Heather on a Wales HillsideAugust 21, 1967It was a nice sunny day, the first in about a month. We took off to drive to Lake Vyrnwy, the largest lake in Wales, about 50 miles away. We drove to Bala and then over a narrow, one lane road to the lake. On this road we passed over some moorland that was covered with a lovely purple blanket of heather. It was the nicest setting of heather that we have seen, so we stopped and poked around in it. On a small road between Bala and Lake Vyrnwy we happened upon the nicest collection of heather we had seen. It was a beautiful day and we enjoyed watching the sheep grazing in the heather.
The heather bloom is very tiny and gives a very subtle purple color to the landscape. It can be a glorious purple blanket in the bright sun but only a rather drab brownish patch in the shade. The sheep didn't seem alarmed at our presence, just a little surprised at seeing someone in their territory.
This hillside of heather was between Bala and Lake Vyrnwy. We drove on to the lake, which was very nice but was almost an anticlimax after the ride over the moorland. We drove around the lake and then proceeded to Penybontfawr where we turned off to go to the Tan-y-pistyll Falls. The roads were well surfaced but very narrow. One car always had to pull off and stop when we met someone. Even then it was hard to pass. I enjoyed the country very much, however. It was very rural and fit my mental picture of English countryside. Small lush green fields were bounded by rustic stone walls. There was an occasional stone farmhouse and stone barn. The falls were very nice, dropping well over 100 feet. Returning to Penybontfawr, we took the road to Bala for the ruturn trip. Along the way we got some lovely views of the valley, dotted with sheep and crisscrossed with stone walls all the way to the horizon.
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Index 1967 | |||||||
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