PLACES OF INTEREST ON THE ROUTE
Shrewsbury.—Castle; free library and museum; market-house; churches; public gardens; town walls.
Montford Bridge.—Pretty road.
Oswestry.—Castle mound; church, with a fine tower.
Chirk.—Castle of great interest; viaduct; aqueduct.
Llangollen.—Valle Crucis Abbey; Eliseg's Pillar; bridge. The really fine scenery lies beyond Llangollen.
Corwen.—Church, with eighth-century cross in churchyard.
Conway Falls.—Pandy Mill and Falls, Swallow Falls, all about 2 miles short of Bettws-y-Coed, upon the left, where the Conway Falls Inn will be seen.
Bettws-y-Coed.—Waterloo Bridge (Dolwyddelan Castle).
Llanrwst.—Bridge; Gwydir Castle and Chapel.
Conway.—Castle; bridge; walls of the town; church.
Llandudno.—Watering-place; Great Orme's Head; St. Tudno's Church.
(Trunk) No. 4. SHREWSBURY TO CORWEN.
Shrewsbury.—To pass through Shropshire without seeing Shrewsbury would be tantamount to journeying through Italy without visiting Rome. Its physical features are strikingly picturesque, and it has almost as many antiquities as Chester. Fortunately, too, the objects of interest are grouped together.
Town Plan No. 3—Shrewsbury.
The town lies in a loop of the Severn, with the castle protecting the opening. It is of red sandstone, and dates in part from the time of Edward I. The grounds are open, but the building is private. The free library and museum, opposite the castle, occupy the old buildings of Shrewsbury School, founded in the reign of Edward VI. The museum contains many 'finds' from Uriconium. The school now occupies magnificent buildings south of the town. Passing up Castle Street, the old Council House gateway is upon the left, and soon after a turn to the left at the post office brings one to St. Mary's Church, a noble building, of which the base of the tower and the nave are Norman, the transept Early English, and the aisles Perpendicular, and other portions late Perpendicular. The tower, with its spire 222 feet high, is the third loftiest in the kingdom. The general appearance of the interior is very beautiful, and the Jesse window of fourteenth-century glass should be especially noticed; it was originally in the Grey Friars' monastery. The glass as a whole excels that of any other English parish church; the St. Bernard window, for example, on the north side of the altar, attributed to Albert Dürer, came from a church at Cologne. St. Alkmund's Church can be seen from St. Mary's, and passing that, and also St. Julian's Church, the old Wyle Cop may be reached. Among the ancient timbered houses there is one in which Henry VII. stayed prior to Bosworth in 1485. Passing over the English Bridge, the Abbey Church is reached, with its imposing west front and great Perpendicular window, and the tower, the base of which is Norman, rising from the west end of the nave. Internally the latter possesses three massive Norman bays, and two of the Early English period, a fine arch in the latter style dividing it from the tower. The chancel and clerestory have been rebuilt recently in good taste. There are some interesting monumental effigies; one in the south aisle is supposed to represent the founder, Roger, Earl of Shrewsbury, died 1094. In this church, then the Chapel of the Monastery of the Holy Cross, Richard II. held the 'great Parliament' in 1377.
Returning to the town, the road by Beeches Lane will lead by way of the old walls to Murivance Tower, the only one remaining of the twenty which once guarded the town. A short distance farther on, the 'Quarry,' with its beautiful avenues of lime-trees by the river, is reached, one of the spots of which Shrewsbury is justly proud.
Having safely negotiated the dangerous hill in Shrewsbury, the road to Oswestry is easily found, and, as nothing of supreme importance is encountered before that town appears, the beauties of the Holyhead Road may be appreciated.
OSWESTRY
The Church possesses a remarkably fine tower, which presents a venerable appearance by reason of the growth of vegetation upon it. A portion was pulled down during the Civil War, and rebuilt some time after the Restoration. The interior should be visited, although there are no special features upon which to dilate. About a mile to the north of the town lies Old Oswestry, a very fine and well-preserved earthwork, consisting of three concentric circles of defences. A portion of Wat's Dyke lies adjacent. This was the first ditch made by Offa, King of Mercia, in the eighth century to prevent Welsh incursions; the second, called Offa's Dyke, was dug a few miles nearer the Welsh border, and generally parallel to the first.
A stiff rise in the road announces that Chirk is at hand, and the celebrated castle is the first point of interest.
CHIRK CASTLE,
anciently, Castel-y-Waen, is the only example of the thirty great fortalices in Shropshire erected to control the Welsh border which remains in complete repair and is occupied at the present time. It is indelibly associated with the Myddeltons, an ancient Denbigh family who have been identified with every popular movement in that part of the country for centuries past. The present owner is Mr. Richard Myddelton.
(The Castle is open Mondays and Tuesdays 2 to 5 p.m., 1s. each person; other days special orders, Estate Office, Chirk, 5s. for three persons.)
The builder of the existing fortress was Roger Mortimer, Lord of Chirk, who in 1310 commenced work upon the site of Castell Crogen, which dated from 1011. In 1595 it came into the possession of Sir Thomas Myddelton, subsequently Lord Mayor of London. Sir Hugh Myddelton, of New River fame, was his brother. The Royalists seized the castle in the absence of the second Sir Thomas Myddelton, a Parliamentarian, who had the pleasant experience of battering his own property in the endeavour to retake it. Becoming disgusted with Parliamentarian excesses, he became Royalist again, and was besieged. So much damage was done by the artillery of Cromwell that £30,000 were spent subsequently on repairs.
