A Space in the City-Landmark Place
Landmark Place, Cardiff, CF10 2HU, United Kingdom
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Forum Posts
cardiff or another place?
by vidaboa
Hey all, I am going to be in Birmingham with my girlfriend on December 14 and 15 (Thursday & Friday) and we thought about heading over to Wales for the weekend. This will be our first trip to Wales (she is Swedish, I'm from NZ). We fly out of London on the Sunday night, Dec 17. Are we best to head to Cardiff for Friday and Saturday night, or perhaps a small town nearer Birmingham? We just want to get a feel for the country (albeit extremely brief) and have no particular agenda of things we want to do. Any suggestions on where to go/what to do would be awesome! Cheers!!
RE: cardiff or another place?
by travelmad478
Cardiff is actually a pretty good place to spend a couple of days. It's got a nice small city center, some good parks, and a castle to walk around. While it's not a big tourist town, Cardiff has a very different feel from Birmingham, so you will definitely know you're somewhere else. :-) You'll have to take the train back from Cardiff to London, but if you are flying out of Heathrow, you can get there easily by taking the train to Reading and then a direct bus to Heathrow.
RE: RE: cardiff or another place?
by aaaarrgh
Of course I will say Cardiff is great, because I live here. There is a great deal to do and to see. Including ice skating in front of the City Hall. But (probably like most cities) Friday and Saturday night will see thousands of people in the pubs, clubs, restaurants and streets in the run-up to Christmas.
But Don't come to Cardiff if you want a 'feel' of Wales. Cardiff is completely atypical. Maybe you could take the train to Shrewsbury. From there you can catch a train along two extremely picturesque routes through the mountains, either to Aberystwyth, or Swansea. Much more Welsh!
RE: RE: cardiff or another place?
by aaaarrgh
christine.j has some details of the 'Heart of Wales' railway line on her Brecon Beacons page
http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/6de4f/4d3fe/4/
Swansea and Cardiff are both on the railway line direct to London/Heathrow, so Aberystwyth may be a bad idea, involving lots of train travel! If the weather is bad then a city would be a better destination, particularly Cardiff with its world-class architecture, museums, castle, art galleries and Victorian shopping arcades.
RE: cardiff or another place?
by mendip6
Why not try Abergavenny? A small market town on the edge of the Brecon Beacons, easily accessible by train from London.www.abergavenny.co.uk
Travel Tips for Cardiff
The Marquess(es) of Bute
by M0B1US
Situated in the small and attractive Castle Gardens is a statue to John Crichton-Stuart, 2nd Marquess of Bute (1793 - 1848).
He is popularly hailed as the “Founder of Modern Cardiff”. He was one of the great industrialists of the first half of the 19th century by realising the potential of the coal and iron ore trade which at the time was being stifled by a lack of transport resources, and built the city’s first dock, named Bute Dock West in 1839, opened the Taff Vale Railway in 1841 linking Cardiff with Merthyr Tydfil – rapidly becoming the largest iron and coal producing area in the world. This ensured transport in less than an hour and revolutionised the exportation of Welsh coal and iron.
In 1848 the 2nd Marquess of Bute died and Cardiff Castle and Bute fortune passed to his son John, the 3rd Marquess who continued the massive expansion of Cardiff by opening the East Dock in 1859, and by the 1860s was reputed to be the richest man in the world.
Starting in 1865, Lord Bute employed the genius architect William Burges and completely renovated Cardiff Castle and the fairytale Castell Coch to the north in the most extravagant and opulent styles.
Cardiff continued to grow in size until it was officially made a city in 1905 by Edward VII - by then, it was the world's greatest coal exporting port, shipping up to 10 million tons in a year. Indeed the world's first £1,000,000 deal was struck at the Coal Exchange in Cardiff Bay. After the decline of the coal industry the Bute family gifted their Cardiff holdings to the city council, including the civic centre area and the huge Bute Park, which draws right up to the city centre. The 5th Marquess of Bute also presented Cardiff, Caerphilly and Castell Coch Castles to the Welsh people.
