Castles in or around Cardiff

[retired_member32]

any members local to Cardiff, I am taking the missus around Cardiff and would like to take her around a fine eatery and a look around a Castle or two.

Regards

Mark

 

[Brassneck]

How about Cardiff castle?

I been to a few further west in wales if you are happy to drive for an hour or so.

Stephen

 

[retired_member32]

I don't mind being 30 miles from Cardiff or so anymore and I get bored

 

[martin-s]

http://www.visitwales.com/things-to-do/attractions/castles-heritage/great-castles-list

 

[retired_member34]

Cardiff Castle is literally in the centre of the city and is worth a visit. Caerphilly castle is lovely with a huge moat. Castle Coch isn't really a castle, more a Victorian folly, but looks just incredible poking out of the woods on the hillside and is great. Both are within 30 minutes of Cardiff.

Have a look at St Fagans National History Museum too. It's free, just outside Cardiff and has 100 acres of parkland where they have transplanted and rebuilt many buildings from all ages, on a nice day it's a great day out.

For something a bit more modern, park in Cardiff Bay then walk over the barrage to the Victorian seaside town Penarth (a few miles).

Any places you've found you want to run by me, just ask. Cardiff and the surrounding areas have come on a lot in the last decade.

 

[retired_member32]

we visited Caerphilly Castle and what a great site, second largest Castle in the UK and I fell down half a dozen steps on my tour trust me heh, very nice area and lovely people, very helpful, visited Cardiff Queen Street and then took a train to Cardiff Bay which took the best part of 2 minutes lol, I didn't even have time to sit down before getting off, i didn't hear one person speak in there native tongue which is a shame.

also noticed that Swansea was only 35 miles or so along the M4 so shall visit there soon

 

[Brassneck]

we visited Caerphilly Castle and what a great site, second largest Castle in the UK and I fell down half a dozen steps on my tour trust me heh, very nice area and lovely people, very helpful, visited Cardiff Queen Street and then took a train to Cardiff Bay which took the best part of 2 minutes lol, I didn't even have time to sit down before getting off, i didn't hear one person speak in there native tongue which is a shame.

also noticed that Swansea was only 35 miles or so along the M4 so shall visit there soon

You need to get to Swansea, Neath and further west (Llanelli, Ammanford) to find Welsh speakers. My wife's family are from the Swansea Valley and on a typical shopping trip I would say that Welsh is the first language for about 20 per cent of the people I see.

Stephen.

 

[noonoo1]

Awwr, didnt see your post till now.

We live in St Fagans.

 

[retired_member34]

we visited Caerphilly Castle and what a great site, second largest Castle in the UK and I fell down half a dozen steps on my tour trust me heh, very nice area and lovely people, very helpful, visited Cardiff Queen Street and then took a train to Cardiff Bay which took the best part of 2 minutes lol, I didn't even have time to sit down before getting off, i didn't hear one person speak in there native tongue which is a shame.

also noticed that Swansea was only 35 miles or so along the M4 so shall visit there soon

As Stephen said you won't find many Welsh speakers in the South, though there are pockets in the Vale west of Cardiff, and some in the Valleys.

Swansea is ok but doesn't have a lot to see really. If you are going that far then go a little further to the Gower, no big cities but world class beaches.

Or just go into the Vale just after Cardiff, and tour the Heritage Coast from Penarth to Porthcawl. Dramatic cliffs and bays all the way, great for fossil hunters. There are some nice smaller, ruined castles along the way if that is your interest.

 

[retired_member32]

We might come back to South Wales at Christmas, we made the journey in 2 1/2 hours which is fantastic, we have exhausted the east of England which is a regular holiday destination for midlanders and it takes less time to travel to South Wales, we were going to take a boat trip in Cardiff Bay but the weather deteriorated on Saturday and we took refuge in the millennium centre and now know everything about black history in Wales, and I got a free cuppa