PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION.

vii

of the North of England. I can, however, with truth declare, that, taken in the whole, I have not found these by any means so interesting as four of the six counties of North Wales, namely, Denbighshire, Caernarvonshire, Merionethshire, and Anglesey. The traveller of taste (in search of grand and stupendous scenery,) the naturalist, and the antiquary, have all, in this romantic country, full scope for their respective pursuits.

My mode of travelling was principally as a pedestrian, but sometimes I took horses, and at other times proceeded in carriages, as I found it convenient. A traveller on foot, if in health and spirits, has, in my opinion, many advantages over all others of these the most essential is that complete independence of every thing but his own exertions, which will enable him, without difficulty, to visit and examine various places that are altogether inaccessible to persons either in carriages or on horseback.

From my first entrance into the country I had formed a determination, if I found my observations sufficiently interesting, to lay the result of them before the public. This I did in my Tour round North Wales, published about ten years

ago. Till that journey was nearly completed, no tour of any importance, later than that of Mr. Pennant, (originally published in 1778,) had come to my knowledge. I had not then heard of those either of Mr. Aiken, Mr. Warner, or Mr. Skrine, and therefore, not without reason, considered myself as filling an unoccupied place in British topography. The work, notwithstanding there were no fewer than half a dozen others of a nearly similar nature, published about the same time, was so well received by the public, as to afford reasonable hopes of success to fresh exertions.

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.