CHARMING VALE OF TOWEY--DINEVAWR CASTLE--GOLDEN GROVE--GRONGAR
HILL--MIDDLETON HALL--CAREG-CANNON CASTLE--REFLECTIONS AT A
FORD--GLENHEIR WATERFALL--AN ACCIDENT--PONT AR DULAS--RETURN TO SWANSEA.
[Picture: Dinevawr Castle]
At Landilo we hastily put up our horses, anxious to feast on the beauties
that disclosed themselves as we approached the spot; and, learning that
NEWTON PARK, the delightful seat of Lord Dinevawr, afforded the most
extensive and picturesque views of the vale, we engaged the keeper's
attendance, and proceeded among waving lawns and woody gnolls to a bold
hill, where,
"Bosom'd high in tufted trees,"
appeared the picturesque remains of DINEVAWR CASTLE. A winding path, cut
through the leafy honours of this hill, conveyed us beneath their dark
umbrage to the top. We here climbed a massy fragment of the ruin, and
entered a falling apartment, which, according to our guide's information,
was once the lady's dressing-room; where, reaching a Gothic window
overhung with ivy, a prospect burst upon us, teeming with the most
fascinating circumstances of verdant nature; a galaxy of picturesque
beauty, at which remembrance becomes entranced, and description faulters!
Immediately beneath, the expansive vale of TOWEY appears in the fullest
display of its charms; a hue of the richest green marks the luxuriance of
the soil through the course of the valley, which, continually intersected
with dusky hedge-rows, boasts all the elegance of garden parterres. The
translucid Towey here wantons in perpetual variety among gay meadows and
embowering plantations, where the eye with pleasure traces its fantastic
meanders until they disappear behind projecting groves. The rich wood
that surrounds the castellated hill clothes a precipitous descent to the
water's edge, and, with other sylvan decorations of Newton park, forms
the nearmost boundary of the vale. On the opposite side, a huge wild
mountain rears its head in desolation to the clouds; and beneath it
Golden Grove, {130} despoiled of its leafy grandeur, now appears in
diminished beauty. Several smaller seats and whitened hamlets start up
in the valley, and, glistening through their appendant groves, give life
to the scene. A little westward, GRONGAR HILL, immortalized by the muse
of Dyer, and now the property of one of his descendants, advances on the
vale and partly turns its course; but at some distance further, a rugged
hill, bearing the mouldering fragments of Gruslwyn castle, proudly
bestrides the plain and terminates the picture. Our view of this scene
was favoured by the departing sun, which, just setting behind Gruslwyn
ruin, threw a glowing tint over the landscape; its golden effulgence
shone strongly on the varied hills, and gleamed on the lofty groves that
adorned the vale; though the greater part of it was obscured in
grandly-projected shadows. {131}
After a week's journey through an extensive tract of country, with few
exceptions as devoid of picturesque interest as of productiveness, to
come at once upon a scene so pregnant with the bounty and beauty of
nature, was a feast for the feelings of philanthropy and picturesque
enthusiasm that I shall never forget; nor do I imagine that the coldest
mortal could fail of feeling a lively interest in so delightful a
change--We
"--cast a longing ling'ring look behind"
on leaving this scene to examine the ruined castle. The extent of the
apparent remains would lead one to consider it as a place of small
importance; but we traced the vestiges of a wall and ditch at some
distance from the conspicuous ruin, which indicate it to have been of
considerable dimensions. The most noticeable parts are, the apartment
already mentioned; a massive round tower, the ancient keep; and a
subterraneous passage. Giraldus saw a castle here; but that was
destroyed in the year 1194, about six years after his Itinerary; it was,
however, soon rebuilt, and became the royal seat of the Princes of South
Wales; but frequently changed its masters, until it fell to the crown of
England. Henry the VIIth made a grant of it to Sir Rice ap Thomas,
Knight of the Garter, a lineal descendant of the Welch Princes, and
ancestor of the present proprietor. It was inhabited until within these
50 years, when the combustible part of it was destroyed by fire.
