This little grassy island is on the north coast of the Bristol Channel, not far from Penarth. It is…read morereached from the village of Swanbridge and the car park of the Captain's Wife pub at low tide. At these times it is possible to walk over the natural causeway onto the 'island' but great care must be taken not to be cut off when the tide comes in again! There have been many accidents as the result of carelessness (and stupidity) and there is now a sign at the north end which states, You are Risking your Life by Visiting this Island! It is probably best just to view it from the mainland..

Sully Island is a small island of 14.5 acres (c. 6 ha) 450m off the coast of Glamorgan, mid way…read morebetween Penarth and Barry, near the village of Sully. It is linked by a natural rocky causeway to the mainland, which comes ashore near the Captain's Wife pub in the hamlet of Swanbridge. The island has a long association with smuggling, but evidence of Bronze Age burial mounds, Viking remains and a defended Saxon homestead indicate it has been used, if not always inhabited, for thousands of years. Notorious pirate Nighthawk buccaneer Alfredo de Marisco is reputed to have established a base on Sully Island in the 13th century. Earlier in 2011 the island was put for a sale: the asking price was £95,000, and a group of local people were trying to buy it to retain public access. During much of the historical era, it has been used on and off by smugglers: the coves at Swanbridge and nearby St Mary's Well Bay, sheltered by the island, formed a minor port and fishing village until the 19th century, and the island was used to hide contraband goods rather than declare them: records indicate both goods and illegal immigrants were seized in the 16th and 17th centuries. The island was also the site of several wrecks, most notably the Antarctic Survey vessel the SY Scotia in 1916 (although the vessel had by that stage been sold into commercial cargo service). The island is designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest and has an unusual flora and fauna, with rare plants including the bee orchid, the marine spleenwort and the adder's tongue fern, and (as Peter Caton points out) interesting rock formations. Finally, I would reiterate the warning about the dangers of crossing to the island. The causeway is uncovered for about only 3 hours at low tide, and the tides rise rapidly. The causeway has appropriate warning signs at the landward end. A school-friend of my mother's was drowned here before World Way II attempting to swim back to the mainland.

At over 650 feet long, Penarth Pier sticks out into the Bristol Channel off the South Wales…read morecoastline. Part of a once thriving Victorian seaside town, the pier is still massively popular with tourists and locals alike. I saw in the Millennium on the end of this pier; my family all trooped down in coats and gloves to watch the sun go down for the last time of 1999. So for me, it had pretty spectacular memories attached to it. Apart from the pier itself, the fishing opportunities, the ice-cream and the fish and chips, admittedly Penarth pier has not got a massive list of further attractions to its name. But the sea front is a very pleasant place to watch the sun go down from one of the many beautiful restaurants and bars that line it. Only a ten minute drive from the centre of Cardiff, Penarth Pier, I think, is an excellent place to while away a summer evening.

Penarth Pier is one of only two surviving pleasure piers in South Wales (the other being at Mumbles…read morenear Swansea), and is one of the main attractions in the town and former port of Penarth. The 200m-long pier was begun in 1894 and completed in 1895, to the designs of H F Edwards. When built, the cast iron structure with its wooden deck was really no more than a landing stage, until a wooden pavilion was built at the seaward end in 1907. The pier was taken over by the local council in 1926, and three years later an attractive Pavilion was built at the land end, which still survives. This is an odd mix of Art Deco and Oriental architecture, but somehow works visually. Like many piers, it has had an eventful past. In 1931, a fire broke out on the seaward pavilion, entailing the rescue of some of the 800 people who were on the pier at the time. The pier was rebuilt by 1931 but the seaward pavilion was not replaced. In 1947, the 7,000-ton ship 'Port Royal Park' collided with the pier in a severe gale, destroying a large section of the structure, and entailing two more years of repairs. Another mishap occurred in 1966 when the White Funnel steamer 'Bristol Queen' collided with the pier, although thankfully the damage this time was less extensive. The pier has always been a popular call for pleasure steamers and at one time a regular ferry service was operated to the Somerset coast across the Bristol Channel: this gave me one of my earliest memories, crossing from Weston-super-Mare to Penarth to visit my grandparents, around the time of the opening of the Severn Bridge in 1966. The pier itself was refurbished in 1998, and now has free entry. There are plans to refurbish the Pavilion as an education and entertainment venue, although an approach to the Heritage Lottery Fund Wales have recently been rebuffed. The pier and pavilion are listed at Grade II. However, it is still a popular spot for fishing and for those simply strolling and enjoying the sea views. Entertainment is laid on most summers, and the steamers 'Waverly' (the last sea-going paddle steamer in the world) and 'Balmoral', which still call in the summer months, remain as popular as ever.

