Pontcanna Fields & Llandaff Fields

Pontcanna Fields

Pontcanna Fields is bounded to the south-east by Sophia Gardens, to the north-east by the river Taff, to the south-west by Cathedral Road and associated side streets, Llandaff Fields and allotment gardens and to the north-west by land used by the Cardiff Riding School, allotments and Western Avenue.

The area may be accessed from:-

• the south-east via the Taff Trail along the bank of the river Taff and from Sophia Gardens,
• the south-west via Dyfrig Street, Dogo Street, Fields Park Road (where there is a large free car park, changing rooms and a Scout Hall) and the children's play area in Llandaff Fields,
• the north-west via the avenue; see below, and a footpath along the river Taff,
• the east from Bute Park via the footbridge at Blackweir (Taff Trail).

The area of open space available to the public, excluding the Riding School fields, is in the region of about 30 hectares.

From the boundary wall with Sophia Gardens (ST172772) a straight metalled road between an avenue of trees continues for 2.3km in a south-east/north-west direction terminating at Western Avenue (ST161781).

• On the south-east (Cathedral Road side) of the avenue from south-east to north-west there are the following features:-
• a path giving pedestrian access to Dogo Street,

a touring caravan park screened from view from the avenue by a hedge, at the northern end of which are cycle hire facilities including machines for the disabled, a café and toilets and a small users car park, protected by a raised flood bank adjacent to the avenue,

a grassed area leading to a Scout Hall, Fields Park Road (free) car park and changing rooms also protected by the flood bank,

just south of the changing rooms as far as the Riding School fields (see below), the avenue itself is raised to form a flood protection barrier,

• a high stone wall forming the south-west boundary of this part of the park, parallel to which is a pathway under a line of deciduous oak trees (from which the caravan park is screened off by fencing and hedging),
• a narrow strip of land bounded to the south-west by gardens of properties on Fields Park Road and screened by a beech hedge,
• a broad area of grass with pathways leading to the Llandaff Fields access point (the south-west boundary of this area is also formed by a high stone wall with deciduous oak trees),
• a narrow strip of grass with a path parallel to the avenue bordered by allotment gardens,
• a narrow strip of land bounded to the south-west by gardens of properties on Fields Park Road and screened by a beech hedge,
• a broad area of grass with pathways leading to the Llandaff Fields access point (the south-west boundary of this area is also formed by a high stone wall with deciduous oak trees),
• a narrow strip of grass with a path parallel to the avenue bordered by allotment gardens.

On the north-east side of the avenue from south-east to north-west there are the following features:-

• a pathway alongside the Sophia Gardens boundary wall leading to the Taff Trail on the banks of the river,
• a large area of playing fields stretching for about 900 metres along the avenue (a path lined with recently planted elm trees crosses this area from just north of the changing rooms to the Blackweir footbridge),
• the Cardiff Riding Centre and associated paddocks (this area is open only to users of the Riding Centre), also nearby mill cottages,
• allotment gardens.

Between the access into the cycle hire site (via Sophia Gardens) and access into the riding centre (via Western Avenue) the road is closed to motorised vehicles.

Close to Blackweir there is a triangle of grass not used for playing fields which is only cut occasionally and is a popular spot for picnics. North-west of Blackweir footbridge there is a wooded path along the west side of the river Taff which leads to Western Avenue. Parallel to this there is another avenue of trees which forms the boundary with the allotment the gardens.

Llandaff Fields

Llandaff Fields is bounded in the south-south-east by Penhill Road, in the east by the ends of Denbigh Street and Fairleigh Road, in the north-east by a stone boundary wall, in the north-west by allotments and the grounds of Welsh Joint Education Committee building, in the west-north-west by Mill Lane and the south-west partly by Cardiff Road and partly by the grounds of properties on Cardiff Road.

Apart from a few minor undulations the area is mostly flat at an elevation of between about 10m OD at Penhill Road to around 15m OD at Western Avenue. However the land rises very abruptly adjacent Cardiff Road at the south-west end though more gently to a high point of about 20m OD in the north-west, close to the Cardiff Road entrance.

The park is about 31 hectares in area, being about 900 metres in length from Penhill Road to Western Avenue and about 400 metres in width from Cardiff Road to the boundary wall with Pontcanna Fields. It is mostly grass, some of the area being marked out with playing fields principally for rugby in the winter and cricket in the summer.

The park may be accessed from:-

• The junction of Penhill Road and Cathedral Road (ST165774), bus stops - Cardiff Bus 24 (southbound), 25 (northbound), 60 (northbound), 62 (southbound), Stagecoach 122, 124, Cardif Bus & Easyway Minibus 32/320/322,
• Penhill Road pedestrian crossing,
• the western end of Penhill Road,
• Denbigh Street,
• Fairleigh Road,
• Cardiff Road (north-west end ST159776), bus stop Cardiff Bus 24 (southbound), 62 (southbound), Stagecoach 122, 124, 33, 33A&B (southbound),
• Junction of Mill Lane and Western Avenue (ST159779),
• Pontcanna Fields (ST165778).

The Penhill Road boundary is formed by a low fence lined with widely spaced small trees giving relatively unobstructed views across the parkland.

From the entrance at the junction of Penhill Road and Cathedral Road, where there are toilets (currently under refurbishment to include a snack bar) and an old trolley bus turning circle used for car parking, a tree-lined path leads to the Western Avenue entrance and a rough road leads to a small free car park at the ends of Denbigh Street and Fairleigh Road. (Note that although there is pedestrian access from these two streets there is no vehicular access). From this car park there are two paths heading into the park. The path opposite Denbigh Street gives access to a fenced off children's play area, a bowling green with pavilion, tennis courts with changing rooms and Council garages, before turning past a small copse of young trees, to cross the path to Western Avenue and climb up to the Cardiff Road entrance. The path opposite Fairleigh Road follows the boundary wall to the children's play area and the entrance to Pontcanna Fields.