It is a quadrangular structure, with embattled walls, four towers of great strength at the angles, and another defending the gateway. A court of considerable area occupies the centre. Some very interesting pictures form part of the treasures of the house, and among them is the exquisite cabinet given to Sir Thomas by Charles II. The exterior aspect is extremely pleasing, with ivy-covered walls and red-grey stonework forming a background to the old-world gardens. Traces of Offa's Dyke occur near the farmhouse at the foot of the castle. The beautiful Ceriog Valley is an attractive feature of this neighbourhood.
The road to Llangollen from Chirk commands a fine view of the vale, and a sight of one of the most striking features of the Dee Valley, the great aqueduct conveying the canal across it at a height of 120 feet above the river. An iron trough in the stonework contains the water. There are nineteen arches, and the length is over 1,000 feet. It is one of Telford's masterpieces.
(For a description of the route from Llangollen to Corwen, see [pp. 69-71].)
(Trunk) No. 4. CORWEN TO LLANDUDNO.
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Leaving Corwen, the river is passed by a bridge, and a glimpse afforded up the Vale of Edeyrnion to the left, at the end of which lies Bala Lake and the source of the Dee. There are many glimpses of charming scenery and nestling homesteads to be seen between Corwen and Cerrig-y-Druidon, although the latter lies upon a somewhat bare tableland perched nearly 1,000 feet above sea-level. The British camp of Pen-y-Gaer lies to the right of it. Pentre Voelas is situated at the beginning of the long descent into Bettws, and this part of the road commands as beautiful scenery as one could wish to see. A little more than four miles beyond Pentre Voelas is a turning on the left to Penmachno, and a few yards farther on the Conway Falls are seen at the bottom of a deep ravine. The celebrated Fairy Glen may be reached by means of a broad green path, which leaves the main road at the same place as that leading to the Conway Falls. The wicket-gate, beyond which the glen is reached, is nearly three-quarters of a mile down this track. The beauty of the glen is so conspicuously appealing that it has won for itself an almost world-wide renown. The road from this point descends rapidly, crosses the Waterloo Bridge, and enters Bettws-y-Coed.
BETTWS Y COED.
The charm of this delightful locality is felt by everyone who comes within its influence. 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.
Resuming the journey, the road to Llanrwst passes over the Waterloo Bridge and turns sharply to the left. Llyn-y-Parc is seen across the Conway, lying at the base of spurs projecting from the mountains beyond, and Gwydir Castle appears at the farther end of it.
LLANRWST
This ancient market town contains a church dating from the fifteenth century, when it replaced a much older one. It contains several interesting monuments and an elaborate screen. The beautiful Gwydir Chapel was designed by Inigo Jones; it dates from 1633, and contains five brasses of members of the Wynne family. The large stone coffin of Llewellyn the Great, son-in-law of King John, is preserved here, having been removed from Conway Abbey. The effigy in armour represents Howel Coetmore, who led a hundred Denbighshire men at Poitiers.
Gwydir Castle was built in 1555, and partly rebuilt in 1816. In the absence of the family (Lord Carrington is the owner) it is possible that the interesting interior may be seen. The park contains much natural beauty, one conspicuous feature being the lofty Falcon Rock behind the house. Llanrwst Bridge, built by Inigo Jones in 1636, is said to tremble if sudden pressure be placed on one of the parapets.
Two miles out of Llanrwst the village of Trefriew is seen across the river, a summer resort and inland watering-place. Presently the site of Maenan Abbey, which disappeared at the Reformation, is passed, before reaching Maenan House. The mountains lying between the Conway Valley and Nant Ffrancon now present a fine spectacle. Shortly after Tal-y-Cafn a dangerous hill is encountered, and from its summit the Roman station of Canovium, situated near Caerhun on the Carnarvonshire side, may be discerned. As the fishing at this part of the estuary is noted, some coracles may perhaps be seen. The road between Glan Conway and Llandudno reveals grand views of Conway Castle and Mountain, and all the varied scenery which makes the estuary so famous.
LLANDUDNO
The 'Biarritz of Britain' is not an inappropriate name for this favoured town, which possesses every advantage of splendid climate, beautiful scenery, and perfect bathing.
Great Orme's Head is generally the object of the first excursion. In the early morning it looks very imposing, with the exquisite effect of moving mist lying upon the placid waters of the bay at its base, and the summit of the great limestone mass reddened by the hues of the rising sun. It may be seen from the carriage-road which circles it, and affords splendid views of mountain and sea, probably unsurpassed in the kingdom; but the best way is to ascend to the summit by a well-marked road north of the town leading from Church Street, and to visit St. Tudno's Church, with its quaint entrance, 4½ feet in height, of rugged stones, and its general aspect of antiquity. The church is seen from Telegraph Point, which dominates the peninsula. A cromlech lies to the left of the road leading to it, and the remains of a stone circle are above the church. There is plenty of rough scrambling to be obtained.
The carriage-drive is best entered near the pier (motors one shilling toll; pedestrians one penny). The way rises and falls like the Corniche Road; red rocks alternate with white or grey limestone; at times the track is at a giddy height, and presently near the surface of the water. The view up the Menai Straits, with the coasts of Anglesey and Carnarvon nearing each other at the bridges, is very fine, but when the farthest point of the headland is reached, that which leads back to the town is no less beautiful, affording as it does one of the finest prospects of the noble outline of the Carnarvonshire Mountains.
The visitor should not fail to visit the Little Orme, where the sheer cliffs and grassy summit often offer a seclusion much appreciated after the boisterous exuberances of an August crowd. There are many coigns of vantage around Llandudno from which the appreciative traveller can gaze over mountain, sea, and strath, and also a number of interesting edifices that may be visited if sufficient time is allowed.
Unlike Aberystwyth, there is a considerable choice of hotels at Llandudno. The Queen's is recommended for its fine position on the front and for its general excellence.
CONWAY FROM BENARTH.
On the left is the famous Edwardian castle and leading to it is Telford's tubular bridge. Great Orme's Head appears in the distance.