There are not many cities where you would recommend the centre of local government as a place to while away an hour or two, but Cardiff is one of them. This area, less than a mile from the hustle and bustle of the Queen Street shops, has an air of calm dignity about it as befits the site of the very moving war memorial, with its fountains and quiet places to sit. It's very different from the buzz of the Bay.

Cardiff's Civic Centre has some of the most beautiful Portland stone buildings in Britain, classic architectural delights, and not at all besmirched by the sooty signs of the area's industrial past I had expected when I came here to university twenty years ago! It's also home to the National Museum of Wales (free admission, of course), a museum befitting its title and thus all things Cambrian, but also hosting some terrific travelling exhibtions from time to time - the Dinosaurs still linger in my memory two decades after I saw them.

Even though it's also next to the main buildings of Cardiff University, this is an area ideal for a lunchtime picnic or stroll - but if you prefer, there are a couple of excellent pubs such as "The Woody" [ properly, The Woodville, if I recall rightly] on Woodville Road and within staggering distance of Cathays Halt station with a fine selection of real ales.

Boulevard de Nantes, Cathays (pronounced Kataze), Cardiff. Nearest station, Cathays, Park Road (next to university union: services to Cardiff Central and the valleys).

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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;
Affan Valley Cycle Hire, tel: 01639 893661, 07952 577316 (mobile);
www.afan-valley-bike-hire.com

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A bit further out of Cardiff in the north, Cefn Onn is a 200-acre park where you can get lost among the rhododendron bushes.

www.cardiff.gov.uk/leisure/Parks/cefn_onn.htm

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A lovely park with a huge lake to feed the ducks or hire a boat. There’s a great playground for children, lovely rose gardens and an impressive greenhouse. Also in the park is a memorial lighthouse dedicated to Captain Scott, the South Pole explorer, who set sail on his final, ill-fated voyage from Cardiff.

www.cardiff.gov.uk/leisure/Parks/roathpark.htm

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Down between Cardiff Castle and the River Taff is Bute park, an adventure playground of standing stones, ruins and trees. It’s right on the edge of the city centre, and is a great place to take the weight off your feet after some shopping. The park extends north along the river and becomes Sophia Gardens, where you’ll find Glamorgan cricket club’s ground and the Welsh Institute of Sport, and the wide open playing fields of Pontcanna and Llandaff fields.

www.wcities.com/en/record/,4947/7/record.html

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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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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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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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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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