Without this dynamic and philanthropic family, it is difficult to imagine Cardiff being anything other than a quiet sleepy backwater of a few thousand people – spare this a thought while you stand here in the midst of this young and vibrant city…
Christmas time
by Carmela71
Go to the Arcades ....
Walk along the streets full of Christmas decoration ....
Enjoy the Christmas markets ......
I love the times previous to Christmas, even if I know there are too much commercialised and we spent much much money ....
Castell Coch (The Red Castle)
by M0B1US
After being in Cardiff for two months I decided it was high time to visit this fairy tale castle perched on the hills controlling the Taff valley seven miles to the north of Cardiff...
So setting off on my trusty mountain bike I took the Taff Trail along the river to visit this wonderful flight of Victorian fancy.
Built on the 13th century ruins of a mediaeval castle abandoned since the 14th century, it rose phoenix-like as a testimony to the grandiose Victorian Gothic plans of William Burges, who was commissioned by the 3rd Marquess of Bute to transform it in 1872.
The exterior of the castle is an authentic reconstruction, whilst the interior is pure Victorian fantasy with a number of truly spectacular rooms including the Banquet Hall, the Drawing Room and the Marquesa's room...
Pretty much the entire castle is open to visitors for a modest £3 admission. Another £1 gets you a brilliant audio guided tour which takes you around the whole castle with lengthy narrations on the history, the people and the rooms that make up this fantastic castle!
There is also a tasteful shop and cafe in the former servant's quarters and a small museum in the 3 floors of the Well Tower.
My favourite room was the Drawing Room which is jam packed with sumptuous detail including a wonderful ceiling, a fireplace surmounted by a depiction of the 3 fates and walls adorned with paintings of the animals and stories of Aesop's fables...
Although this is a fairly small castle, I was still able to spend 2 hours here.
Roath Park Conservatory
by aaaarrgh
In the middle of the splendid Roath Park is a large tropical glasshouse. For a college project we had to choose a 'special place' in Cardiff, and Roath Park Conservatory was my 'special place'.
I guess it is about 10m by 30m in size. The greenhouse has been there for over 30 years and has a large pond, waterfall, 100's of mature tropical plants and some wildlife. During the week there are sometimes groups of schoolchildren being shown around. I occasionally go there to eat my sandwiches!
The pond has some massive koi carp, some weighing over 14kg. There are also some terrapins, a resident chicken and a Whistling Duck which.... erm... whistles!! Be warned the duck likes green shoes and trousers and may chase you if you are wearing this colour :-)
A unique, interesting place to visit. For its size it is not exactly cheap - £1.05 for adults and 55p for children and concessions.
And did I mention the Park? Roath Park has a large boating lake, flower gardens, a cafe and ice-cream vans. It is so important it is listed as 'Grade I' monument! So if its a nice day, maybe wander around the splendid park instead.
DIRECTIONS
About 2 miles northeast of Cardiff city centre. Head for Albany Road, Wellfield Road, Ninian Road. You will need to cross under the Western By-pass, which nowadays divides the Park. Near the Youth Hostel. Buses 28, 29, 29B.
Cardiff Market
by SabrinaSummerville about Markets
Cardiff Market is a typical Olde English type of market, worth a visit as much for its architectural value as for its importance as a market. The many stalls, spread over two floors, sell almost everything you could wish to buy nd is particularly good on fresh produce. In addition to this there is a cafe upstairs with pretty red and white umbrellas and a view down over the heaving market stalls below. Come here to buy fresh fruit and vegetables, meat, fish, floury bread baps stuffed with freshly cut ham, handmade jewelry, fabrics of every colour and texture, second hand toys, antiques, food for your pets....hey, even some pets!
The stalls are all painted a clean white with the name stencilled overhead. Stall owners are helpful and proud - friendly almost to a man; but when I say almost I mean it. Se my warning tip in this regard.
Questions and Answers
Q: Transportation in Cardiff "I am traveling by train from Doncaster to Cardiff. My question is how would I get to the Holiday Inn Express Cardiff airport and..."
A: "I usually take my car to the airport and have only used the bus between Cardiff centre and the Bay.
But the hotel is close to the airport and buses run from there into..."
Read 3 Replies »
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