David has been living in Cardiff for 8 months now, so obviously he’s been to a lot more places than me! However, I decided to make a post about what we have done in and around Cardiff together without a car, with the main aim of encouraging people to come and visit this diverse and bustling city.
This is a post about attractions not food, if you’re looking for somewhere to eat take a look at another post of ours, “Places to Eat in Cardiff”.
Race the day away at TeamSport Indoor Karting Cardiff
Location: TeamSport Cardiff, Unit 11, Dominion Way, Newport Road, CF24 1PT
This was so fun! I had never been go-karting before so I was a complete novice but it was such an exciting experience. David on the other hand is almost a seasoned professional (well that’s how I made him look when he raced against me), and he looked as though he was having a blast every time he lapped me.
I had found a deal on Buyagift for a 50-lap race at a really good price, so I decided to treat David for Christmas. Bear in mind though that, if you do choose a 50-lap race a. they are very long (I was exhausted by the end) and b. There are only a few a week. We ended up on the Sunday session which started at 08:00 which is super early for a Sunday! If you are just booking one of their regular sessions you can get pretty much any time.
Another thing that was different about this sessions to any of the sessions David had been to before was that this was an actual race, not a timed session where you try to get your fastest lap. This meant that it was a lot more competitive the whole time, and people were less likely to get out of your way if you want to overtake. But that’s all part of the fun!
Photo taken from here
Don your best golfing attire and tee off at Treetop Adventure Golf
Location: Level P3, St David’s, Cardiff, CF10 2EL
A great rainy day activity in Cardiff (its Wales, it rains a lot) for when you just want to get out the house. Located in Central Cardiff, it is a really easy place to get to and in the middle of one of the shopping centres, so if it is raining really hard you can seek refuge all day if need be.
There are two courses to choose from, all you can do all 36 holes for a slightly reduced price. We decided on doing the latter, and really enjoyed ourselves although 36 holes is a lot to do in one hit so maybe stick with just one course at a time, or space them out a bit more. There are free lockers for things you don’t want to carry (you just have to put in a pound but will get it back after). There are also savings for students on certain nights.
There is also a bar and cafe which we haven’t tried but looked okay, good if you get peckish along the way. There is also a bar if you fancy making golf even harder!
The names of the courses are the Tropical Trail (a jungle themed course) and Ancient Explorer (more of a mystical empire vibe), both with loads of fun special effects and obstacles for you to navigate. There is also the bonus 19th hole that you play at the very end of your session, and you get the chance to win a free game! David did, and he was very smug about it too…
Photo taken from here
Wander through Cardiff’s many Arcades
Cardiff is well-known for its arcades, and it has plenty of them. They are full of independent businesses that are all so different from each other but just seem to fit together perfectly. Below is a list of the arcades and other areas good for shopping:
- Central Market
- Castle Arcade
- Dominions Arcade
- Duke Street Arcade
- High Street Arcade
- Morgan Arcade
- Royal Arcade
- Wyndham Arcade
- St David’s Centre
- Queens Arcade
- Capitol Centre
I haven’t been to even half of these yet but what’s great is you’ll never really know what you’ll find. Some of the shops I loved were Spillers Records; Sobeys-Vintage and Illustrate. Please feel free to comment below any suggestions of shops in the arcades you loved and would recommend, that would be really helpful to us!
Photo taken from here
Catch the train to Penarth
David and I visited Penarth on my very first visit to Cardiff. It was a lovely day weather-wise and we wanted to go for a walk on the coast – so Penarth seemed like the perfect option. We caught the train from Cathays so we had to change at Cardiff Central, but even still the whole journey only took around half an hour which isn’t bad for a day out.
Penarth is a small town just South of Cardiff Bay, and is a lot quieter than the Bay too! As part of our trip we strolled through Alexandra Park and visited its aviary and walked along the seafront including the pier. There was also a small beach-themed shop that I wanted to have a browse round, and found they did some really lovely household items. We had something to eat at the Beach Hut (see our post “Places to eat in Cardiff” for more information.)
After lunch, we decided to walk from Penarth back to Cardiff Bay as Google Maps told us that there was a walkway the whole way along. After walking for about 5 minutes, we came across a problem – the path had been reduced to rubble by a landslide that had crashed through it. Being the ‘adventurers’ we are, we decided to carry on along the beach but soon found out this was a big mistake… The rocks were jagged and very hard to walk on even with good shoes, and bits of the cliff were crumbling left, right and centre so we had to stay well away. To be honest, looking back it was quite a dangerous thing to do and it wasn’t worth the walk, but that being said you should definitely still visit Penarth!
Photo taken from here
Walk along the barrage into Cardiff Bay
The 1.1km barrage joins Cardiff Bay to Penarth and is a great place to go for a walk to blow out the cobwebs (it was very windy when we went), and to take some time away from the bustling city.
The barrage played an important part in the regeneration of Cardiff Bay as places such as the Millennium Centre and the National Assembly for Wales have since moved to the waterfront.
There is a pedestrian and cycle route the whole way along the barrage, allowing the public to travel between Mermaid Quay and Penarth Marina. Points of interest along the barrage are a play area for kids; the Skate Plaza; plenty of free exhibitions throughout the year. There is also a giant crocodile, along with reference boards relating to author Roald Dahl. If you get hungry along the way, there is also a RSPB -run cafe.
Photo taken from here
I’m sure there are more things that we have done that I can’t remember at the moment, and I know there will certainly be more that we will do in the future so follow us for more inspiration!
Happy Travelling!
Zoe and David x
Written by Zoe
Not-So-Trendy Travellers 