The mansion, built on a level about half a mile from the castle, is a
large quadrangular structure, with turrets at each corner crowned with
domes: it has lately been modernized; but appears to have been founded
about two centuries back.--An avenue of trees extended from hence to the
castle, which has lately been broken into clumps, in harmony with the
general laying-out of the park. The hills of its strongly undulating
surface are profusely covered with wood, and the hollows enjoy a
luxuriance of pasturage that can scarcely be equalled. On looking down
some of these knolls, there appears no poetical licence in Dyer's
description:
"Below me trees unnumber'd rise,
Beautiful in various dyes:
The gloomy pines, the poplar blue,
The yellow beech, the sable yew,
The slender fir that taper grows,
The sturdy oak with broad-spread boughs;
And beyond the purple grove,
Haunt of Phyllis, Queen of Love!"
We often regretted that the picturesque ruin of the castle was excluded
from our view by the lofty trees that surround it: the laudable jealousy
with which Lord Dinevawr preserves the woody embellishments of his park
appeared to us as extending too far in this instance; for were a few
openings introduced, so as to exhibit from various points the grand
dimensions of some ivied towers, a fine effect might be produced, and a
picturesque contrast obtained to the numerous woody swells that abound in
this beautiful domain.
The morning that we left Llandilo brought with it a scene of affliction
to the surrounding country: one of those deluging rains which often do so
much mischief in mountainous countries fell with unparalleled violence
during the night; when the vast accession of water, unable to discharge
itself by the ordinary channels, swept away trees, fences, small
buildings, cattle, and poultry in its devious course. Several mills were
destroyed; and many an industrious cottager, awakened by the flood
eddying round his bed, saw himself at once dispossessed of the fruits of
many years hard savings:
"Fled to some eminence, the husbandman
Helpless beheld the miserable wreck
Driving along; his drowning ox at once
Descending, with his labours scatter'd round,
He saw; and instant o'er his shivering thought
Came winter unprovided, and a train
Of clamant children dear."
On the storm's abating, we renewed our journey, and, over a handsome
stone bridge crossing the swollen Towey, which had acquired a frightful
hue from the red marle of the neighbouring land, followed its course upon
the road to Llangadock. At the first turnpike we deviated to the right,
up a steep track rendered almost impracticable by loose craigs, by the
side of a romantic dingle, down whose dark hollow a small cascade
trickled with very good effect. In our ascent, delightful views were
obtained of the upper vale of Towey, stretching from Llandilo bridge to
the vicinage of Llandovery. The distant groves of Taliaris and Abermarle
parks adorned this view, which was only inferior to that from
Dinevawr-castle. As we advanced further, the rich prospect withdrew, and
we found ourselves entering upon the dreary wilds of the Black Mountains;
our track then became indistinct, wandering among rocks, floods, and
up-rooted trees, unenlivened by a single habitation or human face. At
length a cottage appeared, and we enquired our way to Careg-cannon
castle; but "Dim Sarsnic" {135} was all we could gather from the
inhabitants. Thus constrained to proceed at random, we mounted a
precipitous hill over a track that formed the bed of a torrent, and
discovered the object of our search upon a bold rock, a considerable
distance on our right: a little Welch farmer was also comprized in this
view, working hard to repair the damages of the storm. We again enquired
the best road to pursue, and again were answered with "Dim Sarsnic;" he
however, signified to us that he would fetch some one, and accordingly
ran over two or three fields, and returned with his daughter, a fine
buxom girl who had picked up a little English at Llandilo market.
Without intreaty she offered to be our guide; and, fixing in the ground a
spade with which she had been clearing a water-course, blythely led us,
through mountainous wilds, within a short distance of the object of our
search.
