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Cardiff bay
Britain on View

Songs and arias
“In these stones horizons sing” is the inscription on the brilliant bronze and slate front of the new Wales Millennium Centre, home to Cardiff’s arts and culture organisations. Written by the Welsh poet laureate, Gwyneth Lewis, the phrase neatly reflects Cardiff’s industrial past, hints at a promising future for the cultural centre and the city itself, and points to the relationship with the sea.

It’s a city that is living and breathing change. In the past 10-15 years, Cardiff has been transformed from a dirty, depressed, post-industrial city to a vibrant, multicultural capital. The regeneration of Cardiff Bay, the new opera house in the Wales Millennium Centre, the Millennium stadium and the changing character of the city in general have all played a part in the sense of revival.

Despite its history, which most obviously manifests itself in the form of the Roman, Norman and Victorian castle right in the heart of the city centre – Cardiff is still a young place: this year it celebrates 50 years as the capital of Wales and just 100 years as a city. It has a large student population which helps ensure a lively nightlife - even if Cardiff does suffer slightly for being a major destination for stag and hen weekends.

The shopping is great - pedestrianised high-street areas give way to charming Victorian and Edwardian arcades, and the city’s restaurants are gaining in reputation. A big draw is also that Cardiff is small enough to make a quick escape to the countryside.

A 10-minute drive will take you north out to the woods around fairytale Castle Coch, west to the greenery of the Vale of Glamorgan or south to the heritage coastline. People are friendly and the city has just the right mix of ingredients to cater for several different types of weekend breaks.
Best view
International rugby match
There’s no landmark in Cardiff which can give you a view of the city in the way that the London Eye or the Eiffel tower would, although the Garth and Wenault mountains are worth venturing out to for a view of the city from a distance. But if you want a window into the Welsh nation, go to Cardiff when there’s an international rugby fixture on. For the Welsh, rugby is the expression of a nation and it’s an experience you will never forget. The sight of 75,000 people - mostly wearing red - in such a huge stadium is itself a spectacle, and the singing will make your hair stand on end.

www.millenniumstadium.com

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Best thing to do for free
The National Museum and Gallery
This museum, with its collection of Welsh archaeology, arts and crafts, and surprisingly impressive collection of Impressionist paintings, is worth a visit if you’ve got a few days here. Entry is free.

www.nmgw.ac.uk/www.php/nmgc/

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Where to watch the world go by
Cardiff Bay
The best place to watch the world go by is down at Cardiff Bay, which has witnessed so much pass by itself. Originally the site of the docks which exported Welsh coal worldwide, by the 1980s Tiger Bay was a mass of derelict land and abandoned buildings. The regeneration began with the controversial barrage which flooded the bay, and now the area houses a cinema complex, restaurants, piers, clubs, bars, museums, designer apartment complexes, the Welsh assembly and the Wales Millennium Centre, the home of Welsh opera and seven other arts and culture organisations. The coffee shops and bars which now line the water’s edge at Mermaid Quay are the perfect place to watch it all come alive - by day or night.

www.cardiffbay.co.uk/

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Night time hangout
Clwb Ifor Bach
Otherwise known as 'The Welsh Club' it eschews the commercialism and loutishness that blights the club scene in city centres around Britain, going instead for an eclectic range of musical styles and ambiences on its rather different three floors.

11 Womanby Street Tel: 02920 232199

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Cultural highlight
The Museum of Welsh Life
It's a brilliant free outdoor museum 10 minutes west of the centre showing how Welsh people lived, worked and spent their spare time through the ages. Set in 100 acres of beautiful parkland in the grounds of St Fagans castle, a 16th-century manor house, over 30 buildings have been painstakingly moved from various parts of Wales and reassembled brick by brick. Native farm animals roam the fields and farmyards, and there’s a working flour mill and blacksmith. There are also some great old-fashioned shops including a baker’s and a sweet shop. The village of St Fagans itself is worth a look, with pretty thatched-roof cottages, a picturesque cricket ground and decent pub.

www.nmgw.ac.uk/www.php/mwl/

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Bring back
Welsh lovespoons
Bring this back as a great holiday souvenir or present. The tradition of carving and giving wooden lovespoons began hundreds of years ago in Wales when young men gave them to their sweethearts as tokens of affection. Different designs and sizes convey different messages: a cross means faith, a horseshoe symbolises luck, a knot signifies everlasting love, and so on.

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Best shop
Spillers Records
Spillers Records in the Hayes is the world’s oldest record shop, founded in 1894 when it sold phonographs and sheet music. It’s still going strong despite the decline of vinyl, the growth of the CD market and the HMV and Virgin Megastores which have taken over the high street. It’s the best place to get less mainstream, more independent music and worth going into the tiny shop just for a look. Staff are friendly and more than willing to help you find that rare record or obscure title. Make sure you get one of the famous red biodegradable plastic bags, which the shop has been using as long as anyone can remember.

www.spillersrecords.co.uk

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Time for love
The Vale of Glamorgan
If you're searching for a romantic spot, get out of the city and head for the peace of the countryside. The Vale of Glamorgan has some lovely spots for a picnic and its green, rolling fields, lush woods and pretty villages immediately make you forget your troubles. But if you’re not the outdoor type, you could see if romance blossoms over Cardiff’s biggest steaks like Gav and Char at Charleston’s.

