appear to be wrought with considerable effect. From Aberdovey we proceeded along the shore to Towyn, a poor dreary little bathing town, near a mile from the sea, where we slept. September 17. After an early breakfast we r, , proceeded at a leisurely pace towards Dolgelle. herds of black cattle arid flocks of sheep. At For this purpose quitting the regular Talyllvn !/-* .V M-Ti-f-V* or^w^r* i-vk-n4-i/-vn TQ-fV*OT> r r*n T hrTcoc I ,.,,,-,, I -r^. J ~ J J_i _ i * A -i -r^, .* length with some exertion rather of our horses than of ourselves (as we rode the whole way) we gained the summit about 2. Just below us lay a deep black lake out of which the Kheidiol flows ; in another quarter we saw the boggy valley whence the Gwy or Wye derives its origin and at no great distance we beheld similar valley where the Hafren or rises. road we ascended the vale of the Disynwy, at the head of which appeared the summit of Cader Idris in unclouded majesty, with grand side skreens formed by projecting parts of the same mountain, the lower parts of which were sprinkled with natural oak woods and smiling farms, another After passing a great craggy rock called Craig y Severn I Derryn (which rises almost perpendicular from the valley and is a noted resort of multitudes of In the distance, we looked to the South over birds) we turned short to the right, still ascending 1 the river, through a deep wild romantic valley which brought us into the proper Dolgelle road at a hamlet called Efel fac Edris. We still pursued our course up the valley, and our attention was still solicited by scenes of striking grandeur and beauty. The broad extent of Talyllyn lake quite full and sparkling in the sunbeams long attracted our notice. We at length quitted the valley by a striking pass and after a few miles of stony the greater part of S. Wales, as far as the Mon- mouthshire hills, to the West was the winding shore of Cardigan bay, from St. David's head to Bardsey island, in which we distinguished clearly the mouth of the Bheidiol and Ystwith united at Aberystwith, and the yellow sands of the estuary of the Dovey. On the north we could not see with much distinctness further than Cader Idris and Arran Fawddy, but on the East we saw very plainly the Long Mountain and an d rather uninteresting road arrived in sight of ^.^n,. ,_,_ _ ,_. I the river in whose delightful valley is situated the town of Dolgelle. September 18. We devoted the whole active part of this day to Cader Idris which we ascended on foot and found the expedition sufficiently fatiguing. Although upon the whole a fine day- yet the haziness was such as to obscure all distant objects. I was however fortunate enough to ascertain decidedly the alternation of the beds Breiddin hills on the confines of Shropshire. From the summit we proceeded to the well-head of the Severn, an orifice in the rock below the peat scarcely more than six inches in diameter from which issues a tolerably copious and peren- nial current of strongly chalybeat water, in consequence of which its channel is lined for several yards with a copious deposit gof iron ochre.
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