DOLGELLEY,
the capital town of Merionethshire, is situated in a wide and fertile valley of singular beauty at the foot of Cader Idris. The streets are exceptionally short and irregular. The parish church of St. Mary has no particular merits; in it is preserved a fourteenth-century effigy of one of the Vaughans, or Vychans, of Nannau. From Dolgelley various excursions may be made to such places of rare beauty as the Precipice Walk, cut high up on the face of Moel Cynwch, with views over the Gaullwyd Valley. The Torrent Walk is beautified by the rich greens and browns lavished by Nature on the rocks by the foaming torrent of the Clywedog. Three fine waterfalls are also to be found in the neighbourhood, one the well-known Pistyll-y-Cain, while the ascent of Cader from this town is a very desirable one.
The road from Dolgelley to Dinas Mawddwy is an interesting one, both by reason of the stiff climbs and also the fine views that accompany it. The surface is generally inclined to be rough, and upon the occasion of the writer's recent visit the portion leading down into Dolgelley was appallingly bad. No doubt this state of things does not exist now. At the Cross Foxes Inn the road turns sharply to the left and mounts to Cold Door Pass, situated upon a bleak moor, with a splendid view of Cader Idris standing in grand isolation and beauty. Many mountains suffer by the proximity of other heights, but Cader is an exception. From the pass the road gradually descends through a valley, increasing in beauty of verdure and foliage, to Dinas Mawddwy.
DINAS MAWDDWY
This sequestered little town lies in a deep hollow formed by the junction of two valleys, which discharge the streams they respectively contain into the Dovey, occupying the main valley. The town consists of one long street, with the grounds and house of Plas at the termination. The church is chiefly known for its enormous yews, one in particular being of really vast dimensions. Dinas Mawddwy is a centre for anglers, sportsmen, and artists, and, during the season, for excursionists. From the road a waterfall is a prominent feature.
The road from Dinas Mawddwy follows the course of the Dovey, and lies in a valley of singular beauty; although the mountains on either side seldom approach 1,500 feet, yet they possess a beauty of form which seems characteristic of the district, and are, as a rule, well wooded.
CEMMAES
is a fairly large village lying off the main road, and nestling for shelter under an outlying crag of the mountains to the west. Shortly after, at Cemmaes Road, the route turns sharply to the left (by going straight on one approaches Machynlleth), and looking backwards a fine array of familiar peaks are seen up the broad valley just traversed. The road to Caersws is at first very winding, with occasional sharp dips; pleasant glimpses are obtained into well-wooded glens, where tributaries of the river flow over their troubled course to join the Afon Garno, or Carno, and before reaching Carno an extraordinary stratification of the rocks is revealed, chiefly in the railway cutting. A natural arch of anticlinal stratification occurs at Talerddig, with every appearance of being built of masonry. At Carno the valley becomes open and pastoral.
CAERSWS
stands at the confluence of the River Carno and the Severn, and was a place of considerable importance in the Roman period. Their influence is still seen in the straight piece of road just traversed, and in other sections still to be passed. In the centre of the village the winter camp is seen, a rampart about 150 yards square, with the road cutting across the centre. The vallum and accompanying fosse are at some points well preserved. Several summer camps occupy the surrounding heights, and many traces of the great Roman road going east and west are to be discovered. At Moat Lane Junction, which lies at a short distance to the left of the route, is a rectangular earthen fort, with a moat adjacent surrounding a high mound, now covered with firs. At Llandinam a statue to a certain David Davies stands prominently by the roadside. The Severn Valley here is wide and open, with many plantations of firs; the railway runs close beside the river for miles. In the distance upon the right may be seen the rounded summits of Plynlimmon, often dark and sombre against the sky.