the best pubs, restaurants, hotels and places to visit
Autumn is fully upon us in Cardiff Bay.
These trees are alongside the Roath Basin next to the Atradius building, and show some great colours.
Across the basin the new BBC studios are currently being built. When finished they’ll be used for Casualty, Doctor Who and Torchwood.
This weekend Cardiff Bay is buzzing with visitors to the Cardiff Armed Forces Day with a large number of activities planned for the day on Saturday 26th June 2010.
The day is focused around the Roald Dahl basin and the area in front of the Senedd in the Bay.
There will be various displays, shows and static stands.
HMS Kent is also moored in the Roath Basin alongside the Atradius building and it will be possible to have tours around this Type 23 frigate.
Well worth a visit.
I recently discovered Stuart Herbert’s Photo Diary.
Stuart is an excellent amateur photographer who concentrates on landscapes and Post-Industrial South Wales.
He’s currently documenting the Merthyr Road – the legacy of the industrialisation of the South Wales Valleys from Merthyr Tydfil to Cardiff Docks.
Stuart is great at capturing the essence of the industrial South Wales valleys and his photos are well worth a look.
You can find Stuart’s photo diary here – http://blog.stuartherbert.com/photography/ and more of his photos on Flickr here – http://www.flickr.com/photos/stuartherbert/
We visited St Augustine’s Church in Penarth last week. The church is set high up on the headland between Cardiff Bay and the Bristol Channel. Its prominent position means that it’s clearly visible for miles around.
I see the church almost every day but have never visited it before. It has stunning views back across the Bay towards the Pierhead building, Mermaid Quay and the city centre, and then on to the hills and mountains north of Cardiff.
The church is pretty impressive, though the graveyard needs a bit of love and attention.
Dr. Joseph Parry (1841-1903), the composer of “Myfanwy” is buried in the churchyard.
A walk across the Cardiff Bay Barrage is a great way to spend a few hours in Cardiff. If you’re in a car then access the barrage from the Penarth end where there’s a large carpark. If you’re on foot then either walk from the Cardiff Bay visitor centre near the Norwegian Church, or catch a boat across the Bay from Mermaid Quay near the National Assembly Senedd building.
There’s lots to see, there are 3 boat locks between the Bay and the sea that operate every 30 minutes. From the sea-ward side of the barrage there’s a great view in clear conditions across to Penarth pier, Flat Holm and Steep Holm and the English coast across the Severn.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONz_q47INkc
We visited the new Cardiff International Whitewater Centre in Cardiff Bay yesterday. This is part of the Sports village that is being developed on the west side of the Bay. Nearby is the Cardiff Arena Ice Rink and the Cardiff International swimming pool.
The pumped river is about 250m long. It looks lots of fun, you can either try the kayaks or go white water rafting as a group. Each white water raft has a “captain” on board who ensures that everyone is safe. It’s not cheap, between £250 and £300 for 6 people but you’re on the water for about 2 hours which is about as long as most people can last for! It’s pretty tiring!!