Drunk too much tea at the Hayes Island snack bar? Relieve yourself in style in these beautifully…read morearchitectured Victorian water closets. The latrines are framed by an ornate black metal gold tipped fence. A brass handrail guides you down to polished granite floors beneath the busy shopping street. When I visited the facilities they were clean and well maintained. I loved the heavy hardwood doors and brass fittings, the cast iron cistern and the smooth wooden chain pulls. But was slightly disturbed by the 'needle bin' facility on the wall, however better safely binned than scattered on the floor! Although wheelchair inaccessible, a notice on the fence helpfully tells you that disabled facilities can be accessed at the back of the Hayes Island snack bar during opening hours. Highly recommended.

I should be clear here, that I'm not about to write any sort of political review. Hardly. I'm the…read morekind of person who forgets to register to vote. No, instead I'm going to merely make a couple of comments upon the building at Cardiff Bay and the crazy landmark that it's become. The National Assembly building is an incredible piece of architecture. Built around the same time as the Wales Millennium Centre, there are similar vibes to the two buildings. Both use open wood cladding, and a whole lot of slate. There is also an importance placed upon roofs in both buildings. While the Millennium Centre is endearingly known as The Armadillo to locals, I'm not sure is the Assemble building has ever acquired such a description. This is probably because the roof defies description. It's massive and all encompassing and seemed to somehow float on glass walls by nothing more than the desperate willpower of the people who work there. If it was to have a nickname, I might suggest: The Umbrella, The Toadstool or even The Flying Carpet. Worth a look.

I came here and did a tour with tour guide Gareth and I'm pretty happy about the National Assembly…read morefor Wales and what it represents! I'm from America and back in the States I was pretty politically active and was passionate about what I believed in. However, when it comes to politics in the UK and especially Wales I'm pretty clueless about what the Welsh Assembly actually accomplishes (no offense). Asking my Welsh partner and he has no idea either. However, leaving the tour I feel a great respect for the National Assembly for Wales and all the people surrounding it! ~ Fun facts: - Anyone can come in and watch the political debates for free. Anyone can come by and speak to their representatives and voice your opinion. Back when everything about Wales was decided in England, it would be pretty hard to travel all the way to London to get your voice heard about local issues. The fact that the National Assembly for Wales is so accessible to the public is a great thing! - To submit a petition to the Welsh Assembly and guarantee it on the agenda as a talking point, you don't have to be of any age and you only need 10 signatures. Yes, that's right. 10. So if you're from a really small area, if an issue is important to you you can make sure you get your voice heard regardless. --- Yes, the building is without a doubt beautiful. But the National Assembly for Wales and what it represents is amazing. Even if you don't agree with what they do, the fact that you can just rock up and actually VOICE that disagreement is something that every government should strive for! Please try to go on a guided tour as well; you'll learn a lot! Gareth was amazing and entertaining as well, I highly recommend him!

I love buildings that have been designed by an architect who intended to create an impression and…read morethe Pier Head building in Cardiff bay certainly does that. When Cardiff was the busiest port in the world the dominant elegance of the Pier Head building proudly stated that anything of importance that was going on in this port started and stopped right here. There is a Welsh history museum inside which only opened in March 2010 which I cannot comment on but I'd definitely grab a photo op against its fire red terra-cotta exterior. Oh and here's a bit of trivia it was designed by Welsh architect, William Frame, who also worked on the refurbishment of Cardiff Castle and Castell Coch. His mentor William Burges, was the architect of Castell Coch and the newer elements of Cardiff Castle - interesting ay? ok please yourself! ;)

If you've ever seen the Welsh news you'll see the Pierhead building sitting there in the bay…read morebackdrop- its the red brick building with the clock tower AKA Little Big Ben! Its been a few things in its time, it belonged to the Bute Dock Company and then the rail company before ending up in the hands of the government. Early this year it was reopened to the public as a kinda museum/exhibition/space to leave your own political comments. The door was open so we wandered in there and to be honest it wasn't very exciting. The main room was just like a big hall with loads of scatter cushions on the one side. I didnt go upstairs so missed the exhibition side!

