Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
trol the water flow, three lock gates to allow passage for boats, and a fish pass that lets mi-
grating salmon and sea trout pass between the river and the sea.
The
Cardiff Bay Trail
heads out over the barrage, allowing walkers and cyclists easy access
to Penarth (allow 40 minutes if you're walking). Along the way there's a skate park, a
playground, some giant boulders of coal, and a series of display boards telling the story of
Captain Robert Scott's expedition to the Antarctic, which set sail from Cardiff in 1910;
two years later Scott and his men were dead, having been pipped to the pole by a Norwe-
gian team led by Roald Amundsen.
OFF THE BEATEN TRACK
TAFF TRAIL
Following canal towpaths, country lanes and disused railway routes, the 55-mile Taff Trail walking and cycling
route connects Cardiff's Mermaid Quay with Brecon, passing Castell Coch and Merthyr Tydfil on the way. Start-
ing from Brecon will ensure more downhill runs.
TOP OF CHAPTER
1
Cathays & Roath
The bohemian heart of Cardiff lies in the suburbs immediately to the east of the city
centre. Proximity to the university makes Cathays' tightly packed Victorian terrace houses
popular with students, and while parts of Roath are more well-heeled, the City Rd strip is
a little gritty and fabulously multicultural. Few tourists make their way here, but if you
want to get a broader taste of Cardiff life, take a stroll along the narrow thoroughfare that
starts as City Rd and then morphs into Crwys Rd and then Whitchurch Rd.
Roath Park
(
www.cardiff.gov.uk/parks
; Lake Rd)
Long and narrow Roath Park rivals Bute Park as Cardiff's fa-
vourite green space. The third Marquess of Bute gifted the land in 1887, and the boggy
marsh at its northern end was transformed into a large lake by the erection of a dam. The
rest was laid out in the Victorian style, with rose gardens, tree-lined paths, lawns and wild
nooks. A dinky lighthouse was later added to the lake as a memorial to Captain Scott.
It's a lovely spot for a stroll and a picnic, but if you fancy something a little more di-
verting, there are playgrounds, bowling greens, tennis courts and basketball courts, along
with boating and fishing opportunities on the lake.
PARK
