In order to escape the mud Ann stepped in to lead a morning stroll around Cardiff Bay and a group of 21 walkers and Jodie the staffie joined her at Cogan on a crisp morning in beautiful winter sunshine.
Carefully crossing Windsor Road, they made towards Marconi Avenue with its glorious views of the boats moored on the River Ely, before crossing Pont y Werin or The People’s Bridge which has a section in the centre to allow river traffic through and was opened on 14 July 2010.
Then joining Watkiss Way they passed Cardiff International White Water, which took two years to build opening in March 2010 as part of the International Sports Village and whose water is sourced from the River Ely, where canoeists were pitting their skills against the fast running bumpy rapids.
Joining the boardwalk which overlooks the western side of Cardiff Bay and passing some of its resident cormorants, the path went under the A4232 then on through open parkland, along Jim Driscoll Way and Avondale Gardens and approaching Clarence Road Bridge, a crowd of young people were awaiting the participants in a boat race which was being run by Cardiff City Rowing Club.
Following Clarence Embankment towards Hamadryad Park, sure enough several boats came into sight, being rowed furiously down the River Taff towards Cardiff Bay with their crews of eight rowers listening intently to orders being barked out by the cox, one of which was female.
Just adjacent to Hamadryad Park is the old Hamadryad hospital which opened on 29 June, 1905 to replace the old Man-of-War ship that was moored nearby and used to treat sailors from all over the world.
Passing under the A4232 again and entering to the Wetlands, after stopping to admire the sculpture of Cader Idris, the path led them on around St David’s Hotel to the old Mount Stuart Graving Dock and Techniquest.
At the Mermaid Quay came a parting of the ways, as some of the group opted to enjoy their coffee indoors, whilst others remained outside venturing on to the magnificent terracotta Pierhead building where out of the wind the sunshine was very warm for the time of year.
Built in 1897 and regarded by some as the ‘Big Ben of Wales’ it was a replacement for the head office of the Bute Dock Company, which burnt down in 1892 and renamed the Cardiff Railway Company and a coat of arms bears their motto Wrth Ddwr a Than – by Fire and Water and it then became the administrative office for the port of Cardiff.
Regrouping and moving on past the glass-fronted Senedd and the white painted Norwegian Church which became a place of worship for the Norwegian community from 1868 and where Roald Dahl was baptized, they reached the unusual blue and white mosaic Scott Memorial.
This sculpture by Jonathan Williams commemorates the centenary anniversary of the Age of Antarctic discovery.
Standing at a height of three metres it depicts Scott trekking southwards to the Pole with the faces of his co-explorers bound in ice and its close proximity to the Norwegian Church is a reminder that Scott was beaten in the race to the pole by the Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen.
Crossing a bridge in front of the Roath Basin and passing the old lock keeper’s cottage, then the Doctor Who Experience, the path led them on past the Cardiff Sailing Centre towards the barrage where it was quite breezy.
Prior to the building of the Cardiff Barrage which created a huge lake, this area was part of the Bristol Channel and at low tide mudflats were on view, but now three locks have been built to cater for marine vessels and a fish pass allows salmon to get to their breeding grounds upstream on the River Taff. Originally there was no public access across the barrage but this changed in June 2008 when finally the public were allowed to cross from the old Cardiff docklands to Penarth.
Passing the old Custom House now refurbished into restaurants and crossing the lock gate at the entrance to Penarth Marina, the route continued along Llwyn Passat, then into John Batchelor Way with its glorious uninterrupted views across the Cardiff Bay Yacht Club to the eastern side of Cardiff Bay, before exiting at Ty Westonia.
Re-joining Marconi Avenue near the Oystercatcher and gradually going uphill the group returned to Cogan just as the sky started to cloud over after what had been an enjoyable way to spend a Sunday morning.
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