Cathays Park in Cardiff is one of Europe's finest Civic Centres, built in the early years of the…read more20th century to reflect Cardiff's rapid development as a major city and trading port, largely due to the export of coal. What had been a small town of a few thousand souls in 1800 was, by 1900, the largest coal exporting port in the world, and home to over 150,000. A key figure in the early life of Cardiff was the local landowner, the 1st Marquess of Bute. He was responsible for the rebuilding of Cardiff Castle and Castell Coch, and in 1898 sold what had been the grounds of a Georgian Mansion to the City to enable construction of the Civic Centre. It now contains the National Museum of Wales, the main buildings of the University, administrative buildings of the Welsh Assembly, Law Courts and, as its crowning glory, Cardiff City Hall. Completed in 1904 and built in white Portland stone, this magnificent baroque building was designed by the firm Lanchester, Stewart and Rickards after an architectural competition. The basic design includes an imposing central dome and entrance portico, with an offset 194ft (60m) tall bell tower. The external statuary represents the City's three rivers, the Taff, Rhymney and Ely. The bell tower is something of a landmark, and contains five bells, each inscribed with a motto in English or Welsh: Hour bell: 'Y gwir yn erbyn y byd' (His truth against the world) 1st Quarter - 'I mark time, dost thou?' 2nd Quarter - 'Duw a phob daioni' (God is all goodness) 3rd Quarter - 'Time conquers all and we must time obey' 4th Quarter - 'A gair Duw yn uchaf' (God's voice on high) Inside the main entrance hall has two grand staircases leading to the grand first floor reception, appropriately called the 'Marble Hall'. The most impressive internal rooms (there are also offices, of course) are the Council Chamber and the Great Assembly Hall. The latter possesses three huge bronze chandeliers and has been used for all sorts of functions, from dinner dances (which my Mum and Dad used to attend for 1/6 in the 1950s!) to banquets for Royalty and visiting Heads of State. The Council Chamber, of oak and Breccia Marble, is also worth a look, and was used for a meeting of the European Council in 1998. The Edwardian period was a time when Wales was rediscovering its history and confidence, and so the interior reception halls - especially that on the first floor - are decked out with the best Edwardian marble statues of Welsh heroes and heroines by noted sculptors of the day. To modern eyes, apart form the dubious historical accuracy, they are a bit overblown, but impressive nonetheless. Better is the building's impressive art collection, mostly of late Victorian English painting, including some minor pre-raphaelite works by Blair Leighton and my favourite, 'Winter', by the Scottish artist, Joseph Farquharson, (much beloved of Christmas Cards). There are also portraits of political figures, such as Lloyd George, George Thomas and James Callaghan, and a rather odd triple portrait of Diana, Princess of Wales by John Merton (for hardened Diana fans only). As well as conferences, banquets and similar events, the Marble Hall is licensed for weddings and they can also cater for receptions for up to 500 guests.

NOTES: ~ This review is for using it as a wedding venue!…read more Cardiff's City Hall was where I got married and overall the people and process was fantastic. I'll explain the 1 star off later. ~ Support: The support from the staff here was fantastic and the process was very smooth. There were several stages to the process from getting registered to booking a date and everything went smoothly. They had selection pack where you declare what music you want (of which there were a variety of options), what statements you wish to be made, and generally how the whole flow of the ceremony was good. The person who married us was also very kind and supportive. I had a little crying breakdown during our vows and she was very patient with me and also seemed really genuinely happy for us on the day. ~ Venue: As noted by other reviewers, the building is beautiful which makes it for a great location to get married. Just look at the photos! ~ Downside: I recognise that this may be a rare occurrence, but I wish they were a bit more strict on people who don't turn up on time. There was a wedding scheduled before us and they were very late so our guests had to wait in the waiting room with guests of another wedding which made it very awkward and not intimate at all. My partner and I also had to wait until our own ceremony and so waited with our guests. We are all pretty relaxed people and this didn't bother me too much and I actually found it hilarious, but I can imagine if it happens to anyone else it would be very hectic. Maybe a 15 minutes or cancellation policy? The couple before us were over half an hour late which cut the "nervous pre-wedding anticipation" down by quite a lot.

