Recently Jodie the brindle Staffordshire bull terrier and nine walkers joined leaders Pam and Krys at Llandaff village to enjoy a flat walk taking in both sides of the River Taff which rises in the Brecon Beacons as two rivers, the Taff Fawr and Taff Fechan that eventually join together at Cefn Coed y Cymmer. At Cardiff the natural course of the river was changed during the 19th century and an artificial riverbed was created west of the original flow to re-route the river through Bute Park and onwards down to the coast into Cardiff Bay.
Llandaff Cathedral formed the backdrop for the start of the walk and after St Dyfrig had founded a church there in the 6th century he was succeeded by St Teilo then St Euddogwy and these three Celtic saints remain the patron saints of the present cathedral and are represented by three mitres in the cathedral badge. There are no traces of the original church but a Celtic cross that stood nearby is still in place near the door to the 13th century Chapter House.
The present Cathedral dates to 1107 and later Bishop Urban instigated the building of a larger church which flourished until the Reformation when the building began to decay. In 1734 restoration began but much of the work that took place during the 19th century was lost when the building was heavily damaged and the roof destroyed following an explosion of a German landmine on 2 January 1941.
On their way to the banks of the River Taff the group passed through the churchyard with its ancient tombstones and they walked upstream past Llandaff Weir to cross over the road bridge leading to the eastern bank of the Taff and on to Gabalfa.
Walking on part of the Taff Trail the 55-mile long distance footpath that runs from Cardiff Bay to Brecon and named because for much of its journey it follows the River Taff, the group reached Blackweir. At this point pedestrians and cyclists use the suspension bridge over the Taff and below salmon, trout, grayling, chub and many other fish can by-pass the weir by using the new fish pass which was officially opened by Welsh Assembly Rural Affairs Minister Elin Jones and well known rugby legend Gareth Edwards CBE on 2 February 2012. Salmon have for years been making their way upstream to spawn but often due to high tides and blockages of the old fish pass by debris on the river their passage was blocked and now hopefully the new fish pass will make life a little easier for them.
It was hard to imagine that they were so close to the city of Cardiff as the group entered Bute Park an area of mature parkland that contains over 2,000 trees and is a haven for wildlife, birds, flowers, fungi and a beautiful place to get away from the hustle and bustle of city life, to walk or sit or join the ferry for the trip across Cardiff Bay.
From 1873 the southern section of Bute Park was laid out by Andrew Pettigrew a renowned and respected landscape gardener for the Bute family to use and enjoy as a private pleasure amenity.
Having stopped for refreshments at The Secret Garden café the group moved on and were passed by many of the runners taking part in the annual St David’s Day Run which was instigated in 2003 to help raise funds for cancer research and other charities. This year there were over 2100 entries for the 1, 5 and 10K races and due to the popularity of this event the course has been changed and now includes the west bank of the river as well as Bute Park.
The were now in view of Cardiff Castle and there are not many cities that can boast a castle especially like this one situated in the heart of the capital of Wales and over 2,000-years of history surround it. Originally four Roman forts of varying sizes once stood on or near that site because there was easy access to the sea.
Following the Norman Conquest a wooden keep was built by Robert Fitzhamon, Lord of Gloucester and after being owned by various noble families in 1766 the castle passed by marriage to the Bute family. John Crichton-Stuart, the third marquess of Bute reputed to be the richest man in the world at that time, employed William Burges to transform the castle which remained in the family until the fifth marquess gave the castle and surrounding parkland to the people of Cardiff. Even the noted painter William Turner visited the area on his tour of Wales in 1798.
Tramping past a newly created Pettigrew tearoom in the west lodge of the castle walls they went through a magnificent carved wooden door before crossing Cardiff Bridge back onto the western side of the Taff.
Along the banks were great swathes of yellow daffodils the national flower of Wales and following the path past Sophia Gardens, the National Sports Centre and the cricket ground they made their way back through Pontcanna Fields to cross the busy Western Avenue for the short journey back to Llandaff Cathedral.
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