,'
But difficult to reach its head;
Easy for him whose hopes are cheery
To bid the wretch be comforted."

We were far from being the only visitors to the hill this day; groups of
people, or single individuals, might be seen going up or descending the
path as far as the eye could reach. The path was remarkably good, and
for some way the ascent was anything but steep. On our left was the Vale
of Llanberis, and on our other side a broad hollow, or valley of Snowdon,
beyond which were two huge hills forming part of the body of the grand
mountain, the lowermost of which our guide told me was called Moel Elia,
and the uppermost Moel y Cynghorion. On we went until we had passed both
these hills, and come to the neighbourhood of a great wall of rocks
constituting the upper region of Snowdon, and where the real difficulty
of the ascent commences. Feeling now rather out of breath we sat down on
a little knoll with our faces to the south, having a small lake near us,
on our left hand, which lay dark and deep, just under the great wall.

Here we sat for some time resting and surveying the scene which presented
itself to us, the principal object of which was the north-eastern side of
the mighty Moel y Cynghorion, across the wide hollow or valley, which it
overhangs in the shape of a sheer precipice some five hundred feet in
depth. Struck by the name of Moel y Cynghorion, which in English
signifies the hill of the counsellors, I enquired of our guide why the
hill was so called, but as he could afford me no information on the point
I presumed that it was either called the hill of the counsellors from the
Druids having held high consultation on its top, in time of old, or from
the unfortunate Llewelyn having consulted there with his chieftains,
whilst his army lay encamped in the vale below.

Getting up we set about surmounting what remained of the ascent. The
path was now winding and much more steep than it had hitherto been. I
was at one time apprehensive that my gentle companion would be obliged to
give over the attempt; the gallant girl, however, persevered, and in
little more than twenty minutes from the time when we arose from our
resting-place under the crags, we stood, safe and sound, though panting,
upon the very top of Snowdon, the far-famed Wyddfa.

The Wyddfa is about thirty feet in diameter and is surrounded on three
sides by a low wall. In the middle of it is a rude cabin, in which
refreshments are