Itinéraire et souvenirs d'Angleterre et d'Ecosse, 1814-1826

Name of traveller

Basile-Joseph Ducos (1767-1836)

Reason for travel

• travelling as cultural tourist, self-improvement

Date of travel

August 1826

D’abord les beautés naturelles du détroit de Menai fixent les regards. Ses bords, perpendiculaires et plongeant sur des précipices, ou doucement inclinés et se perdant sous la vague qui vient mourir à leur pied, changent d’aspect à chaque pas. (Ducos 170)

Content

• architecture:
  • notes gothic qualities of ruined castles
  • contains description of various bridges, i.e. Thomas Telford's (1757-1834) Menai Suspension Bridge
• art: listens to blind harpist and notes patriotism in Welsh music
• customs:
  • recognises distinctness of Welsh culture
  • long-standing superstitions; mocks Holywell
• history:
  • notes conquest of Wales under Norman rule and Welsh resistence
  • references to Roman histories; quotes from Tacitus
  • Owain Glynd?r (1355-1416) compared to William Wallace (1272-1305), Wales described as a little Scotland
• industry: comparatively primitive
• language: notes preservation of Welsh language
• literature: bardic poetry as means of political revolt
• people: is shown around the Plas Newydd estate by Eleanor Charlotte Butler (1739-1829), known together with Sarah Ponsonby (1755-1831) as the Ladies of Llangollen
• recreation:
  • contains travelling tips for prospective tourists
  • Vale of Llangollen noted as a popular destination for travellers
• terrain:
  • picturesque, romantic beauty of mountains and coast in north Wales
  • Abergele and Anglesey described as barren
• transport: ferries from Holyhead to Dublin offer spectacle for the viewer
• click here to read the full account

Nationality of traveller

French

Language of publication

French

Gender of traveller

Male

Type of publication

diary; travelogue

Citation

Ducos, Basile-Joseph. Itinéraire et souvenirs d'Angleterre et d'Ecosse, 1814-1826. Vol. 4. Paris: Impr. de P. Dondey-Dupré, 1834. 156-94. Print.