"The British Tyrol"

Name of traveller

*Sepp Mitterstiller

Reason for travel

• holidaying

Date of travel

late April 1912

Auch die Schönheit der Landschaft muß man erleben. Es hätte keinen Sinn, wenn ich zu erzählen begänne, etwa von dem reizend un einer halbmondförmigen Bucht gelegenen Aber[y]stwyth oder von Caernarvon, dessen Castle mit dem Tower of London zu den am meisten achtunggebietenden Ueberbleibseln mittelalterlicher Befestigungskunst gehärt, die England noch besitzt. (Mitterstiller 5)

Content

• culture: is told off by his Wesleyan landlady for going on an excursion on Sunday instead of visiting chapel; excuses himself for being Roman Catholic
• history: traces history of Dolgellau back to the Romans
• language:
  • gives an overview of the number of speakers of Welsh and praises England for the high regard it shows towards the speakers of its native minority languages
  • first encounter with Welsh language during Anglican church service
• recreation:
  • sets out to Dolgellau after encountering a Great Western Railway poster in London encouraging tourists to visit Wales
  • undertakes various walking excursions into the surrounding area from his base in Dolgellau
  • a hut has been set up on the summit of Cader Idris and sells refreshments to tourists
• terrain:
  • conflation of Wales and England
  • romanticised descriptions of Welsh landscape
  • brief geographical overview of the Dolgellau area
  • alpine character of Snowdonia; comparison with his native South Tyrol
• transport:
  • modes of travel: bicycle; on foot; train
  • praises the good quality and comfort of British trains
• click here to read the full account

Nationality of traveller

Austrian

Language of publication

German

Gender of traveller

Male

Type of publication

essay; travelogue

Citation

*Mitterstiller, Sepp. "The British Tyrol." Allgemeiner Tiroler Anzeiger (12 May 1937): 5-7. Print.