Cardiff bay was once the tidal estuary of the Rivers Taff and Ely, when Cardiff was a thriving port exporting coal to the Empire. Now both the tramp steamers and the muddy banks to the estuary are no more, as a barrage (like a dam) has turned the estuary into a bay without tides but with lots of yachts and small boats in the marina. The area around the bay was once pretty rough. My grandfather, a policeman, received an award for breaking up a fight in Bute street. Now it is an area of bars, restaurants and expensive flats.
I started from the Cardiff Bay railway station and walked past the Millennium Centre, with its enigmatic words about stones singing, to the waters edge. The Cardiff Bay Trail starts here and completes a circle around the bay, crossing the barrage. While it was designed for both cyclists and walkers, on some sections only walking is allowed. I decided to head around in a clockwise direction. The curiously red, Victorian Pierhead building was the first building I passed closely followed by the Senedd, the glass building housing the National Assembly of Wales, glass representing transparency, which showed that nothing was happening at the Assembly today. In front of the Senedd is one of several sculptures around the bay, this one showing part of a boat wreck. Why do we dwell on things that have wrong? A poppy wreath suggests it is to remember those who suffered and died.
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| Sculpture of wrecked boat |
Next site around the bay was the Norwegian church. A white, wooden building on a small headland, built to service Norwegian sailors in their spiritual needs, and now housing a cafe and art gallery. I crossed, on an over - designed bridge, the entrance to what was once the Roath Basin, part of the old docks now disused, closed and awaiting redevelopment. The nearby "Doctor Who Experience" which followed is also due to close next summer. A little further on, by a skatepark, I could see a little of what is left of the Port of Cardiff, its blue, insect - like cranes the most visible feature above the wire netting fence..
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| Norwegian Church |
The path now took me onto the barrage itself, a pleasant walk with many families with their dogs and children, runners and cyclists. On the barrage there was an exhibition about Scott of the Antarctic, another celebration of bravery (if not wisdom) that ended badly. I was fortunate that when I reached the first lock the flashing red lights were switched on and the bridge was raised. This allowed me to see the workings of the lock as two small boats left Cardiff Bay for the open sea.
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| View across Bay from barrage |
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| Lock gates on barrage |
After the barrage I passed the customs house, now a smart restaurant, and walked by the Penarth Marina with its attractive, small houses (and private signs). There was then a park with a funny shelter on top of a hill and a spiraling path, and more housing until I reached the bridge over the Ely river. On the other side development was still in progress but I passed a white water, slalom canoe course, made out of concrete and blue plastic things. Unfortunately there were no canoeists to watch. An olympic sized swimming pool was the other visible building for sport; looks like they also had some water slides for the kids as well.
Following the edge of the bay around under the A4232 flyover and along the banks of the Taff, brought me to my bridge over the river. Then I took a U turn down the east side of the river to follow the Bay Trail through a grassy area, then back under the flyover to the Cardiff Bay wetland reserve. This was full of tall rushes and the sign promised migrating and non-migrating birds. I kept to the bay side of the upmarket St David's Hotel; ( it probably would have been too posh for St David, who believed in a simple life).
The Bay trail now lead me into the main collection of restaurants and coffee shops of Cardiff Bay at Mermaid Quay. Tempting though they were I headed back to the city centre for my pot of tea, cake and spot of shopping.
A gpx file of my route can be found at this link. For a smart phone the route can be accessed on ViewRanger short code johnpon0014.
