church, built in the 14th century, has been restored. The scenery in the neighbourhood is very pleasing, and the town is much resorted to by tourists. The line continues on to the south from Ruthin, and joins the route from Chester to Bala, Dolgelly and Barmouth described in Route 57.

Continuing our journey from Rhyl, we skirt the sea shore, and soon reach Llandudno Junction (44 miles), where a line goes a little over three miles to the rapidly growing town of LLANDUDNO (Hotels: see "HOTEL LIST"), called the "Welsh Brighton," the most attractive watering place in the Principality. It is handsomely built along the shore of Ormes Bay, under the shelter of Great Ormes Head on the north-west and of Little Ormes Head on the east. These two Heads are enormous masses of limestone rock rising abruptly from the sea to the height of several hundred feet, the highest point being 750 feet above the sea. There is a public walk around Great Ormes Head, which affords fine views over the sea, and inland views toward the Vale of Conway and the Carnarvonshire mountains. St Tudnos Church, dating from the 12th century, and recently restored, contains a curious ancient circular font. There are many pleasant excursions in the neighbourhood. [Southward from Llandudno Junction a line goes off to Llanrwst, Bettws-y-Coed, and Festiniog through the Vale of Conway. It is 11 miles by this line to LLANRWST (Hotels: Eagles, Victoria), a pleasant market town surrounded by beautiful scenery. The church of St Mary was built in the 15th century, on the site of one much older, which was dedicated to St Grwst, or Rhystyd, and hence the name of the town. It con

tains several interesting monuments, and has a beautiful carved screen, brought from the suppressed abbey of Maenan. In the south transept is Gwydir Chapel, erected in 1633 by Sir Richard Wynne of Gwydir, from a design by Inigo Jones.

Near GWYDYR HOUSE, the seat of the late Lord Willoughby d'Eresby, half-a-mile from Llanrwst, is a cataract called Rhayadry-Parcmawr, where a small stream falls about 100 feet. In the mansion may be seen some good oak carvings and a screen worked by Mary Queen of Scots. By the roadside is the Fountain of St Albright, a stream conveyed in pipes from a large reservoir constructed at a considerable distance, on the side of the mountain, for which the public are indebted to the proprietor of Gwydyr.

(For tickets and information in relation to fishing in this region consult the landlord of the "EAGLES," Llanrwst.)

Four and a half miles farther on is BETTWS-Y-COED (Hotels: Royal Oak, Waterloo), a favourite resort for tourists and anglers, and an excellent point from which to explore the east side of Snowdon and the adjacent valleys. The town is delightfully situated near the confluence of the Llugwy and Conway, and has long been a favourite haunt of the angler and artist. In addition to the Rhayadr-y-Wennol, the Falls of the Conway and of the Machno may be seen in the course of a single morning's excursion. The Miner's Bridge and the rapids of the Llugwy, Ffos Noddyn (the fairy glen), and Pandy Mill, are well worthy of a visit." "A walk up the vale of the Lledr to DOLWYDDELAN CASTLE (5 miles) will repay the tourist, who will hardly have seen a more beautiful mountain river, a wilder-looking

fortress than that of Dolwyddelan, or a more glorious termination to his prospect than Moel Siabod." Dolwyddelan is interesting as the birthplace of Llewelyn the Great, and the last stronghold in North Wales that held out against Edward I.

Six miles by carriage road from Bettws-y-Coed is CAPEL CURIG, a little village of two or three houses, a little church, and a comfortable inn, surrounded by mountains-a convenient centre for a great number of mountain excursions, and one of the points from which Snowdon is ascended.

At a short distance from the hotel are two lakes named Mymbyr, connected by a river, and on these boats are kept for the use of visitors. Across the stream, which flows near the garden of the hotel, is a bridge, whence is obtained perhaps the very best view of the summit of Snowdon.

Capel Curig is a favourable starting point for the ascent of other mountains as well as Snowdon. Of these may be mentioned MOEL SIABOD (2863 feet). It is extremely precipitous on the east and south, and its sides are strewed with loose fragments, which render the ascent difficult. Standing a little apart from the group, it affords an excellent view of the mountains of Snowdonia, with their lakes and hollows, and of the Irish Sea, with the bays of Carnarvon and Cardigan. On the east side of the mountain is a pool called Llyn-y-Foel, and on the west side are two lakes of larger extent, the Llyniau Duwaunedd. Of the Two GLYDERS, Glyder Fawr is 3275 feet high, and Glyder Bach about 3000 feet. The ascent of these is difficult, owing to the boggy nature of the ground, but the prospect is sublimely grand. Here are seen to great advantage

Snowdon, the deep vale of Llanberis and its lakes, Nant Frangon, with the lakes of Ogwen, Idwal, the Carnedds Dafydd and Llewelyn, Trifaen. The prospect embraces the Merionethshire mountains, the promontory of Lleyn, and the island of Anglesey, with the ocean. Pennant says of the Glyder Fawr, "The elements seem to have warred against this mountain; rains have washed away the soil, lightnings have rent its surface, and the winds make it the constant object of their fury." In savage grandeur the Glyder is not surpassed by any scene in Wales. The two Glyders entirely fill the space between the vale of Llanberis, Mymbyr valley, and Nant Frangon. Carnedd Llewelyn, the height of which is 3482 feet, and Carnedd Dafydd, 3430 feet, have an elevation little inferior to that of Snowdon. The ascent of these is rarely undertaken.

