PREFACE TO THE THIRD EDITION. SEVERAL years have elapsed since the publication of the late Rev. W. Bingley's Excursions in North Wales, during which many and extensive alterations have taken place; for instance, the roads from Shrewsbury to Holyhead, from Chester to Bangor, from Caernarvon to Llanberis, and several others, have either been wholly formed or reconstructed; the Menai and Conway Bridges have been erected; the embankment at Tremadoc completed, and the celebrated Parys Mines nearly exhausted. These circumstances made correspondent alterations in the book necessary, and rendered it impossible any longer to preserve the tour in the form of a personal narrative: they also made it advisable to alter in part the route prescribed and adopted by the late Rev. W. Bingley, and to substitute that laid down in the following pages, which was in a great measure pursued by the Editor himself. This route has been made to comprize Aberystwith and the Devil's Bridge; for these places, though in South Wales, owing to the character of the scenery in their neighbourhood, and to their being close upon the borders, may almost be considered as a part of North Wales. The tourist by following it will be enabled to see nearly every object of the slightest interest in North Wales without retracing his steps. Some of the objects described in the following pages may perhaps be interesting to the antiquary alone, and these the tourist, who is in search merely of the beauties of nature, may neglect to visit; indeed, in all cases, persons must be guided by time and circumstances in planning the route which they are to take: but by referring to the index, they will in general be able to find not only a description of the places they intend to visit, but likewise of the scenery accompanying the roads which lead to and from these places. PREFACE TO THE THIRD EDITION. xi The accompanying Map is by Messrs. J. and C. Walker, slightly altered under the Editor's own superintendence, in order the more completely to serve the purposes of this book, and he believes that for its size, it will be found the most correct and intelligible of any yet published of North Wales. 2, CHARLOTTE STREET, BLOOMSBURY, May 7th, 1839. CONTENTS. CHAP. I. CHAP. II. Castle-Pont Cysyllty Aqueduct-Llangollen - Plas Newydd - Cas- tell Dinas Bran-Vale of Crucis-Valley Crucis Abbey-Pillar of The Vale of the Dee-Owen Glyndwr's Palace-Owen Glyndwr-Cor- wen-Cefyn Creini-Pont y Glyn or Pont Diffwys-Cerig y Druidion -Cernioge Mawr-Scenery at 48th and 47th Milestones from Holy- head-Waterloo Bridge-Bettws y Coed-Pont y Pair-Rhaidr y |
