My life : a record of events and opinions - Wallace-online.org

88 MY LIFEmile of the summit, making the distance about tenmiles. But the day was gloriously fine, the countrybeautiful, and the view from the top very grand;while the summit itself was so curious as greatly tosurprise me, though I did not fully appreciate its veryinstructive teaching till some years later, after I hadascended many other mountains, had studied Lyell's" Principles of Geology," and had fully grasped themodern views on sub-aerial denudation. As Brecknockshireis comparatively little known, and fewEnglish tourists make the ascent of the Beacons, ashort account of them will be both interesting andinstructive.The northern face of the mountain is very rockyand precipitous, while on the southern and westernsides easy slopes reach almost to the summit. Thelast few yards is, however, rather steep, and at thevery top there is a thick layer of peat, which overhangsthe rock a little. On surmounting this on thewest side the visitor finds himself in a nearly flattriangular space, perhaps three or four acres in extent,bounded on the north by a very steep rocky slope,and on the other sides by steep but not difficult grassslopes. To the north-east he sees the chief summitabout a quarter of a mile distant and nearly fifty feethigher, while connecting the two is a narrow ridge orsaddle-back, which descends about a hundred feet ina regular curve, and then rises again, giving an easyaccess to the higher peak. The top of this ridge isonly a foot or two wide and very steep on thenorthern slope, but the southern slope is less precipitous,and about a hundred yards down it there is asmall spring where the visitor can get deliciouslycool and pure water. The north-eastern summit isalso triangular, a little larger than the other, and