From Capel Curig a visit should be made to the wild LLYN CAWLYD, and also to the lakes CRAFNANT and GEIRIONYDD, all within 4 miles. There are also other objects of interest near Capel Curig.

LLYN OGWEN, 5 miles from Capel Curig, on the road to Bangor, is a beautiful sheet of water, about a mile in length, having the turnpike road along its southern shore, and being closely surrounded by mountains. That which encloses it on the south side is called Trifaen (threeheaded). It is of conical form, with rugged outline. The lake abounds with eels, and with a peculiar and excellent kind of trout, of a bright yellow hue when in the water, and a fine salmoncolour when cooked. The fishing is open, and good sport may be enjoyed occasionally by the use of a boat, which can be hired at Capel Curig. The water issues

in considerable volume at the western end, through a chasm, falling in three cataracts down a height of 100 feet, called the Falls of Benglog (the skull).

LLYN IDWAL is a smaller pool, situated in a dark deep hollow of the Glyder mountains, at a considerable elevation above the falls of Benglog. The lofty, perpendicular rocks, by which it is surrounded, render it a scene of gloom.

In the rocks which overshadow the pool is seen a deep chasm, called Twl-Du (the black cleft), or, as it is popularly named, the Devil's Kitchen, extending 450 feet in length, 100 in depth, and only 6 in width. A stream rolls down the cleft, several times broken in its descent by the rocks. After much rain, the water falls in one cataract several hundred feet in height. At the bottom are a number of circular holes in the rocks, produced by the falling water, vulgarly called the Devil's Pots.

The ascent of Moel Siabod (2870 feet) is easy from Capel Curig, and SNOWDON is frequently ascended from this point, though the easiest and most frequented ascent is from Llanberis (see Route 58).

FESTINIOG, remarkable for its slate quarries and its narrow gauge railway, one of the first and the narrowest of the railways of this class, may be conveniently visited from Bettws-y-Coed, a distance of about 18 miles by railway. The Festiniog railway is 14 miles in length, and connects Port Madoc, on St George's Channel, with Festiniog.]

Resuming our journey at Llandudno Junction, we soon reach CONWAY (452 miles), (Hotels: see "HOTEL LIST"), situated on an estuary of the Conway, here crossed by a fine suspension bridge, and by an iron tubular

railway bridge, built in the same manner as the famous Britannia Bridge over the Menai Strait. The town is triangular in form, is beautifully placed upon the steep slope on the left bank of the river, and is surrounded by a wall twelve feet in thickness, with towers and battlements. The ancient CASTLE is one of the noblest castellated structures in Britain. It stands on a precipice overhanging the river. The railway passes close beneath its walls. It was built by Hugh Lupus, and rebuilt in 1283 by Edward I. to hold the Welsh in check. Its walls are, in some places, 15 feet thick. There are eight towers. It was taken in 1646 by the Parliamentary forces, who left it uninjured, and it was dismantled only after the Restoration. An old mansion called Plas Mawr, with the exterior and interior profusely ornamented with figures, coats of arms, &c., is a good specimen of the domestic architecture of the period when it was built (1585). The next station after leaving Conway is PENMAENMAWR (49 miles), (Hotels: Penmaenmawr Hotel), a quiet and charming wateringplace situated at the foot of a massive hill of that name (1545 feet). It has grown rapidly of late years, and the hills about are dotted over with modern villas, and the bathing facilities are excellent. On the summit of the hill are the remains of a British fort of great extent, called Dinas Penmaen.

The old Conway road affords a delightful walk. After traversing some wild moorland country, it gains the top of the neck of Penmaen-bach, and then descends to the village of Dwygyfylchi (pronounced Duegevelchi), presenting at every step views of sea, mountain, and valley. From this village there is a path which leads

to "The Glen," a ravine of great beauty and wildness, lying between two thickly-wooded hills. Down the centre of the ravine a river rushes, and in one place makes a beautiful waterfall, amidst a tropical luxuriance of ferns, pine-trees, flowers, and moss-covered rocks.

The next station of importance is BANGOR (59 miles), (Hotels: see "HOTEL LIST.") It is an episcopal city, situated near the Menai Strait, 2 miles from the Britannia Bridge. It consists chiefly of a narrow crooked street nearly a mile in length, bounded on the south by steep precipices. The grandeur and beauty of the surrounding scenery has made it a favourite resort. It has greatly improved within a few years, and has been almost entirely rebuilt. The CATHEDRAL is a cruciform structure with a low massive tower. It is 214 feet long by 60 broad. The present edifice, which occupies the site of an older church destroyed by fire in 1402, was built between 1496 and 1532. Up to 1870, the date of its restoration by Sir G. C. Scott, it was in the early perpendicular style of the 16th century. In the restorations the late perpendicular work and traces of the earlier Norman church were brought to light.

