I spent some of my formative years in what was then the newly proclaimed
Welsh Capital and, although an English lad from the North, I really enjoyed my time living there. The city had a lot going for it in the late 50s and early 60s, but with the regeneration of Cardiff Bay it now has even more. In the past we have visited the some of my old haunts, but this time we decided to push the boat out and stay in the heart of Cardiff Bay in the
St Davids Hotel for a couple of nights - after all it was my birthday!
St Davids Hotel, Cardiff at Sunset
The hotel is in a prime position on the waterfront close to the
National Assembly and the magnificent
Pier Head building with its Gothic Revival architecture.The hotel isn't cheap but it has impact and we enjoyed being in the heart of the bay. It was a quiet weekend being just after New Year but all the facilities of the city were open.
Pier Head Building and the Bay at night
The bay and docks area of Cardiff fascinated me as a youth, particularly the shipping. I was fortunate to have a father who worked on Bute Street and was able to show me around the docks on Saturday morning. It was in the days when the office working week included Saturday mornings so I accompanied Dad to the office (doing homework) and then had my treat a visit to see what shipping had recently arrived. Nowadays the docks are very quiet but there are marinas with yachts and the lake that was formed by the
barrage. In my time living in Cardiff we had only views of the mudflats. The steamer service to Weston-Super-Mare and other points along the Bristol Channel was governed by the tides and the huge rise and fall had quite an impact on their timetable. As a youth I often went on the
Campbell paddle steamers the Cardiff Queen & the Bristol Queen.The most fascinating aspect of any trip was standing by the windows to the engine room and watching the reciprocating motion and the paddle wheels. It was particularly enthralling when the steamer was being manoeuvered and the wheels were rotating in opposite directions.
We are always up for boat trips and this stay was no exception. Although the Bristol Channel steamers have long since gone small boats operate from Mermaid Quay so we took one to travel into the city centre. The MB Princess Kathrine operates all year so were able to pick up transport from the quay and travel up to Bute Park (
Cardiff Castle). The fun of doing this is obvious as you head across the bay towards Penarth with a useful commentary and then turn up the River Taff towards the city. Its certainly the best way to see the
Millennium Stadium and the complex structures that overhang the river. The boat, the
Princess Kathrine, has plenty of capacity but last Saturday mooring it had only four passengers.
Princess Kathrine approaching Mermaid Quay
Millennium Stadium from river level
Cardiff Castle Keep & Moat
We spent the day visiting the wonderful castle with its Gothic Revival interior and travelling out to Llandaff to visit the cathedral. I used to cox and row at
Llandaff Rowing Club and we just had to visit their clubhouse which brought back many boyhood memories.
Llandaff Weir and Boat House
