The Taff Trail from Cardiff Bay to Castell Coch

The Taff Trail runs from Cardiff Bay to Brecon; this is its first and easiest stretch. From the Bay it follows the river north past the stadium, through Sophia Gardens and Bute Park to Blackweir, on past Llandaff and Hailey Park, by the Melingriffith water pump of 1807 and the nature reserve at Forest Farm, to Radyr Weir. It passes under the M4 to Tongwynlais and climbs to Castell Coch, the red castle in the beech woods above the village.

It is 30.1 km (18.7 miles) there and back with 94 m of climbing; allow about 2 hours of riding. The grade is Moderate. The trail is tarmac and all but flat as far as Tongwynlais; nearly all the climbing is in the last steep kilometre up to the castle, which many people walk.

Most of it is traffic-free, on a riverside path shared with walkers and commuters, and fine for children and trailers. There are short stretches on streets: around the Bay, where bikes must be walked through the paved waterfront, over the Taff by a main-road bridge, and through Tongwynlais.

There is pay-and-display parking in the Bay and a free car park at the castle, which has toilets. Bikes can be hired at Pontcanna, beside the trail about 6 km from the start.

Route drawn by Global Adventurer along OpenStreetMap paths (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), with figures worked out from it. Check the forecast and the ground on the day: paths change.