The Great Northern Railway Tourist Arrangements.

THE GREAT NORTHERN RAILWAY TOURIST ARRANGEMENTS .

AS with the Railway Companies which we have referred to in recent numbers of this journal , so with tho Great Northern Railway , the Tourist Arrangements for tho current season art > on the most liberal scale and so contrived that intending travellers will have some difficulty in not finding trains that will snit their convenience . Tbe tickets issued for Scotland are available for the return jonrnev

without extra payment , to the 31 st December , except in the canes specified in the Tim" Tables . The main route is vid the East Coast , Tork , Newcastle , Berwick , and Edinburgh . Those for Perth and Stations North of it , are vid Granton ( by the Perth Ferry ronte ) , and also vid Larbert , Stirling and Dunblane ; those to Forres , Nairn , and Inverness either rid Dunkeld or Aberdeen ; nnd those to Keith nnd

Elgin either vid Dunkeld and Torres , or vid Dnnkeld , Boat of Garten , and the Strathspey ronte . and also vid Aberdeen . In the case of tickets for Edinburgh , Glasgow , Perth , Stirling , and Dundee , the jonrnev may bo made either vid Newcastle , Hexham , and Melrose , or vid Berwick , the fares being the same by both routes . Alternative routes are offered in other cases , only passengers mnst

indicate at the time of booking the route tbey wish to travel , as it is not permissible to go by one and return by the other . In the case of the Oban Circular Tonr , travellers may pr ceed on the ontward journey by Glasgow or Helensburgh , and thence by steamer vid Ardrishaig , K > lea of Bute , and the Crinan Canal , returning by rail vid Larbert , Stirling , Callender , nnd Daltnally ; or , they may reverse

matters , making the journey outwards by the latter and homewards by the former . As regards breaking the jonrney , this m « y be done both going and returning at , Peterborough , Grantham or Dnnoaster . York , Darlington , Durham , Newcastle , Bilton , BeKast , Berwick , and stations north of Berwick . These privileges and facilities apply equally to all passengers , whether by 1 st , 2 nd , or 3 rd Class .

Intending visitors to Norway and Sweden mnst book for Hull , whence the journey is continued by the Mail Steam Service of Messrs . Wilson , Sons , and Co ., the lines of departure for the different parts of destination being stated in tbe Time Tables . For Scarborough , Whitby , and other well-known pleasure resorts lying to the North-East of England , similar tickets as for Scotland are issued , similar

arrangements being made as to choice of route and for breaking the journey . In the case of Skegness , Alfnrd , and Mablethorpe , on the Lincolnshire Coast , and Yarmouth , North Walshara , and Norwich in connection with the Eastern and Midland Railway , there are issued both fortnightly and return Tourist tickets , while , as regards the Isleof Man , the tickets are not extended bevond the two calendar months for which

they are issued . For Ireland , Dublin , Belfast , and Londonderry , as well as for the Lancashire coast , the tickets , which as in all cases are issued up to 31 st October , are available for two months . The fares charged are moderate in the extreme , and are issued for 3 rd as well as for lst and 2 nd Classes . However , those who may desire further particulars have only to make application nt the King ' s Cross Terminus ,

or the Moorgate , Victoria ( L . C . and D . ) , or Finsbury Park SMtio-is . and they will learn all that , is requisite , or thev may apply at the district Booking Offices in Crntehed Friars , Hi' / h Holborn , Oxfordstreet , Piccadilly Circns , & c , & c , & c . At all events p oplo wishing to avail themselves of the Great Northern system for their h'llidav trip or tonr will have no difficnltv in learning what mnst , be done and

paid , while those who start from King ' s Cross will find the Great Northern Omnibns Service very nsefnl in conveying themselves and their luggage to their starting pnint . Of the comfort and convenience , even to the Pnlman sleeping cars , which thi » Company places at the disposal of i's passengers , we need say nothing : they are too well and too generally known to need anything in the way of commendation .