If you are female and you feel this review seems a little sexist or appears to stereotype then I…read moreapologise but in its defence its only aimed at the male population. Lads, if you are ever in a predicament where you have agreed to be dragged around Cardiff shopping by your other half only to realise half way through this punishment that you are missing a big sporting event on TV then don't panic. Make your way to the Hayes where they have a huge jumbo screen. More often than not they usually screen big sporting events on it. Its where I watched the mens Wimbledon final. You can even splash out, get yourself a coffee at the nearby Island cafe and sit yourself down at one of their tables - perfect - until the othr half wonders where you have gone that is.

The Hayes sits at the very heart of Cardiff city centre, and forms a kind of pedestrianised square…read more(albeit not very square-shaped!) lined by shops, restaurants, the vibrant St David's Hall concert venue, and the new St David's 2 shopping centre. In the middle of the Hayes, under some ancient trees, is the well-known Hayes Island Snack Bar, with outdoor seating amidst the hustle and bustle of shoppers and office workers. Around the edges of the Hayes area there are lots of shops including Waterstones and Habitat, plus restaurants and cafés such as Jamie's Italian and Starbucks, along with the Tourist Information Centre (housed in the Old Library) and St David's Hall. Just off the square there's the historic Morgan and Royal Arcades, and just around the corner is Cardiff Indoor Market, and in the other direction Mill Lane - known locally as 'Café Quarter' because of its many continental style restaurants with outdoor terrace seating.

This is a beautiful old building situated in the very centre of Cardiff, and serving as a…read moredistinctive landmark. St John the Baptist Church is over 800 years old and has watched the rest of Cardiff grow up around it. Yet, it manages to remain just as impressive as ever. This church is a lovely place to visit and is staffed my very welcoming volunteers. There is a small tearoom also situated in the building, and it's a great idea to combine tea and cakes with a little bit of architectural appreciation. My favourite time to visit St John is Christmas. Around this time they extend their visiting hours and the church itself is filled with charity Christmas cards, wrapping paper and decorations to sell. For me, this is an essential part of Christmas that cannot be missed.

Wonderful structure.. Is s landmark for the cardiff market…read more. I went inside..very nice.. Well worth a few minutes of your time to explore it..

If you're interested in architecture, this historic building is well worth checking out, located…read morenear the city centre in Cardiff's prestigious Civic Centre - next to leafy Cathays Park. The grand, pillared building was designed by Vincent Harris OBE (1876-1971) and Thomas Anderson Moodie (1874-1948), and completed in 1911. Outside the building there are two striking statues by Albert H Hodge (1875-1918), which reflect the area's historical source of wealth: navigation (a statue of Neptune in a chariot), and coal mining (represented by Minerva). The building now belongs to the university and is home to some of the social sciences courses and research groups, so you'll see lots of students, lecturers and research associates wandering in and out of the grand front entrance. It previously housed the Glamorgan County Council Offices, and one of the rooms inside includes the former council chamber - as well as various committee rooms. You can't just wander in off the street (unless of course you're a student / lecturer!, but you can admire it from the outside while exploring the Civic Centre area of Cardiff.

The home of the Welsh Assembly was typically a very controversial new build cost millions. Still I…read morethink its money well spent. Its an environmentally friendly design which takes heat from the ground and uses rainwater collected from the roof to clean the windows and flush the toilets! Anyway it the spirit of openness visitors are allowed in the building after a bit of a security search. You can look down on the debating chamber or just sit around and admire the wood. Non much else to do there really The step outside are good for a sit down with an ice-crem.

Officially the National Assembly for Wales is described as a devolved assembly with power to make…read morelegislation in Wales. In actual fact I have no idea what they do in that building buts its pleasant on the eye. It uses traditional Welsh materials such as slate and Welsh Oak in its construction, and the design is based around the concepts of openness and transparency - how ironic then that it houses politicians who are anything but or maybe that's the point. As Anna said the design is environmentally friendly and in addition to rain water cleaning the windows and flushing the toilets (let's hope those pipes don't get crossed somewhere as the window wouldn't ended up very clean) the roof features a wind cowl which funnels natural light and air into the debating chamber below. Is it worth going inside? not particularly - just get a photo op outside and its ticked off your list. As i said its a nice looking structure and just another reason why the bay can be so picturesque and worth visiting.