This a sleepy little field in the generally quiet area of Lisvane. It has a football pitch fully…read moremarked out if you fancy a match, but the goal posts are never up unless an official match is going on. This is where the Lisvane Panthers football club have traditionally played their home matches, but this is the only time the pitch tends to be occupied. This is also the location of the annual Lisvane Fete that has a lucky dip you can never lose, which is certainly my kind of lucky dip, as well as some kind of pet competition the requirements of which I am yet to figure out. As well as this there is a play park for kids on the side of the field that has swings and see-saws and the like which I remember as always being pretty fun. On one of the sides of the pitch there is a stupidly steep hill that makes it a nightmare every time the ball goes out on this side. Grown men have been lost for days trying to reclaim a stray football.

Parc Cefn Onn is out on the Northern fringes of Cardiff and isn't really a park, its more like a…read morewoodland area really. Its noted among plant lovers for the Rhododendron displays in the spring and its got lots of streams and ponds so quite good for wildlife. To be honest though there's not really much to see or do and its currently infected with Sudden Oak Death which is making it look a big dull. Its ok but really not worth a trip out of your way to get there.

This is a great set of woods to explore and get lost in. It's frequented by a lot of dogs (in…read moregeneral it's not on their own but with their owners) and families. There are various paths that lead off in different directions, but if you've entered at the main gated entrance on Cherry Orchard Road off the roundabout and keep walking you will most likely end up at the big field at the top by the golf course. Along the way you will pass a few ponds and streams which generally have a charming layer of algae on their surface. As well as this there are the legendary parts of the wood owned by the giant: these being the giant's house, the giant's chair (which is much larger than his house), and the enchantingly named, giant's toilet. These legends may or may not have been made up by my parents when I was growing up, as well as the possible myth that 'all the paths in Cefn-Onn lead back to one another', a frequent proclamation of theirs that I am certain was a ploy to lose my sisters and I for a couple of hours of peace.

A lovely walk in the park!…read more We came here just to walk around on our last afternoon in Cardiff. We were tired of the Arcades and shopping. We wanted some natural scenery. This was a lovely walk. There was a cute cafe we popped into for a cup of tea on our walk.

We love walking through this park. Bute Park was originally part of the Cardiff Castle grounds…read more It is a spot of peaceful tranquility along the River Taff. There are a couple cafes in the park for drinks or a snack. It really is a beautiful place to stroll and enjoy the trees.

The Apex Park is an informal leisure and wildlife park, created around the former clay pits - now…read moresmall lakes - of the Apex Brick works. The works closed in 1966, and the park was created and opened in 1972. The park, consisting of grassland, trees and hedgerows, covers some 42 acres. There are two main lakes: the larger, central one has an attractive hour-glass shape and its banks are lined with rushes. There are walks around this lake with park benches, and footpaths branch off to go to Highbridge (along the line of the old railway) and to Burnham's South Promenade, following the river bank of the River Brue (very muddy after wet weather!). There is a large car park off Marine Drive, which leads to a broad slipway into the lake. The other lake forms the park's north west boundary and lies partly within the Haven Holiday Village. Popular activities include BMX biking, model radio-controlled boating, jogging (there's a 'trim-trail' with various pieces of keep-fit apparatus) and fishing - the lakes are stocked with carp and bream. Dog obedience sessions also take place most Sunday mornings in good weather, and there's a children's play area and skate park. As well as the fish, wildlife includes birds, including geese, ducks, swans and various different types of sea bird, and the hedgerows contain a variety of different types of trees and bushes, home to insect and bird life. NB: The Highbridge Angling Association holds the fishing rights for the Apex Park. Permits can be obtained from Thyers Tackle Shop, 1A Church St, Highbridge - telephone 01278 786934.

Apex park is a beautiful wildlife reserve consisting of lakes, fish, sea birds, outdoor gym and…read morecarpark. There is loads to do with the features of the park including skating at the skate park, a rope climb and dog poo total wipeout. There is also adult entertainment with the odd dogger in the carpark on a summer Sunday evening. Overall apex park is a beautiful visit with activities fort all the family

As others have said, this is a lovely, almost hidden park, with a small area of formal gardens with…read morea pond and fountain, complete with a statue of Peter Pan, wild woodland areas and a large playing-field area. It has wonderful views from the top across the lower Ely valley towards Llandough, as well as some amazing mature trees. It is one of the city's oldest parks, given to the city by Charles Thompson in 1911. Perfect for a short walk or a lazy summer afternoon picnic.

