Loop 4. CEMMAES TO ABERYSTWYTH AND LLANGURIG.
The road down the Valley of the Dovey presents a pretty panorama, but possesses no particular feature to arrest attention—it is merely a pleasant drive.
GLANDOVEY
This small place stands at the entrance to the Lyfnant Valley, one of the most distractingly beautiful little glens in the whole of Wales, with waterfalls, torrents, and utter wildness of vegetation, and stern, bleak splendour at the farther end, where Pistyll-y-Llyn showers its two foaming torrents headlong into the black caldron beneath. The first cataract met, the Glaspwll Cascade, is a fine one, but it cannot vie with the more remote example. There is a prettily situated small castle on the left of the road. The estuary of the Dovey now appears, and if the tide be at the flood, presents a very fine prospect. Aberdovey generally has a brig or two lying off the quay. An extensive salt marsh now comes into view, between which and the high land the road runs. Borth lies on the coast of this plain; its hydro, links, and beautiful sands attract visitors during the summer. At Tre-Taliesin we are reminded of the grave of Taliesin, the 'King of the Bards' during the sixth century; the pilgrimage to his grave, which lies about a mile to the left of the road, is a favourite one from Aberystwyth. Two miles farther on the remains of a British camp or fort crown the summit of Moel-y-Gaer, close to the road upon the right; they are remarkably well preserved, and in the neighbourhood are some Druidical circles. In this district the open country around is quite park-like in many places; at times, however, it reminds one of parts of Devonshire. About two miles from Aberystwyth there is a beautiful vista of Cardigan Bay and the coast laved by its waters, with the town lying below at the termination of a long and rather trying hill.
ABERYSTWYTH
Aberystwyth not only boasts of a high antiquity, but also of having been the commercial centre for the Mid-Welsh counties. The trade has now dwindled, but as a watering-place it easily holds its own as one of the most frequented in Wales. The chief points of interest are:
The Castle, the ruins of which occupy a position of prominence in the centre of the town, was built by Gilbert de Strongbow in the reign of Henry I. It was destroyed by Owen Gwynedd, and rebuilt by Edward I.; in the Civil War it was dismantled by the Parliamentarians. The grounds are now laid out in pleasant walks, affording fine views of the coast.
The University Buildings adjoin the castle, and may be termed one of the finest examples of recent architecture in the Principality. The general effect of the modern buildings in the town is depressing, probably owing to the use of the dark Silurian stone, covered with the universal slate roof.
The town is happy in having an immediate neighbourhood of great interest to the antiquary and to the ordinary tourist, inasmuch as many pleasant excursions may be indulged in, such, for example, as the visits to Strata Florida Abbey, the Monk's Cave, Lyfnant Valley, and the Devil's Bridge.