www.valeofglamorgan.gov.uk/

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Worth a try
Cardiff nightlife
You may love it or hate it but raucous Saturday night in Cardiff has to be experienced. The St Mary’s Street and Mill Lane end of the city is the focal point for most of the action. It’s worth checking out the Yard complex, a redeveloped Brains brewery which now contains restaurants, bars and a club. Moloko on Mill Lane is an interesting vodka bar, Metro’s is a great indie club and Clwb Ifor Bach (the Welsh Club) has different music on three floors. Dance music lovers should head for Emporium, which was featured in the clubbing film Human Traffic. It’s then essential to visit Caroline St, fondly known as Chippy Lane, to soak up all this alcohol with chips and gravy, chips with curry sauce, battered sausage, kebabs or whatever else you fancy. Another popular late night choice is Charleston's Brasserie, which stays open until about 4am and costs about £13 for a big juicy steak. Celeb spotters will be interested to know that this is where Charlotte Church punched her ex-boyfriend after he sold his story to the tabloids, and also where she met her current squeeze, Welsh rugby player Gavin Henson.

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The thing to eat
Welsh food
Try Welsh cakes, Welsh lamb, Bara brith (tea loaf), Welsh cheeses (Caerphilly and goat’s cheeses are good), Clark’s pies and Brains bitter.

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Green space
Glamorgan canal nature reserve
My favourite green space in Cardiff is a section of the old Glamorgan canal, which was used to transport coal down from the valleys out to the Cardiff docks. You begin by walking along the canal, through a green tunnel of trees, alive with wildlife. Halfway along you can fork off left to Forest Farm, or to the right, where you cross a lock, climb up a steep hill and look back down at the canal through the canopy of beech trees. It’s a very peaceful place and there’s so much wildlife to see at all times of the year.

www.forestfarm.org.uk

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Best ride
The Taff trail
Get a bike and ride the Taff trail. You can go from the centre of Cardiff all the way out to Castle Coch, following the river on safe bike paths.

www.tafftrail.org.uk;

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Keep the kids happy
Ice skating at the Wales National Ice Rink
Try out your moves, take a lesson or sit back and watch the Cardiff Red Devils play a bruising game of ice hockey.

www.thecardiffdevils.co.uk/directions

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Escape the crowds
The Waverley boat trip
Boat-lovers should take a cruise on the Waverley – the last sea-going paddle steamer in the world. It leaves from Penarth, just outside Cardiff, and visits the islands of Flatholm and Steepholm in the Bristol Channel. Sights include seabird colonies, rare flora and fauna, naval defences and an abandoned cholera isolation hospital.

www.waverleyexcursions.co.uk

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The film to see before I go
Human Traffic
It could have been filmed anywhere, and it’s not always this exciting in Cardiff, but the film has certainly boosted the reputation of the city’s nightlife.

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... and for the book lover
Llandaff village
Four miles outside the city centre, it has a beautiful cathedral, lovely grounds by the river and a pretty high street and village green. Llandaff was also the birthplace of the children’s author Roald Dahl, who attended the nearby Cathedral school, which features in his book Boy.

homepage.ntlworld.com/llandaff/

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Where to eat (Welsh)
Macdonald Holland House restaurant
The restaurant in the Holland House hotel has received good reviews since it opened last year. The menu contains moderately priced modern Welsh cuisine.

Holland House, 25-26 Newport Road 0870 122 0020 www.hollandhousehotel.co.uk/foodanddrink/index.htm

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Where to eat (Japanese)
Izakaya
A Japanese tavern down at Cardiff Bay started by a Welshman who lived in Japan for several years. Sit up at the benches and hear the chefs shouting out your order, or book a private room and sit round the traditional low tables if there’s a big group of you.

Izakaya, Mermaid Quay 029 2049 2939 www.bigcardiff.co.uk/articles.php?article_id=23

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Where to eat (French)
Le Gallois - Y Cymro (the Welshman)
Award-winning French restaurant that uses the best Welsh produce. A three-course dinner costs around £35 each excluding wine.

Le Gallois - Y Cymro, 6-10 Romilly Crescent, Canton 029 2034 1264 www.legallois-ycymro.com/

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Where to stay (budget)
The Big Sleep Hotel
This hotel, described on its website as 'super cheap but sexy-chic', was recently voted one of the 25 coolest hotels in the world by Conde Nast Traveller. It’s certainly intriguing: an ugly converted 1960s office tower block right near the train line which was opened when the actor John Malkovich, one of its shareholders, got into bed with 300 Welsh secretaries on live television. Rooms cost £45 per night for a standard room, and £85 for a penthouse.

The Big Sleep Hotel, Bute Terrace, Cardiff 029 20 636363 www.thebigsleephotel.com/

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Where to stay (moderate)
Jolyon's
A big fuss has been made about Cardiff’s first boutique hotel, Jolyon’s, The restored Georgian townhouse has six lavishly furnished bedrooms, with king-sized beds, wi-fi facilities, free-to-view television, tea, coffee and cafeteria, and views of Cardiff Bay.

Jolyon's, 5 Bute Crescent, Cardiff 02920 488 775 www.jolyons.co.uk/

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Where to stay (posh)
St David's Hotel & Spa
A new five-star hotel also in the Bay area. There are 132 guest bedrooms, all with private balconies and views across the bay, and 20 suites. Guests also have full use of the St David's marine spa, which claims to be the first health facility and hydrotherapy spa in Wales. Rooms from £260 - £550.

St David's Hotel, Havannah Street, Cardiff 02920 454045 www.thestdavidshotel.com/

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