84 , ON THE ITHON 



doubtless, the monks of old, as was their custom, 

 fished and fed upon carp, and possibly that prolific 

 demon fish, the chub the cooking of which is now 

 a lost art. The ruins, and the beautiful church, and 

 the mansion, are all situated in a most lovely nook, 

 surrounded by mountains of great height. It is 

 nine miles from Llandrindod a very charming 

 drive. 



I did not come here with the view of drinking 

 waters. I expected to find an old-fashioned village 

 among the mountains. I found a small town of 

 newly-built houses, mostly of red brick or stone, all 

 seemingly on the latest principles of sanitation, and 

 lighted with electric light a town quite up to date, 

 only wanting a steam roller to complete its per- 

 fection. The streets, when I was there, were stoutly 

 carpeted with broken limestone, which were bad 

 for tender feet. I am not going to describe the 

 place in any detail. I can only say that I was 

 equally surprised and charmed with this delightful 

 oasis among the hills. The varied scenery is lovely. 

 One of the inducements to come here was the cer- 

 tainty of having pleasant rambles by rivers, whether 

 fish were to be caught or not. 



" Lord, who would live turmoiled in the Court, 

 And may enjoy such quiet walks as these ? " 



King Henry VI. 



Our first little excursion took us all along a rugged 

 road to have a first look at the Ithon, about three 

 miles away to the Shaky Bridge. This is a very 

 curious structure a bridge of wooden planks laid 



