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photoeverywhere.co.uk · CC BY 2.5 · Wikimedia CommonsGuide · Wales
Walks near Cardiff you can do by train
Eight walks from the capital with a station or a bus stop at the start, from the Taff to the top of Pen y Fan.
By the TRXO team · · 4 min read
- walks
- 8
- long
- 5.1–15.2 km
- biggest climb
- 730 m
- by public transport
- 8
- dog-friendly
- 8
Cardiff is better placed for walking than it gets credit for. The Brecon Beacons are an hour up the A470, Gower is an hour west, Pembrokeshire a bit more, and all of them have trains or buses from the city. You can leave Queen Street after breakfast and be on Pen y Fan by lunch.
These eight walks all start at a station or at a bus stop with a decent service. They run from a riverside afternoon in the city to a Beacons summit and the best beach in Wales. The last one is across the bridge in Bristol, because it's 50 minutes on the train and it's a good walk.
Where they are
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Cardiff
Cardiff: Bute Park to Llandaff Cathedral
- 7.7 km distance
- 40 m ascent
- 2–2.5 h time
- Easy grade
- by public transport
- dogs welcome
Route, map and GPXThe Taff Trail out of the city centre: through Bute Park behind the castle, along the river under the trees to Llandaff and its cathedral in a hollow. Flat, green and surprisingly quiet two miles from the Millennium Stadium. Start at Cardiff Central or Queen Street.
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Brecon
Brecon canal to the Brynich aqueduct
- 7.4 km distance
- 40 m ascent
- 1.5–2.5 h time
- Easy grade
- by public transport
- dogs welcome
Route, map and GPXBus to Brecon from Cardiff or Abergavenny, then the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal east along the towpath to the aqueduct over the Usk, with the Beacons on the skyline. Flat, pretty and good for a day when the tops are in cloud. The theatre café at the canal basin for afterwards.
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Bannau Brycheiniog
Pen y Fan from Pont ar Daf
- 6.5 km distance
- 450 m ascent
- 2–3 h time
- Moderate grade
- by public transport
- dogs welcome
Route, map and GPXThe highest mountain in southern Britain by its easiest route, from the car park on the A470 that the T4 bus from Cardiff stops beside. A wide stone path climbs steadily to Corn Du and along to Pen y Fan's flat top, with the Beacons' great north-facing escarpment dropping away beside you. Two and a half hours up and down; busy; worth it.
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Crickhowell
Table Mountain and Pen Cerrig-calch from Crickhowell
- 15.2 km distance
- 730 m ascent
- 4.5–6.5 h time
- Hard grade
- by public transport
- dogs welcome
Route, map and GPXBus to Crickhowell, then up past the Iron Age fort on Table Mountain to Pen Cerrig-calch and the long ridge of the Black Mountains. The harder day on this list, 15 km with 730 m of climbing, and the quietest: the Beacons' crowds are all on Pen y Fan.
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Swansea
Swansea Bay to Mumbles
- 9.1 km distance
- 60 m ascent
- 2–3 h time
- Easy grade
- by public transport
- dogs welcome
Route, map and GPXTrain to Swansea, then the promenade and cycle path round the whole sweep of Swansea Bay to Mumbles pier and lighthouse, with Gower beginning beyond it. Nine flat kilometres with the sea beside you the whole way and ice cream at the end. Buses back along the front.
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Rhossili, Gower
Rhossili and Worm's Head
- 7.2 km distance
- 320 m ascent
- 2–3 h time
- Moderate grade
- by public transport
- dogs welcome
Route, map and GPXBus from Swansea to the end of Gower, where a three-mile beach and the tidal island of Worm's Head make the finest coastal view in Wales. The walk follows the cliffs to the coastguard lookout facing the Worm and back. Cross to the island only within two and a half hours of low tide, with the tables checked.
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St Davids
St Davids: the cathedral and St Non's
- 5.1 km distance
- 160 m ascent
- 1.5–2 h time
- Easy grade
- by public transport
- dogs welcome
Route, map and GPXTrain to Haverfordwest, bus to Britain's smallest city, then from its cathedral down to St Non's chapel on the cliffs where St David was born and along the Pembrokeshire Coast Path. A long way from Cardiff for a day, but as a weekend it's the best thing in the south-west of Wales.
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Bristol Harbourside
Bristol Harbourside and the Clifton Suspension Bridge
- 7.3 km distance
- 230 m ascent
- 2–3 h time
- Moderate grade
- by public transport
- dogs welcome
Route, map and GPXFifty minutes on the train, then from Temple Meads round the floating harbour, past the SS Great Britain, to the Clifton Suspension Bridge and the Avon Gorge. Not Wales, but a great city walk and an easy day out from Cardiff.
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Before you go
- The T4 bus (Cardiff to Newtown) stops at the Storey Arms and Pont ar Daf for Pen y Fan; the T6 serves Crickhowell and Brecon. Check the timetables; Sunday services are thin.
- Pen y Fan and Table Mountain are hill walks: boots, waterproofs and a forecast. The Beacons' weather is wetter and windier than Cardiff's.
- Trains to Swansea are every half hour; Gower buses leave from Swansea bus station, a short walk from the railway station.
- Worm's Head cuts people off every year. If the lookout's board says don't cross, don't cross.
Questions people ask
Can you climb Pen y Fan by public transport from Cardiff?
Yes. The T4 bus from Cardiff stops at Pont ar Daf on the A470, where the easiest path starts. About an hour and a quarter each way; check the return times.
What is the best walk in Cardiff itself?
The Taff Trail from Bute Park to Llandaff Cathedral: flat, green and quiet, starting in the city centre.
Which Gower walks are reachable by bus?
Rhossili and Worm's Head on the 118/119 from Swansea; Three Cliffs Bay from Southgate on the 14; Mumbles on the 2/3 along the front.
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