It is advisable for all travellers, pedestrians not excepted, to leave
Dolgelly at high water, as without that, the scenery loses much of its
beauty; if convenient, it is certainly preferable to hire a boat at the
Stoves; the charge is three shillings and sixpence; by this you will save
a walk of eight miles, and both from your situation, and from being more
at your ease, will better admit of your observing the surrounding
scenery, with which you cannot fail to be highly gratified.
This short excursion of eight miles is truly grand, awful, and sublime;
and, though many parts of this striking valley are richly cultivated,
yet, by the side of the road, enormous mountains, formed into the most
capricious shapes, shoot into the clouds, sometimes projecting so far
over the road, as seemingly designing to impede our farther progress: the
wide expanse of the ocean in front, with the arm of the sea running up
the country in the centre of the valley; in fine, the _tout ensemble_
claimed our highest admiration.
Barmouth, though considered as a bathing-place, is very inferior to
Tenby, yet its situation for grandeur of rocks has been frequently
compared, by many Tourists, to Gibraltar; and by others esteemed not
unlike St. Kitts, in the West Indies. The vast sand-banks, formed by the
tides, immediately in front of the town, are the only barriers which
protect it from the inundations of the sea. The shore is extremely
level, and affords, for many miles, excellent riding.
Barmouth is the only port in the county of Merioneth: but the entrance to
it is difficult. The town is built on ledges of rock, one rising above
another, so that the inhabitants of one street look down upon the
chimnies of that which is before them.
The board and lodging is regulated on the same excellent plan here as at
Tenby, with very little difference in respect to the expense. We could
not avoid observing the number of pigs, which are esteemed in this part
of the country far superior to any in England, lying in every corner of
the street; and these pigs, I rather imagine, consider themselves, during
the night, inmates of the peasant’s cottage: yet these hardships, if they
may be distinguished by that name, the inhabitants of the hovel suffer
without complaint, and deem themselves perfectly happy as long as they
possess a pile of turf to keep off the inclemency of the winter’s blast,
a small strip of ground well stocked with potatoes, some poultry, and a
fat pig: one hovel, however, protects them all. Though, to appearance,
their situation is most miserable, yet it has no effect on their tempers
and dispositions; their hospitality, and indeed kindness, towards
strangers in distress, is an interesting trait in their character: to
instance this I am induced to mention an anecdote which took place at
Hubberstone, not long ago. A lady anxiously waiting the arrival of her
husband from Ireland at the miserable village of Hubberstone, soon
interested even the meaner inhabitants of the place in her behalf; who,
willing to render her situation as comfortable as possible, seemed to vie
with each other in producing the most delicious fruits, and the choicest
garlands of flowers, to present them to the unhappy consort; and, not
content alone with this, she was generally greeted in the streets, with
the phrase, “There goes poor Mrs. L—.” The lady, at last, impatient for
the arrival of her husband, determined to sail for Ireland. The
faithfulness of the little group that accompanied her to the shore can
better be imagined than described; the last farewell, with tears of
artless innocence, and the beseeching that Providence “who governs the
waves, and stills the raging of the sea,” to grant her a prosperous
voyage, all this seemed to come so thoroughly from the bottom of their
hearts, that we cannot avoid feeling ourselves interested in their
behalf.