As we ascended the rock, crowned with the frowning ruin of Careg-cannon
castle, a tempestuous cloud that broke against it drenched us with a
plentiful shower: we sought the shelter of the building, but the wind
raged with such violence, that we shrunk from the mouldering battlements
lest they should overwhelm us. On crossing the ruin through its "stormy
halls," we again recoiled on finding ourselves upon the brink of a
tremendous precipice, which, except on the side by which we ascended,
encompasses the castle in a perpendicular rocky cliff upwards of four
hundred feet in height. Then climbing among the mossy fragments of the
castle, we discovered an aperture in the ground connected with a long
subterraneous gallery dug through the solid rock, and lighted by windows
cut in the cliff, though not visible from any situation without. In
exploring this strange recess, rendered more fearful by the loud shrieks
of the wind, we advanced, not without sensations of awe: it terminated in
a large gloomy cavern, fit scene for
"Murders, rapes, and massacres,
Acts of black night, abominable deeds,
Complots of mischiefs, treason, villanies
Ruthful to hear."
In this place we waited the passing of the storm, conjecturing it to have
continued formerly to some adjacent spot, so as to form a sally-port or
secret communication from the castle. On our return we felt more at
liberty to examine the features of the ruin, which proved of the simplest
construction, totally without ornament or a single Gothic form, and
consisting of one irregular court with towers at each angle. If the
Britons had any castles of stone before the arrival of the Normans (a
fact doubted by some antiquaries), I should imagine this to be one;
although a late tourist, I know not on what authority, ascribes its
erection to the time of Henry the First. The position must have been
formerly impregnable, and its rough aspect marks it to have been
constructed for the mere business of war. By
--a lonely tower,
--whose mournful chambers hold,
To night-struck Fancy dreams, the yelling Ghost,
we passed from this wild abode, and floundered among ditch-like tracks to
recover the high road from Llandilo to Swansea. In a romantic hollow we
were stopped by a branch of the Towey; which, though in ordinary times an
inconsiderable rivulet, was now swelled to a deep and menacing torrent.
Here we found a party of men and women peasants on the opposite side, in
doubt whether it might be safely crossed; but at length one of the men
stripped and waded over, thus satisfying us that the ford was
practicable. The rest followed; the men first getting rid of the lower
part of their dress;--a trouble avoided by the females, who, unused to
the encumbrance of shoes and stockings, had only to hold up their clothes
to the highest extent; and, thus prepared, the whole party moved toward
us. Viewing this remnant of barbarity with disgust, we at the same time
felt uneasy for the situation of the girls: but we might have spared
ourselves that pain; their countenances proved them to be unembarrassed
by the consciousness of shame; nor did their eyes wander from the precise
line in which they were going. The transaction was to them a matter of
perfect indifference.
[Picture: Careg-cannon Castle]
It may reasonably be supposed, that the indecent customs of the Welch
operate against the observance of chastity: yet seeing that the Welch are
by no means deficient in that excellence, it may be supposed that were
such scenes less frequent they would be so; but, as they are continually
recurring, the imagination has no time to effervesce; it is at once
saturated with naked facts, and on that principle the ebullitions of
passion are kept under. On the one hand, those strong bulwarks decency
and delicacy are done away; but on the other, the mind, fully informed,
is not irritated by the conjurations of fancy; which may be a pretty fair
set-off. Yet, without doubt, their strongest safeguard exists in the
considerative defence; for the moral turpitude and political infamy of
unchastity is recognized in Wales to an extent that can hardly be
conceived in circles of modern refinement: even at this day, in districts
not yet drawn within the imposing vortex of trade, {140} a golden age of
innocence may be discovered, where bastardy is unknown, or known but in
recorded instances, in which the man is properly consigned to equal
disgrace with the female offender.
