This walk starts near to Wales Millennium Centre, at the heart of Cardiff Bay. This area was once a major docks and trading centre, exporting vast quantities of coal from South Wales around the world. The docklands, known locally as ‘Tiger Bay’, was once a grimy industrial area.

In recent decades the area has been transformed, the construction of a barrage and an impressive waterfront development which retains elements of its Victorian heritage alongside smart modern buildings.

Cardiff Bay

The copper clad dome of the Wales Millennium Centre is an impressive sight with huge lettering etched on the facade ‘In these stones horizons sing’. The outer sides of the building are faced with beautiful Welsh slate, the architect taking inspiration from the cliffs along the Glamorgan Heritage Coast to recreate the impression of layers of rock strata.

There are 3 landmark buildings along the way. The marvellous gothic style terracotta brick Pierhead building; the modern Senedd, home of the Welsh Government; and the historic Norwegian Church, now an arts centre.

Adding some interest around the bay are numerous public art sculptures. Notable ones are a beautiful and stunning designed memorial to Merchant seafarers lost during World War 2, and another ‘From Pit to Port’ to acknowledge the importance of the Welsh coal industry to the docks.

The walk continues around the waterfront, before crossing the Cardiff Bay Barrage.

The lock gates, walls and surfaces appear to have random lines of yellow paint, however if you stand in a particular spot at the right time when the lock gates are operating, you’ll see the lines match up to form 3 ovals. This is a public artwork titled ‘3 Ellipses For 3 Locks’. The photo below taken just after the barrage lock gates closed, almost but not quite, captures the fully lined up effect.

Once across the barrage, the route turns right and uphill, passing The Custom House.

Penarth

At the top of the hill, the path heads along residential streets until reaching a viewpoint at Penarth Head Park. There’s a mosaic of the Wales Coast Path logo and sweeping views over the Bristol Channel and coastline towards Lavernock Point.

A lane leads downhill and joins The Esplanade, which runs the length of Penarth’s seafront. It’s worthwhile taking the time to view the magnificent restored Penarth Pier, built in 1894.

It brought back childhood memories of summer visits many years ago, buying an ice cream at the kiosk and going to the end of the pier to watch local anglers cast fishing lines to the murky waters of the incoming tide.

At the end of The Esplanade the path continues uphill along the roadside then leads through a wide parkland which is a very popular spot, with lots of people walking the area and families enjoying the park. At the end of the open space a rough stony and muddy track continues but is flanked by hedgerows for the most part, so the coastal views are somewhat limited on the way towards Lavernock Point.

Lavernock Point

At the end of the track, the route joins a road alongside the pretty St. Lawrence Church at Lavernock Point. There’s an historic event associated with this place. It was here in 1897 that famous radio pioneer and inventor Guglielmo Marconi, set up the first ever transmission of radio messages over sea by morse code. There’s a commemorative plaque on the church wall.

The path goes through Lavernock Nature Reserve, an area of rich wildflower meadows and woodlands seen at their best during spring and summer. The path through the reserve and onwards were very boggy in parts as bad storms earlier that week had left the ground waterlogged.

Lavernock Fort Gun Battery, was developed as a Palmerston fort in 1860’s to protect the Bristol Channel. Once an important defensive site and it’s layout still of interest to military history buffs, sadly it was a disappointing sight on this visit as the area was very overgrown and an information board was in a very poor condition.

From Lavernock the downhill walk wasn’t easy, due to the slippery conditions on the very muddy path. At the foot of the hill, a grassy open area provides a pleasant viewpoint over the beach at St. Mary’s Well Bay.

The beach is in the ownership of The Bay Caravan Park and with no safe access from either side of the bay, the WCP route heads around the site then across a couple of fields.

So, after walking ankle deep across a couple of swamp like fields, we eventually made our way in mud caked boots to dry land on the road at the other side of the site.

Sully

The road leads downhill to the popular local pub ‘The Captain’s Wife’ at Beach Road, Swanbridge. It’s a nice place for a rest stop with a beer garden overlooking Sully Island.

The incoming tides here are notorious and fast moving with the danger of being cut off for those who walk across to the island at low tide.

Back on our way, the path runs along playing fields at Sully before a rough track leads along the top of a bank at the back of the shingle and rocky beach at Sully Bay.

At the west side of the bay before reaching Hayes Point, the path heads inland then along a road into Sully Village. The Wales Coast Path continues along busy highways and industrial roads to Cadoxton and Barry Docks. As was the case for part of the route on the east side of Cardiff, some sections through busy urban areas hold very little appeal in terms of coast walking.

So we ended this walk at Sully Church, as it’s on the bus route for the no.94 Cardiff Bus service for a convenient return to Cardiff city centre.

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