The Valley Of The Clydach.

THE VALLEY OF THE CLYDACH .

"VTOTWITHSTANDING all that has been said and written as to ¦ 1 ' the manifold beauties of the scenery in our own comfortable island home , and in spite of the great inducements off'rtd by our different railways to people in the hope they will take the trouble to become acquainted with some of the e beauties , there is still a large

number of persons who imagine they cannot enjoy a holiday unless they spend it on the Continent . They fancy they are fcra ^ 'elbd men and women if they have spent a few weeks in trndging about Normand y , or in going np the Rhine , or through Switzerland , but

their own country has apparently few , if any , attractions , for them ; or if there are any places with which they may claim a somewhat familiar acquaintance it is the fashionable watering places and inland resorts , and when they have visited these , they consider they know as much as it becomes Britons to know of Great Britain . It does

not seem to strike them that there are districts in England , Wales and Scotland which will stand comparison with the best of continental scenery . Our mountains may not be as lofty as the Alps , or onr lake systems as extensive as in Switzerland , bntfor comfort and cleanliness , for the variety and health-giving qualities of innumerable parts of the country , and aboveall for the excellence and cheapness of onr means of

travel , we shall find little abroad which cannot be matched at bnme . And jnst now particularly , when the general talk is of the Cholera that has broken ont in the South of France , and is apparently extending its ravages , there is greater reason than ever why we shonld "irect ^ our thoughts , or better still onr steps , towards the beauty s Pots in our own country , which only require that we shonld become

acquainted with them in order to be appreciated as they deserve , ' here , for instance , shall we meet with finer sconery of its kind han ig to be fonnd in Devonshire , Cornwall , in North nnd South » ale 8 ) jn tne Jij-jj at ,, ] ^ j n the English Lake District , in the gnlands of Scotland , and in other districts which might , bnt eed not , be enumerated ? Many , of course , of these are sited , and at times by such numbers that it is difficult Obtain accommodation . These are the fashionable resorts

The Valley Of The Clydach.

but there are others eqnally worthy of being visited , which aro comparatively , if not entirely unknown , to the average Englishman . Of one of theso latter wo are ablo to speak from personal knowledge , and ns it ranks among those which are least known , we shall perhaps be doing a service to onr readers if we attempt a brief description of it . As regards locality , it is situated west of

Abergavenny , in Monmouthshire , a very convenient centre for tourists to select who may wish to mako excursions into the neigh bonringconnties of Wales , or through Monmouthshire itself . From Abergavenny to Brynmawr , which tho visitor should make his headquarters , is only a short distance , the railroad by which it is traversed passing throngh the Valley of the Clydach , which we do not

hesitate to say is one of the finest and healthiest localities in this or nny part of Britain . Tho sconery is diversified enough to suit all tastes . Those who chiefly desire to be " far from the madding crowd , " will find peace and quietness to theiv heart ' s content . If they are in search of scenic beauty it will meet them at every turn . If hardy exercise is what they need , the rugged hill country

will sufficiently tax their walking powers . If , unfortunately , they should bo invalids , thero is nothing like the clear , fresh air of the Clydach Valley to reinvigorate them , while if they are afflicted with rheumatism or similar malady , the mineral springs with which the neialbnnrhood abounds are known to possess most wonderfnl enrative properties . In short , if a man needs health , or to restore it ; if

he desires absolute repose , or to indulge in some good stiff crossconn try exercise , in any of these cases he will be afforded a splendid chance of having his wishes accomplished if he visit Brynmawr and the Clvdnoh Valley . It is a locality of surpassing beauty , witb its shady nooks , bold precipitous hills , its clear rinnl ' ng streams , ita waterfalls and rapids , and , above , all things , that best of all medicines ,

a pnre , bracing air , which drives all distemperatures , whether of the mind or body , ont of our system . People who believe there is no place under heaven like the pleasant resort they specially affect will laugh at the idea of visiting any other locality . Bnfc Brvomawr and its neighbourhood is only one out of many places in Wales which , though easily accessible , are comparatively unknown , bnt which

when lenown will become as popular as the best among the familiar haunts of the day . Having spoken in general terms of the neighbourhood and its beauties , it is only fair that we should devote some further space to a description of the particular features which characterise it . Ifc should first of all be mentioned , however , that to Bro . Chambers , of

