36 THE ELAN VALLEY AND 



mostly hidden by fringes of alders ; sometimes 

 pretty cascades falling over and among great 

 boulders. It is now very low, but one can imagine 

 the grandeur of the scene when a flood comes 

 tearing down from the hills. 



At Rhayader we part from the Wye and follow 

 its important tributary, the Elan, up its lovely 

 vale, so soon to be converted, higher up, into a 

 series of enormous lakes or reservoirs for the 

 supply to the good people of Birmingham of the 

 purest water which these surrounding mountains 

 can send down. 



The Elan Valley Hotel is very charmingly 

 situated, being surrounded on two sides by pine- 

 clad hills, and on other sides by the valley below, 

 and the works going on above. 



Mr. Williams, the proprietor of the hotel, was 

 good enough to drive us up through the works, 

 which extend for about six miles, and described 

 to us many points of interest, which would other- 

 wise have escaped our notice as strangers. 



It would be folly for me to attempt to describe 

 these works ; the great interest is to see this lovely 

 picturesque valley, now in its summer beauty of 

 rich verdure. Already this beauty is considerably 

 marred by the enormous works going on. First 

 passing along a splendid new road, which will 

 eventually form the boundary of the lake, which 

 will rise high up the sides of the hills, we come 

 upon, down below us in the valley, a town of 

 wooden houses, in one long street, built for the 



