The London Welshman

IN LOVELY WALES. XII.-LLANBERIS AND SNOWDONIA. Llanberis and Snowdonia are, so closely associated in the minds of all tourists, that it is almost impossible to separate them; therefore, we shall deal with both together. But we do not forget that there are other delightful resting places in the heart of "Eryri,"and very con- venient also for those who intend to ascend the monarch of Welsh mountains, such as Beddgelert, Penygwryd, and Capel Curig. Somehow, however, Llanberis seems to claim the prior right of being the entrance to the sanctuary of the hills, and especially now, since the mountain railway runs up from the village-or town, we ought to say, perhaps-to the very top ofY Wyddfa, almost, Llanberis is not likely to lose the privileges it has so long enjoyed. Before we describe the ascent up the famous mountain, we ought to mention that Llanberis is situated about eight miles from the town of Carnarvon. Tourists may reach there by the London and North Western Railway, via the county town, or they may travel from Bettws-y- coed or Portmadoc by coach. The modern village, which is two miles and a half nearer Carnarvon than Old Llanberis, stands between the two lakes, Llyn Padarn and Llyn Peris. The district around is full of attractions. The famous slate quarries are on the opposite side of the lakes. Readers of Tennyson will re- member the reference to these quarries in the "Golden Year We crost Between the lakes, and clamber'd half-way up The counter side And high above I heard them blast The steep slate-quarry, and the great echo flap And buffet round the hills from bluff to bluff." On the road towards Old Llanberis, and overlooking the lake, are the ruins of Dolbadarn Castle. This stronghold did its part in the history of Wales for many centuries, from the days of Maelgwn Gwynedd. In the reign of Edward the First a Welsh garrison defended themselves there against the English. It was into this fortress also that Llewelyn, "our last chief," threw his two brothers, Owen and Dafydd, who had led a revolt against his authority. Following the road up the valley, the tourist will come before long to Old Llan- beris, where stands the parish church, a building which is still interesting, having a singular fifteenth century roof. Before its restoration it was so curious a building that one writer said its parallel could not be pointed out in Europe, except, perhaps, in some of the more remote portions of the Bernese Alps or the Vaudois country. The tourist is now at the beginning of the famous Pass of Llanberis. On his left are the Elidir, Y Garn, and the Glyders, and on his right Y Wyddfa, only the shoulders of which, however, he can see. The distance to the top of the Pass is a good three miles. The narrowness of the Pass, the high overhanging cliffs, the enormous boulders which lie on either side, many of them having glacier- marks, make this walk, especially if taken in the gloaming, one to be never forgotten. The pedestrian may in returning down the Pass turn. towards the north at Old Llanberis and take the path over the hills to Ogwen Lake, passing Twll Du and the Devil's Kitchen, as terrible a chasm as any imagination may picture. But the chief attraction of Llanberis is Y Wyddfa. How many thousands of tourists and pleasure seekers come here every summer to go up this queen of the hills. It is a very easy matter to reach the summit nowadays, the railway has made it possible for even the feeble and the old to enjoy the keen air and the magnificent view which used to be the monopoly of the young and the strong. Whilst we do not grudge them that privilege in the least, we cannot help re- gretting that the romance of climbing Snowdon has been lost. Those who go up by the power of steam or electricity can never experience the rapturous joy which was the portion of those who, through their own might, stood on the heights. The vigorous and the bold may still have some degree of that experience, though he cannot escape out of civilisation now as he might have done a decade ago. Snowdon may be ascended from Snowdon Ranger, Beddgelert, and Penygwryd as well as from Llanberis, but the ascent from the latter place, though somewhat longer, is much more gradual and less fatiguing. Leaving the village in a southerly direction we soon begin to climb. It is worth while, however, to turn from the cart road for a little time to view the Ceunant Mawr Waterfall, a roaring cataract of remarkable grandeur, especially after a heavy rainfall. Returning to the road, which gradually becomes rougher and more or less steep, we see Cwm Brwynog, where Llyn Du'r Arddu is situated on the right, with Cwm Glas Bach on the left. Before very long we reach a spring of water. The path becomes steeper from here to the top, though never difficult, nor in any degree dangerous. We have neither the power nor the space to describe the view from Pen y Wyddfa." The distant view on a clear day is a wonder, but the nearer view gives one exquisite delight-the peaks of Snowdonia itself, so majestic in their terribleness, and so numerous that one never feels sure he has observed them all; the lakes in the deep valleys that shine like sheets of polished silver, as innumerable also as the hills precipices that make one shudder; lovely stretches of country far away below, and then the encircling sea with its islands. And for those who are bold enough to go up by night and are fortunate enough to get a clear morning -a rare favour, we are afraid-there is the sun- rise, something unsurpassable. It is worth going up for many times in vain, if in the end the boon is obtained. Though the ascent from Llanberis is the easiest, it does not afford a view of the grandest aspect of Snowdon. That is obtained from the Upper Penygwryd Path on the other side. It was up that path that Professors Tyndal and Huxley went up on December 28th, 1860, and an extract from the former's description of the ascent shall end this article "The scene was grand in the extreme. Before us were the buttresses of Snowdon, crowned by the conical peak; while below us were three llyns, black as ink, and contracting additional gloom from the shadow of the moun- tain. The lines of weathering had caused the frozen rime to deposit itself upon the rocks as on the tendrils of a vine, the crags being fantastic- ally wreathed with runners of ice. The summit, when we looked at it, damped our ardour a little; it seemed very distant, and the day was sinking fast. From the summit the mountain sloped downward to a col which linked it with a bold eminence to our right. At the col we aimed and half an hour before reaching it we passed the steepest portion of the track. This I quitted, seeking to cut off the zig-zags, but gained nothing but trouble by the attempt. This difficulty conquered, the col was clearly within reach on its curve we met a fine snow cornice, through which we broke at a plunge, and gained safe footing on the mountain rim. The health and gladness of that moment were a full recompense for the entire journey into Wales. We went upward along the ed^e of the cone with the noble sweep of the snow cornice at our left. The huts at the top were all cased in ice, and from their chimneys and projections the snow was drawn into a kind of plumage by the wind. The crystals had set themselves so as to prese. t the exact appearance of feathers, and in some cases these were stuck against a common axis, so as accurately to resemble the plumes in soldiers' caps. It was three o'clock when we gained the summit. Above and behind us the heavens were of the densest grey; towards the western horizon this was broken by belts of fiery red, which, nearer the sun brightened to orange and yellow."