Treda , the pnblic is indebted for the Clydach Valley being opened np as a resort for tourists , and tbat it was Mr . Neat , of Beaufort . street , Brynmawr , who took the initiative in the movement . Until some three or four years since , when tho enterprise wns well taken in hand by these gentlemen , this valley , though not exactly terra incognita , was accessible only to the hardy pedestrian . Now , thanks to the

formation of well-laid footpaths , the steps that have beeu out in the rocks where they rise most precipitously , and to the bridge which leads to the springs , even an invalid need not deny himself the pleasure of exploring tho country and enjoying some of the most exqui . site scenery to be met with iu Wales or elsewhere . Local pnets are

wont to be enthusiastic , and as they are somewhat effusive in their praises of local beauty , so are they apt to get , a little " mixed "—to use a vulgarism—in their strains . However , Mr . Simpson ' s lines , addressed to the river Cljdnch , if not marked by any great poetio beanty , faithfully enough pourtray the scene :

" Oh , beautiful stream , Trees , ferns , flowers , rocks ; The sunshine ' s bright beam , Tho pebbles , tho shocks

Of each fall , but increase Thy power to please . While thankfully thou Dost constantly show Their beanty and glory . "

To appreciate the description , wo shonld be acquainted with tbe langnsige of tha conntrv , bnt , ir . onr ignorance of the latter we must content , ourselves witb the lines as they are presented to us , and thafc they are expressive of something exceptionally attractive there cannot b » tbe shadow of a doubt . As to the falls and springs—to which reference hsis more than onco been made—the highest of all

is tt'e Rainbow Full , in addition to which are the Ennis Forth y Glyn F > ill , the Lesser Fulls on the Tram Road side , and the Horse Shoe Fall with the Ffynon-is-faen Springs , which are remarkable for their great medicinal properties . Among other attractions are a kind of Dripping Well or Jacob ' s Well , as it is locally known , and the Armchair Fall , so called from the shape of the receptacle or basin , into

which the water flows . These springs , though the water has not been analysed chemically , have proved a very efficacious remedy in cases of rheumatism , weakness , & c , & c , and certainly entitle the valley to a high rank among health resorts , while the varird scenery , the . cascades , deep ravines , precipitous rocks , the rich verdure , & c , eqnally entitle it to be regarded as a pleasure resort . Only one point

remains to be satisfied , and that is , as to the means of access to this enchanted valley , bat no difficulty here presents itself . A fear hours j : > nrney from Euston Terminus by tbo London and North Western , and thence by the Cambrian Railway , orer which tbe L . and N . W . R . Company has running powers , and we find ourselves in Brynmawr , with tho Valley of the Clydach before us , with all its heights and " recesses awaiting our exploration .

HOIIOWAY ' S PttLs AND OINTMENT . —Notable Facts . —Summer heats augment ho annoyances of skin disease , and encourage the development of febrile disnrdprs , wherefore they should , as they mar , be removed by these detergent and purifying prepa-ations . In stomach complaints , liver affections , nains ind snasms of the bowe's , Holioway ' s Ointment well rubbed over the affeced

iait immediately gives the greatest ease , prevents congestion srad nflimmainn , check . * the threatening diarrhaa and averts incipient cholera . The poorer iili . ibitnnts of large cities will find the * o remedies to be their best frie-ids vhen any pestilence rages , or when from unknown causes erupt ons , boils , abscesses , or ulcerations betoken the presence of taints or impurities Within ; ho system , and call for instant and effective curative medicine .