May, 1892. 
A WEEK IN NORTH WALES. 
109 
A WEEK IN NORTH WALES.* 
BY T. H. WALLER, B.A., B.SC. 
“ A Week in North Wales” does not suggest any startling 
experiences, and it may be as well to say at the beginning 
that these notes will contain the record of none. Everyone 
goes to North Wales, from those who can only get off for two 
or three days at a time of a general holiday to ladies who 
tramp four together with “ a knapsack,” and the fortunate 
ones who can settle down for a month or two in the summer 
or autumn, and make themselves thoroughly familiar with 
some of the beauties around them. The country may also 
be “ done ” by coach, that is, a good deal of the prettiest 
scenery may be glanced at for a few minutes and then passed 
by without a chance of further view. Incidentally, the coaches 
are a great boon ; we found, being two sober, steady-going, 
middle-aged men, that knapsacks had an awkward knack of 
getting very heavy towards the end of a day, and very early 
on made a special study of the coach routes, so that we might 
arrange for the conveyance to the destined lodging place of 
such articles as we should not want while on the tramp. 
Even thus the accumulation of bits of rock was apt to make 
itself felt towards the end of the day, and rendered the prospect 
of starting light again the next morning a distinctly agree¬ 
able one. 
We started from Rhyl one afternoon late in July, taking 
the tram to Penmaenmawr, and immediately struck up 
through the village, following the directions of the faithful 
Baddeley, whom, by-the-way, we found all through our walk 
to be just that minutely accurate friend in need who is the 
friend indeed for the pedestrian. The first point at which 
we aimed was the stone circle behind Penmaenmawr Moun¬ 
tain, and, taking it easy along the eastern side of this latter, 
we at last emerged on the ridge. Immediately it was evident 
that one of the objects of our visit could not be attained. 
The wind was so high that there was no possibility of getting 
a camera to stand : possibly a heavy stone hung on might have 
prevented the otherwise certain overthrow, but the chances 
of getting the apparatus steady, even with this help, appeared 
very remote. So we took a general look at the weird grey 
stones ; tried, as so many others have tried, and as unsuccess¬ 
fully as they, to imagine the use of such curious erections ; 
tried to recall the various theories we had read about them 
and their makers—Sun theories, Grave theories, Serpent 
* Read before the Birmingham Natural History and Microscopical 
Society, April 21st, 1891. 