Although there are a whole lot of parks in and around the Cardiff area, Thompson's Park in Canton…read morein somewhat unique. Most others offer wide stretches of grass, the odd flowered border and playgrounds. Thompson's Park is smaller than most, and has a particularly quaint feeling. This park is landscaped well, and combined areas of woodland in the heart of the city, with fountains (including the famous Peter Pan statue), duck ponds, winding stairs and a wide grassy area on its higher level. On this field I took part in many school sports days in my time. Never won anything though. Thompson's Park is small and compact, but large enough to take you away from the hustle and bustle of the city. It's like a lost garden in a city wilderness.

Victoria Park is, apparently, one of the most popular parks in the UK. I can understand why. This…read morepark is full of flowers (beware, hay-fever sufferers), trees, winding paths and grassy areas. This is a fantastic place to bring children on a sunny summer day. Victoria Park is probably most famous for its spectacular playground and massive shallow paddling pool (in the summer). Imagine ice creams and picnics and children splashing water everywhere. Good times. There are also a number of summer events that go on in this park. Summer Fetes and Scout/Guide events, face painting and throwing wet sponges at teachers. There is also a bandstand and a cafe. The only thing wrong with this park is its popularity, as it does manage to get heavingly busy on hot days. You've been warned. I have lovely memories from Victoria Park, so could you!

A lovely traditional park, covering nearly 20 acres, situated just west of Canton, on Cowbridge…read moreRoad. It has been awarded a prestigious 'Green Flag' award and attracts over 600,000 visitors a year. It was founded in 1897 and contains a mixture of traditional flower beds, mature trees, a paddling pool, bandstand, children's playground, tennis courts, a 5-a-side football pitch, and open lawns. There's a cafe, toilets and a park-keeper's lodge - one of the few left in the UK where the keeper lives on site. The park used to have animals in a small zoo (my mother used to visit them in the early 1930s), most famously Billy the Seal; caught accidentally by a local fishing boat in 1912, he was donated to the park, living there until 1939. After he died, he was found to be female! She is commemorated by a life-size statue in the park. A great place for families and children, as well as for a quiet stroll.

Not this is a country park not just a little patch of grass in the city and its a really…read moreinteresting place. Its in the Taff gorge and encompasses a site of scientific interest with a conservation site, a canal and part of the Taff Trial. There's bird watching hide outs, water features and picnic areas too. Its a really good day out and they do lots of education stuff there do so especially good for the kids.

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz…read more Then a little bit more zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz Go watch the water flow past in the river taff for a bit then head back for some more zzzzzzzzzz Still not worked out what is there to do and see ....

Just the thing for children to have fun in a local environment and it is right next to the Penylan…read moreLibrary. In the playing area he children can swing; jump, climb, run, go round in circles on the roundabout, bob up and down on a bobbing animal that they can sit on. The playing area is attached to a large patch of green to eat your picnics on, to chill out on, to play rugby, football, to run and walk about on. It is small, but it is just what the doctor ordered as place to entertain the kids and a park that can keep them occupied for a couple of hours or so. It is situated in an area near to loads of shops; cafes, a post office, restaurants, banks and so forth this is ideal for the locals within this area, but it is just as fine for the tourists too. I recommend it particularly for mums with babies or young children.

I spend a lot of time in Penylan Library, and whenever I get out of my car, I always find myself…read morelooking enviously at the children playing in the neighbouring park. And that's a sure sign that I'm getting old! It's not the biggest play park around, but one that's colourful, fun and clean, and in a very convenient location. It's extremely well placed for families living nearby, visiting the library, shopping on Wellfield Road or even after leaving one of the doctor's surgeries across the road. There are also a lot of schools nearby and it's very popular as somewhere to let young children run around after a day stuck in a class room, while slightly older children play football on the grass. It's also handy to have the library next door for toilets and baby changing facilities, and there's usually an ice cream van close by, too.

Llanishen Park isn't as pretty or ornate as many of Cardiff's other parks, but it does have a…read morefairly wild, semi-natural woodland area called Coedcochwyn Woods (a designated Site of Importance for Nature Consevation). This is made up of open grassland areas and a few ponds, as well as woodland, so it attracts plenty of wildlife - and you might spot some water-loving birdlife such as coots and moorhens. This part of the park has plenty of interest for walking the dog, if you don't mind getting a bit muddy in the winter. The other half of the park is less interesting: a recreational ground with sports pitches. This area is, however, well used by locals and is home to the local rugby club. If you're driving here, you can use the car park which you access via nearby Newborough Avenue.

This unspoilt woodland is a great place to walk the dog, and like all woodlands it changes with the…read moreseasons so you get a different experience each time you visit. You feel a lot further from the city than you actually are, and the various ponds, streams and springs mean you can spot lots of wildlife, particularly ducks (and ducklings, in the spring!). The woods are also full of wild flowers, especially in the spring, with more than 50 species recorded there. The area is also home to some interesting historical features such as the disused Radyr Quarry with a craggy rock face, and a spring that is associated with a 6th century hermit. There are noticeboards dotted about the woods pointing out things of interest.