Penarth

A vibrant Victorian seaside town on the outskirts of Cardiff with plenty of character. Voted The Times best place to live in the UK 2019.

Penarth is the place we really call home. Myself and Phil were born there, went to school there, got married there and both sets of our parents still live there. It has a piece of our heart and we wanted to share our favourite haunts and restaurant/bars that we love to return to every summer….

A scenic bar crawl of Penarth

This day trip could take you into the evening so if you fancy checking out some of the bars we have listed here, ditch the car and get a train. It is only 10minutes from Cardiff Central station, just 3 stops. If you are driving, leave the car near Penarth train station or outside the Railway Pub and hit the streets, taking in the Victorian houses, leafy streets and welcoming people. This is a fair walk so is only advised if you are reasonably mobile.

Alexandra Park

When getting off the train, walk up the side hill to the right of the train station upon exiting. Take a right again and walk round the corner to the Railway Pub and cross the road. Next to the Glendale Hotel you will see a lane which leads you down into Alexandra Park.

A lush, green, Edwardian park in the centre of the town overlooking the Bristol Channel. There are plenty of colourful flowers, well tended bushes, a pond with large goldfish, an aviary with small birds, a little play park and a bandstand. A delightful park for taking in the sights and smells on a relaxing stroll. Exit down the small path next to the play park and continue down the hill to The Pier.

The Pier

Penarth Pier is an iconic Victorian building full of character and charm. It has undergone many changes and restorations over the years, our grandparents used to go to the cinema in the pavilion building during the 1940s and our parents used to go drinking in the snooker hall in the 1960s. Today there is an art gallery, a small cinema and a lovely tea room which has a terrace onto the other side of the pier overlooking the channel.

You can walk along the pier gazing out over to Western-Super-Mare on a clear day, indulge in a cone of chips or a Joe’s ice-cream (got to be the best ice-cream in Wales!) and read the plaques dedicated to births, marriages and people who have passed. Exit the pier and turn left walking along the promenade for the next stop.

The Beach

Penarth beach is not much to look at; a grey, pebbly beach with little sand and murky looking water, especially when the tide is far out. It is however, a great way to spend an hour especially with kids. Our boys love to build castles with the rocks, chase each other on the little amount of sand, throw and skim rock after rock out to see and dodge the sea weed.

If you have haven’t got kids with you and don’t fancy throwing a few rocks, take a seat on one of the numerous benches overlooking the water and take a few moments to yourself to enjoy an ice-cream and watch the world the go by. Continue walking along the promenade, past the RNLI lifeboat station and up the hill to the Cliff Tops.

The Cliff Tops

This path will take you along the coast down through Lavernock and as far as Sully, it is a great walk with dogs or just to blow away some cobwebs and something we love to do as soon as we are back in Penarth. The Cliff Tops has a great park for kids, it had a makeover in 2018 and is now a fantastic area catering for kids of all ages.

Our boys love climbing to the top of the climbing frame, clambering down through the Pirate slide and swinging away on the big round netted swing. This park is extremely close to the grandparents house so we spend a LOT of time here when back in Wales. There are public toilets and a cafe/restaurant right next to the park that offers takeaway coffees and ice-creams, but we would suggest waiting til the next stop for a coffee or some lunch. Exit down Cliff Parade, cross the road into Marine Parade and stay on the right hand side looking out for ‘Holm House Hotel’.

Holm House

Holm House Hotel is a spa, boutique hotel with breath taking views over Penarth seafront and the Bristol Channel. If you want to make a night or weekend of being in Penarth it is a wonderful (expensive) place to stay. They offer massages and salon services such as manicure/pedicures and great daily spa packages if you want to unwind here for the rest of the afternoon. As well as the spa and hotel there is also a fantastic restaurant offering breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner and you can pop in for just a coffee or a glass of something stronger. If the sun is shining they have a beautiful, big garden which is perfect for soaking up the sun and sipping on a glass of bubbles.

Once you are feeling refreshed and rejuvenated make your way out through the front door and take a right continuing up Marine Parade admiring the beautiful houses and landscaped gardens, taking a left up Plymouth Road and continuing to The Railway Pub. Take a left and up past Etc (a quick stop here for a drink could also be added!), over the zebra crossing and left and you will see Gin 64 (15minute walk).

Gin 64 and The Bottle Shop

Gin 64 is a relative new addition to Penarth and they have made their mark quickly. They offer over 40 Gins and 30 Rums as well as a variety of cocktails. It is a small, quirky bar with pavement seating which is a great place for people watching. The bar manager is a very friendly man, full of character who knows a lot about gin. He will fill you in on the history of gin and suggest drinks for you if you’re not a big gin lover. He managed to convert Mr White!

The drinks are not cheap (£8-9 a mixed drink or cocktail) but it is worth it for the tasty drinks, friendly staff and relaxed atmosphere. They are open every day from 2pm.

