Driving from England to Wales was quite enjoyable, as our excitement mounted sign by sign, seeing them change from English to many if not most either in Welsh and English or just Welsh. The word “araf” is still burnt into our memories, though it did take quite some time to realise exactly what it meant as it was painted on the road, usually just before a corner. However, finally the penny dropped – araf was/is Welsh for slow, and not to be confused with the Islam word with the same spelling – meaning somewhere between heaven and hell. Though possibly the Islamic meaning may be quite appropriate for Tom Bradley Airport in Los Angeles – but I will stop there.
It must be said we were impressed by the widespread use of the Welsh language, which was helped by the Welsh Language Act in 1993, and then the Welsh Language Measure in 2011 which strengthened the Act. In 2016 other regulations were put in place including mandating that all signage (new and when old signage is replaced) must have Welsh first, English second. The Welsh language had been dying out for many years, but now around 1 in 3 Welsh residents say they are comfortable speaking in Welsh, which is quite an accomplishment!
Our accommodation in Cardiff was actually in Cardiff Bay, which is around a 25 minute walk from central Cardiff city. We stayed at the Coal Exchange Hotel, which is a historically listed building built in 1888 and was named the Coal and Shipping Exchange.
Cardiff was, some decades ago, the largest coal exporting port in the World. Subsequently this building acted as a commercial base for the coal traders and I believe some of the shipping companies. It is a very large and quite grand building which currently has 55 rooms. There have been plans in place for some years to eventually increase it to over 140 rooms. The hotel has had a very dramatic recent history, with it being closed on at least two occasions, including the most recent for two to three months at the beginning of 2024. However, we really enjoyed our stay there, and certainly for me it was in the top three hotels we stayed at. The staff were mostly very friendly and helpful, and the food in the excellent restaurant was great. There is some street side (paid) parking directly outside, but it is limited and finding other carparks can be tricky, though there are two parking buildings within walking distance if you don’t mind shelving out several pounds to pay for them. Cardiff bay itself is only about six minutes walk from the hotel.
We rated the Coal Exchange hotel – 8 out of 10 Kiwis
Cardiff Bay
Cardiff Bay is definitely worth visiting, and if you plan your visit in August you will find a fun fair based there, with amusement rides and other fun activities. Cardiff Bay developed originally as the main port for coal leaving Cardiff, at one stage in the millions of tons. As the demand died down after the second World war the area became fairly run down and impoverished. Originally called Tiger bay, much work was done by the government and council to turn the area around into a more desirable destination. Now the Senedd (Welsh Parliament) building is located here, the officials who meet here set laws for Wales, agree on what taxes will be put in place, and scrutinise the Welsh Government. It is a fairly impressive though not a huge or grand building that is very near the waterfront and can be seen up close.
There is a huge tidal variation in Cardiff Bay, which originally made development of the area into a tourist attraction a major challenge, subsequently a massive engineering project was embarked on that has effectively made the waterfront one giant lake.
An incredibly impressive building located in the bay area is the Wales Millennium Centre, which is Wales’ national arts centre. It covers just over 4 acres and can hold concerts for up to 2500 people. Even if you don’t get a chance to go inside the Millennium centre, getting a photo of the amazing outside is definitely worth your time. Like with many tourist type attractions, being able to get a selfie or even just a photo of the building without having a dozen other people in your photo all taking selfies, requires a lot of patience and good timing!
If you visit Cardiff bay during the UK summer months, you will find a now fairly famous fun park is set up in the Road Dahl Plass (Roald Dahl Place), which is the square right next to the Millennium Centre. There are fun rides, food stalls and other attractions. I was quite excited seeing it – as I was convinced there would be a ‘haunted house’ attraction. But alas, my childish and slightly ghoulish brain was to be disappointed – but there certainly are lots of other fun activities.
If you are wondering why this area is called Roald Dahl Plass, it is because Roald Dahl the very famous author was born in Llandaff in Cardiff.
Though the waterfront part of Cardiff Bay itself is a lovely area to walk around, some of the surrounding streets are a little on the rough side, so maybe do not walk down them after say 9pm – especially for unfamiliar tourists.
We rated Cardiff Bay 7 out of 10 Kiwis
We walked from the Coal Exchange hotel in Cardiff Bay to the central city of Cardiff. The walk took us around 20 minutes, and it’s an easy walk, no hills. Obviously there are buses and trains that you can catch to get there a lot faster, but we find you get to see and experience more of any country by walking.
Cardiff city centre is quite impressive, with hundreds of shops ranging from a very big John Lewis department store down to small hobby / collectible stores, which put a smile on my face as I collect diecast cars, and a slight grimace on Di’s face as she does not!
As well as a very nice large shopping mall in central Cardiff, St David’s Dewi Sant, there are several arcades you can walk through as well as numerous street side stores. One unique feature of Cardiff city centre is Cardiff castle which fills a large area on the very edge of the shopping area. Unfortunately we didn’t go inside this 2000 year old castle, but from what I have seen and heard about it, it is definitely worth a visit – and it is on our list to get to within the next couple of years. Cardiff castle isn’t just a location of historical importance, but is also a major drawcard for well known bands and singers who play to audiences in the open green area in front of the castle. Walking along the main road outside the castle you will see several stone sculptures of exotic animals that used to be kept there many hundreds of years ago.
The walls of Cardiff Castle form an imposing landmark in Cardiff city
While in Cardiff we discovered the joy of Welsh cakes. My best way of describing a Welsh cake would be to ask that you imagine what the offspring would be if a scone and a pikelet were to breed. They have been gracing the mouths of many a Welshman, and woman, for around 150 years. I have to say they are very yummy and moreish!
We rated Cardiff city centre 8 out of 10 Kiwis