The principal excursion from Bangor is to PENRHYN CASTLE and the slate quarries. (A coach leaves the Railway Hotel several times a day, fare, 2s. 6d.) The castle (2 miles from the station) may be visited on Tuesdays and Thursdays when the family are absent. Tickets to be had at the hotels-2s. for one person, 1s. for each additional person, half the proceeds going to local charities, half to the attendants. The castle is in the Norman style, the best part being the donjon tower, five storeys high. Six miles beyond

are the Penrhyn Slate Quarries, a most interesting sight. The labourers and their families, 6000 in all, live at Bethesda (Douglas Hotel). More than 3000 men and boys are employed in the quarries, and the product is about 200 tons of slates per day. "The loud hum of busy life and industry, the startling blasts reverberating from hill to hill, the labourers suspended by ropes over the face of the cliffs, or standing on narrow ledges of rock, the ranges of galleries formed one above another, the pumping engines, the mills and saws, and the heaps of slates duly assorted and covering many acres of ground, combine to produce astonishment at the commercial enterprise which has transformed these mountain wastes into sources of industrious occupation, private wealth, and national prosperity.'

Three miles farther up the valley is Llyn Ogwen, one of the best fishing lakes in Wales. The route to the lake leads through the beautiful Vale of Ffrancon. The famous Britannia Bridge and the Suspension Bridge are within 3 miles of Bangor (see Route 39).

Three miles north of Bangor by Garth Ferry, and 8 miles by the road, is the neat and wellbuilt watering-place of BEAUMARAIS (Hotels: Bulkeley Arms, Sportsman). It is noted for its fine air and its magnificent views. The view from the terrace near the pier is one of the grandest in Wales. The chief object of interest in the town is BEAUMARAIS CASTLE. It was built by Edward I. about 1295, after he had founded the castles of Carnarvon and Conway. It covers a great extent of ground, but, though massive and ponderous, it has not the imposing effect of other structures of the same age. There is an outer wall, with ten

Moorish towers, and an advanced work called the Gunner's Walk. Within this wall is the main structure, nearly quadrangular in form, with a large round tower at each angle.

An excursion is often made from Beaumaris to PUFFIN ISLAND, or Priestholm, anciently called Ynys Seiriol. It is of oval shape, about half-a-mile in length, and three-quarters of a mile from the shore at Penmon. During the summer the island swarms with birds. It is the resort of immense numbers of one very interesting species, the puffin-auk, with which parts of the island appear at times to be almost covered. They form burrows in the earth, and deposit in each cavity one egg, which is generally hatched in July.

From Beaumaris or Bangor a most agreeable excursion, either by the ordinary steamers or by hired boats, may be made along the Menai Straits to Carnarvon. The passage will afford novel and favourable views of the scenery.

This route passes under both the suspension and tubular bridges over the strait, and affords a striking view of these immense structures.

From Bangor the main line of the great London and NorthWestern Railway goes on to HOLYHEAD, where passengers are transferred to the swift packets which make two passages daily to Kingstown (Dublin) carrying the Irish mails.

From Bangor the Bangor and Carnarvon line goes off southward to CARNARVON (8 miles) and Llanberis. The route follows the Menai Strait.

CARNARVON (Hotels: Royal, and Royal Sportsman) is the capital of the county of that name. It is situated at the south end of the Menai Strait. The CASTLE, its chief object of

The

interest, situated at the west end of the town, was begun by Edward I. It is considered one of the grandest ruins in the kingdom. The walls are nearly entire, and are surmounted at intervals by 13 polygonal towers. The principal entrance, or the King's Gate, opposite Castle Street, is approached by a flight of steps and a bridge. Over it is a statue of Edward I. In the south-west tower is now a Museum. The Eagle Tower, at the extreme west, contains a room in which it is sometimes erroneously stated that Edward II. was born. view from this tower is very fine. The Town Walls, which are a mile and a half in circumference, extend from the Eagle Tower north and east to the Queen's Gate. The gate toward the sea, called Porth-yr-awr, leads to the Esplanade, a delightful walk, which extends along the whole west side of the town to the harbour and pier. Within the walls, the streets, though narrow, are regular; in the more modern parts of the town beyond the walls, they are more spacious, and many of the buildings excellent. The whole town, well supplied with water and lighted with gas, has undergone great improvement. Pennant says of it, "Caernarfon is justly the boast of North Wales, for the beauty of its situation, the goodness of its buildings, the regularity of its plan, and, above all, the grandeur of the castle, that most magnificent badge of our subjection."

The chief excursion from Carnarvon is that to Llanberis and Snowdon, 9 miles, by railway. The route leads by the two lakes Llyn Peris, the upper, rather more than a mile long, and Llyn Padarn, the lower, two miles long. They are only a quarter of a mile apart.