Positives: hay is included in weekly cost, 24 / 7 / 52 turnout, indoor school, horse walker and…read morePete. Negatives: fields never rested, school surfaces in need of help, field fencing appalling apart from nice new stuff along drive, hay / lage often poor, many stables leaky, no hoses allowed for use in emergency, owners not horse people and are unsympathetic to horses' problems / needs, plus can be incredibly sullen and rude.

As a keen (though not very good) rider, I frequently find myself visiting Lower Stockland. It's a…read morevery lively yard (make of that what you will), and most importantly holds a large number of events all year round. This makes it absolutely ideal for those who wish to stable their horses here but who don't own the transport (horse boxes are very expensive) needed to take their horses to different events all across the country.

For those living in south or west Cardiff, Penarth, or Dinas Powys, this is a handy riding centre…read morein the Vale of Glamorgan with good facilities - including a spacious indoor arena for lessons and good routes for hacking out in the local area, including nearby Cosmeston lakes. With horses and ponies of all sizes, suiting most riders' needs, they cater for beginners right through to seasoned riders, including both children and adults. It's a friendly yard and for those considering taking up riding it's a good environment to learn. They offer group lessons at all levels during the weekdays and evenings for adults, and at weekends for children. They also arrange private, one-to-one lessons or semi-private lessons. The small on-site shop sells hats, silks, boots, clothes, and so on.

There is so much to do and see in Roath Park that each activity almost warrants its own category…read more One of the things to do is take you kids to the playground. A few words of warning though - if you go at the obvious times your kid may have to wait for a go of a swing or a slide as it gets pretty popular. My advice is to go there on a sunny weekday afternoon rather than a weekend and you're child is guaranteed the run fo the place. There is a variety of swings, a big slide built into the banking, a small slide, climbing frames, roundabouts all you need to keep you occupied for an hour or so, sorry I meant all you need to keep you children occupied - I didn't have a go on any of them honestly!

Such a cute park! I had tons of fun with my aunt and 2 younger cousins on the pedal boats (word to…read morethe wise : AVOID the algae, we ended up getting trapped and had to get a friendly couple to push us out XD). The boat is also quite a workout, we ended up getting lazy and making the 8 year old and the 12 year old pedal, classic haha! Lovely place to walk around, had a playground for the kiddies. Very enjoyable hour or so spent here.

Animal farm can be a great place to visit rain or shine. lots of lovely animals to pet and feed…read more The farm has barns with rabbits,ferrets and all other fluffy things. In the 20+ acres you have all the reg farm animals to feed. Theres a couple of rides , bouncy castle and toy tractors to skoot around on. All this could be done in drizzly weather with wellys on but if its really bad theres a massive indoor play area. they have a small area for babys and toddlers thats well padded and keeps them entertained for ages. The older kids have lots to climb and the tallest slides i have ever seen. my heart was in my mouth watching the kids come down it , but they thought it was wicked. The farms very easy to find as burnham-on -sea isnt a big place to get lost in. well worth a visit :)

This is a brilliant place to take your kids to. My little girl is 2 1/2 now and we have been taking…read moreher there for over a year now and she loves it. You pay an entry price and then most of the things are free. It has a bouncy castle, trampaline,'cuddle club' where you can cuddle ginea pigs and rabbits, outdoor slides, swing boats, climbing frame, ride on tractors etc and a large indoor play area with ball pits, lots of slides and places to climb around. Also it has paddocks with animals in (such as cows, lamas etc.) which you can feed and indoor barns with pigs and horses in. It is a great day out and you can stay for hours without your kids geting bored.