Across the road next to the train station is an off-licence called The Bottle Shop, another quirky welcomed addition to Penarth. They have a huge range of wines and beers and very knowledgeable staff who will point you in the direction of something new to try. The bonus of this lovely little shop is the big wooden tables and chairs where you can sit down and enjoy that drink. If you’re not there to buy they also serve a small selection of wines at roughly £5 a glass. It has a nice, relaxed atmosphere and got a thumbs up from us.

If you have had enough walking and drinks, now would be a good time to jump back on the train or head back to the car. If you are intrigued to see what else Penarth has to offer then carry on…..

From here you need to go back over the zebra crossing, past The Railway Pub (don’t turn down the road to the entrance) and continue up to the centre of the town and past the library. There is a lovely cafe/bar called Wilmore’s 1938 run by the wonderful Matt who would be happy to have a chat, give you a cold drink and give you somewhere to rest your legs. Continue on to the roundabout with the clock and take a left.

Penarth Town

Take a stroll around Penarth Town, up the Victorian Windsor Arcade where you will see some tea rooms, an old fashioned barber shop and sweet shop and green grocers. Exit here and you will see Hamptons Gift Shop which is always worth a browse. Taking a left and walking back down Glebe Street you will find many charity shops, banks, express supermarkets but there are also some lovely little gift shops, book shops and children’s clothes shops that are worth a wander.

If you want to continue with a few beverages or some food you can choose from The Bear’s Head (a cheap and cheerful Wetherspoons), Ocho (a lounge bar offering coffees, light snacks, meals and beverages), Crafty Devil Cellar (new addition to the high street, a local Cardiff brewery offering local beer, hops and ales as well as other beverages). We recommend holding off eating until our next stop, just up from Specsavers…..

Bar 44

Bar 44 is a popular, Spanish tapas restaurant and bar in the middle of the main high street, Windsor Road. They currently offer 2 tapas for £8 during lunch hours (until 5pm) as well as a full authentic tapas menu. They have 2 other branches in Cowbridge and Cardiff and it is probably the most popular spot in Penarth. They have a small, covered garden out the back and plenty of seating inside as well as bar space for drinks. They offer excellent gin and tonics, the best olives we have ever tried and the most fresh tapas outside of Spain. Give it a try!

Once you are full of tapas and ready to continue, cross the road up past the Natwest bank and take a left up Glebe street. If you can fit in a dessert stop into The Crepe Escape which offers incredible sweet (and savoury) crepes and waffles as well as the ever popular freakshakes and is run by the lovely Alison another smiley, welcoming face in Penarth. They also have a small kids area with a chalk board, toys and books and children’s seating which can make indulging in those crepes even better.

Continue up to the top of Glebe Street, passing The Busy Teapot Cafe on the left and The Golden Lion on the right, over the top of the hill take a right onto Queens Road and you should be able to see The Pilot, our next stop.

The Pilot

Before entering The Pilot, take in the view from the top of the lane next to the entrance, you will see The Principality Stadium, Cardiff Bay and the views even further out to Cardiff City Centre and the Caerphilly Mountains. The Pilot is a classic gastropub with daily specials on the blackboard, they do lunch specials, Wednesday steak specials and Fizz Fridays. The food is tasty, the decor is fresh and the wine is cold. A great stop for food or a drink.

Once you’ve finished checking out this pub, walk down the lane next to the pub and admire the views once more before walking down the next hill where you will find yourself at The Custom House – another top restaurant in Penarth that we would 100% recommend booking for dinner if you have the time. It is a mediterranean restaurant offering fresh fish and meat daily and great value 2 course specials, very popular in Penarth and around the Cardiff area (booking ahead is recommended).

The Barrage

Our last stop is the Cardiff Bay Barrage which is a walkway linking Penarth to Cardiff Bay. It has cycle paths, a children’s park and accessible paths for everyone. There are stunning views over to Cardiff Bay where you can see the iconic Millennium Centre, Norwegian Church and ferris wheel. It is an easy 30-40minute walk across into Cardiff Bay which has numerous restaurants, bars, high profile stage productions and often fairgrounds like the popular, summer Cardiff Bay Beach.

if you have had a few too many drinks along the way this might just be worth a stroll half way across to take in the views, turn back and check out Custom House. Alternatively you can catch a boat every half hour that will take you directly to Cardiff Bay. If you have fallen in love with Penarth and wish to stay there, there is a local taxi firm Cab 64 who will take you back up the hill to your favourite haunt. The best curry house to end the night is next to the train station – The Paramount.

We initially narrowed this tour down to 10 stops and have ended up including a lot of extra places worth stopping at along the way. We love this beautiful town, it will always hold a big piece of our hearts and we look forward to returning every summer and checking out all the places we talked about here. There is a reason this town has been voted the best place to live in the UK, we can’t help but agree.

Comment below and let us know if you have visited Penarth, do you agree?

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