To tackle the spread of COVID-19, cafes, pubs and sit-in restaurants have been closed. However, you’ll be pleased to know that our cycle cafes are still functioning as workshops, should you need to have your bike fixed. Continue reading The new normal, a COVID-19 update
Good news everyone! Tongwynlais now has a bicycle cafe, thoroughly stuffing up our assertion that Tongwynlais doesn’t make enough of its prime location on the Taff Trail. We are particularly excited about Plan2Ride, being based up this neck of the … Continue reading Plan2Ride bicycle cafe, Tongwynlais
With the Taff Trail being such a well-worn path, it’s surprising that there’s a lack of commercial activity trying to take advantage of it, at least through Cardiff. However, every so often, something interesting turns up. Forest Tea Rooms is set just off Heol-y-Fforest (it’s the next left after the castle as you head up from Tongwynlais) and is part of a number of different enterprises, most notably a wood burning stove retailer. Given the wood-burning stove connection, there’s no prizes for guessing where Forest Tea Rooms gets its heat from. The place is littered with wood burning stoves that … Continue reading Forest Tea Rooms, Tongwynlais
Visible from most of Cardiff and sat smack-bang on the Taff Trail, Castell Coch is an excellent place to take the bike. However, can you park your bike when you get there? The answer is yes. There’s three Sheffield stands to the right of the castle –enough space for six bicycles and allowing you to park up securely & take a look around this impressive 19th Century Neo-Gothic building. We’ve added them to OpenStreetMap for easy reference. There’s also a cafe just to the left of the main entrance, should you feel the need for some sustenance after the somewhat brutal … Continue reading Castell Coch, Tongwynlais
We have some excellent news, courtesy of Tongwynlais.com. The Ton is getting a cycle hub… “We want to open a new hub for cyclists, runners and walkers this winter. The hub will offer related clothing, footwear and accessories; bicycle servicing; top quality coffee and other hot drinks and home made snacks; and a unique and sociable environment to share tales from the trails. We hope the hub will further enhance Tongwynlais’ unique location as Cardiff’s gateway to the outdoors.” Source: New Cycling Hub Set to Open in Tongwynlais | Tongwynlais.com Having lived in and around Tongwynlais for much of my life, the Ton doesn’t … Continue reading New Cycling Hub Set to Open in Tongwynlais –via Tongwynlais.com
If you are ever in the need for a quick sprint to somewhere for cake & a refreshing beverage, the Seawall Tea Rooms is for you. Just 20 miles from Cardiff Bay, the Seawall Tea Rooms is a flat, easy ride along NCN Route 4 and boy do they love us cyclists. Leaving the Millennium Centre you head down Schooner Way and take a right at the lights. Head straight over the next two roundabouts and into the streets of Tremorfa (you can head down Rover Way if you prefer, but it’s a horrid road to cycle on) until you … Continue reading Cardiff Bay to Seawall Tea Rooms
We have a new cycle-friendly destination to add to the list –Pugh’s Garden Centre in Morganstown. Pugh’s has a number of units that may be of interest to us cyclists, such as Mountain Warehouse; a garden shed maker; a veterinarian; a pet shop; a wood fire retailer and a few other things. Most importantly, there’s also a very nice cafe inside the main garden centre building, where you can top up your caffeine and sugar levels before heading up to Eglwysilan from Cardiff. They can be found outside the old garden centre entrance and we hope that their presence encourages … Continue reading Pugh's Garden Centre – Morganstown
Capital Retail Park is perhaps our newest out-of-town retail development and currently consists of a large Asda; a Costco; M&S; Smyths Toy Store; Next; SCS, plus the obligatory Subway; Greggs; Maplins and a Costa. The park sits on Enfys Route 50, which is a route that consists of shared paths either side of the carriageway. Roadies will no doubt use the road, but those on the paths should beware those on bikes travelling against the flow of traffic! As for parking, Capital Retail Park is actually quite well provisioned. There’s a bank of spaces next to the road at the … Continue reading Parking your bike at Capital Retail Park, Leckwith