Adventure Island is Barry's biggest and brightest indoor play arena for children…read more It's not just slides and big pools of plastic coloured balls either, it's an extensive all-weather indoor attraction with a bouncy castle, play climbing frames, ceramic painting, arts and crafts, and face painting. There's a special area for under 3s with a mini ball pool, see saws, activity rings and even a double storey giant dolls' house. They can also host children's parties (from £7.50 per head) for a wide range of ages, even up to 10 year olds - with their 5-a-side sumo soccer theme for the older ones. For the summer holidays, they're currently offering a special entry of £2.50 for any ages at any times, up until 5 September 2010.

A fab childrens soft play centre, with bouncy castles, abll pits and a two-storey areas for older…read morechildren. Reasonable entry makes this a good few hours out for children of all ages. There is a small food area on site. The only downside to this playcentre is that it is on the second floor of a building and there is no lift access, so it is near impossible to get a pram or buggy upstairs. Nevertheless there is a train station nearby and the beach is a minutes walk away so it does provide an extra playtime activity for children on a day out to Barry Island. Parties can also be booked here.

The station serves the suburb and popular tourist destination of Barry Island, 10 miles from…read moreCardiff, but is currently in a very sorry state - a clear case of fallen grandeur. Barry Island grew up in the late 19th and early 20th Century as a seaside destination for workers from the South Wales Valleys north of Cardiff, complete with funfair and (later in the 20th century) a holiday camp. The railway was opened at the start of the August Bank Holiday in 1896 (the buildings have the date of construction as 1895 on them) as an extension of the Barry Railway, and Barry Island quickly became a very busy excursion station, handling 150,000 passengers in one weekend at its peak. It was provided with a large station building, three platforms and traditional large canopies. The line continued through the station to a terminus at Barry Pier, but since closure of that line in 1976, Barry Island has been the terminus. The trains now terminate at one end of the platform, with the buildings and the far platform having become part of the Barry Island Railway heritage line, but the site currently looks very sorry, with weeds everywhere, and a general air of dereliction. It is well located, however, close to the beach, cafes and the funfair. A new canopy has been provided for the terminating trains, but it provides meagre shelter from the winter Atlantic winds. The station still gets three trains an hour off peak from Cardiff and the valleys north of Pontypridd, and is busy with commuters and summer visitors (over half a million passengers a year, in total). It could just do with a lot of tidying up.

Lately, this is disappointing as it is really looking tired and dishevelled at the moment but this…read moreplace can be fantastic! I've hundreds of fantastic childhood memories of the Pleasure Park and I am sure that with some much needed investment and attention, this can be restored to its former glory. (Hence the two stars) It is in a fantastic location with coffee shops, cafe's, bars and the beach and promenade - and right next to a train station (also in need of a facelift). Quite often I've got off the train and seen disappointed prospective fairground customers - they've usually travelled far to come for a day out at the fairground - only to see it shut. I couldn't tell you when it's open - so if you are coming to Barry Island to visit the Pleasure park then don't expect it to be open - if it is, it's a bonus!

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.

For anyone who's read a number of my reviews, you might notice that I like my parks, gardens and…read moremuseums. I'm an outdoors lover, and really want to share my wonderful memories with everyone on Yelp! So here goes! I really like Dyffryn Gardens, and would love the opportunity to go have more looks around. They are the wonderful grounds of an old manor house. It is in fact a series of gardens, or 'garden rooms', each of which have a distinct style or mood. It's another one of those places that has surprises and discoveries around every corner. My personal favourite is a little spring with a pool full of coins, which I recall getting very wet in as a child. It should be noted that they close at 4pm during winter, and last admission is a hour before closing. So you better get down there now.

Probably one of the most beautiful gardens I have ever visited and i've been to a few. Its only 10…read moreminutes away from Cardiff city centre and yet few people I've spoken to have never heard of it. Its just got everything really, like a childrens area, open spaces, wooded areas, water features and beautiful flowers. They even have a shop and cafe and public loos. You have to pay to get in, not really cheap at £6.50 per adult and £2.50 per child in the summer but when you see the amount of work it takes to look after the cost if justified and also keeps it a bit more peaceful. Gorgeous place.