Bridle Paths: Tschiffely’s Ride through Rural England

Name of traveller

Aimé Félix Tschiffely (1895-1954) and horse Violet

Reason for travel

• leisurely travel

Date of travel

September 1934

I like to think that the spirits of the two old ladies of Llangollen continue to wander in their worldly paradise, that fairies, elves and gnomes dance for them, whilst—side by side—they sit watching their graceful display which, I hope, will continue so long as the soft, silvery-blue light of the moon shines down on Plas Newydd. (Tschiffely 125)

Content

• art: contains a number of photographs taken by the author during the journey
• industry:
  • depressed by the atmosphere in the colliery district in the north-east of Wales
  • describes at Gresford Colliery encounter with a friendly miner who feeds Violet with an apple
  • shocked to read about the Gresford Disaster a few days later
• people: brief reference to the Ladies of Llangollen, Eleanor Charlotte Butler (1739-1829) and Sarah Ponsonby (1755-1831)
• recreation: watches a game of cricket carried out on the lawn below Powys castle
• terrain:
  
  • conflation of Wales and England
  • unsure whether he is trespassing while visiting Powys Castle and the surrounding park
  • highly romanticised description of the park surrounding Plas Newydd, Llangollen
• transport:
  • travels by truck and on horseback
  • is disturbed by the general amount of dead animals killed on motor roads by cars

Nationality of traveller

Swiss

Language of publication

English

Gender of traveller

Male

Type of publication

travelogue

Citation

Tschiffely, A[imé] F[élix]. Bridle Paths: Tschiffely’s Ride through Rural England. 1936. London: Hodder and Staughton, 1947. 110-30. Print.