Our travelling continued in rocky tracks, at the rate of a mile an hour,
until we recovered the Llandilo road; from which we soon turned off, on
the right, to visit Glenheir waterfall, in the grounds of Mr. Dubaison,
about five miles south of Llandilo. At this place the Loughor river
pursues its course between steep banks clothed with various trees and
shrubs. On one of the descents a walk is traced, with some ingenuity, in
front of a small picturesque cascade formed by a tributary stream to the
Loughor. This might be mistaken for the object sought; but, crossing a
rustic bridge, the eye on a sudden encounters the whole river rushing
beneath a portal of trees, and throwing itself over a ledge of black rock
in a single fall of eighteen feet. The effect of the whole, seen through
the gloom of pendent trees, is undoubtedly striking; though, it must be
confessed, the sheet of water presenting the formality of an unbroken
square is somewhat unpicturesque. The person who attended us pointed out
the effects of the torrent at fifteen feet above its surface, to which
height it was swelled in the morning by the late storm; a greater rise
than was ever known before: the cataract then exhibited a scene more
tremendously grand than imagination can picture, or words describe; yet
some idea may be formed in conceiving so vast a bulk of water, bursting
over the precipice, stunning with its roar, and filling the atmosphere
with its spray; while up-rooted trees, the shattered fragments of
buildings, and other ruins, swept headlong on by the irresistible
torrent, would illustrate its terrors, and complete a spectacle great
indeed! Yet, alas, at how high a purchase, appeared from the
lamentations of the neighbourhood! Nor were we without a share in the
general calamity; for, crossing the Loughor at a ford about two miles
further, my poney on a sudden slipped out of his depth, and we had
separately to swim for our lives to the opposite bank. This disagreeable
business was much aggravated; for my books, papers, and some other
articles which I carried in a leather-case behind the saddle, were
completely soaked, and several drawings utterly spoiled. My companion,
having a taller horse, escaped, with only his boots full of water. Here
it may not be amiss to apprize the traveller through Wales, that these
fords (frequently occurring) are not unattended with danger after great
falls of rain: at such times, a careful enquiry should be made of the
people near them: a precaution that would have saved us our ducking; for
it afterwards appeared, that no other travellers had crossed the ford
during the day, but avoided it by taking a circuitous route.
In this plight we jogged on upwards of eight miles, with the unwelcome
gloom of the Black Mountains on our left, and a pleasant diversified
country on our right, to the village of Pont-ar-dulas, but which we did
not reach before evening. The comfortable inn at this place afforded us
a change of apparel and good cheer, that soon dissipated the
inconveniences of our journey. On the following morning we rose early,
and then found the place to possess many traits of picturesque
attraction, being seated near a rapid river, and agreeably interspersed
with woods. Thence we had a pleasant ride to Swansea; where we rejoined
a party of our friends at breakfast, after a fortnight's excursion.
During our stay in this town, protracted to several days by its agreeable
society, Mrs. Hatton, mistress of the bathing-house, and sister of the
English Melpomene, exhibited her theatric powers on the humble boards of
Swansea theatre. But, labouring under the misfortune of lameness, and
the encumbrance of more human flesh than I ever before saw crowded in one
female figure, she was obliged to go through her task, the recitation of
Alexander's Feast, _sitting_: notwithstanding which _weighty_ drawback,
the lady did not fail to exhibit a vivid tincture of the family genius.
Here too we were gratified with the news of an event, before whose solid
advantages the victories of a century sink, in a rational estimate, like
glittering tinsel before massive ingots. I was awakened at an early hour
by the loud huzzas of the towns-people, and the frequent discharge of
cannon from vessels in the harbour. The ships displayed their gayest
colours; and the people, in dancing through the streets, congratulated
each other on the long wished-for blessing of PEACE! The chagrin of two
or three provision-monopolizers, and a few others whose interest was in
opposition to the public weal, with the old subterfuge that it was not
the proper time for peace, covering a real sentiment of endless war,
passed unnoticed, nor formed a perceptible speck on the brilliancy of the
people's joy!