Taff Trail, Cardiff to Castell Coch
Opened in 1995 the 55-mile Taff Trail runs north from Cardiff to Brecon, largely traffic-free, along a mixture of riverside paths, railway paths and forestry roads.
The trail described here runs from Bute Park, just north of the Millennium Stadium, to Tongwynlais, passing through parkland alongside the River Taff on an attractive broad smooth track.
The trail is signposted variously as ‘The Taff Trail’, ‘Lôn Las Cymru’ and ‘National Cycle Network Route 8’. All three run together to Brecon.
Between Llandaff and Tongwynlais you will pass the Mellingriffith Water Pump, considered to be one of the most important industrial monuments in Europe: a water-powered beam engine erected in 1807 to lift water 11 feet up from the river to the Glamorganshire Canal. The pump worked for 140 years until 1948 when the canal was closed and filled in.
In Tongwynlais you can follow roads through the village and climb steeply to visit fairytale Castell Coch, a Grade I listed building described as ‘one of the most fascinating surviving relics of Victorian Medievalism’. With its conical turrets rising above the surrounding beech woodland it is an outstanding landmark.
Natural attractions:
- The River Taff
Visitor attractions:
- Castell Coch
Route submitted by: Sustrans
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Key route details
- Region/Area:
South East Wales
- Distance:
6 miles
- Time needed:
2 hours
- Classification:
Easy
- Traffic:
Traffic-free to Tongwynlais, quiet roads to Castell Coch
- Surface:
Mixed
- NCN Route:
National Route 8
- Start:
Bute Park, Cardiff
- Finish:
Tongwynlais or Castell Coch
- Cycle hire:
Pedal Power, Cardiff Caravan Park, Bute Park Tel: 029 2039 0713, www.cardiffpedalpower.org
- Access:
Train station at Cardiff
- Maps and guides:
-
Lôn Las Cymru - South NN8A £5.99
- Links with:
The Taff Trail continues north from Castell Coch largely traffic-free all the way to Merthyr Tydfil and beyond
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