If you're around the Lisvane or Thornhill area and in dire need of some kind of train operating…read moreservice, then you are in such luck! This is a two-track station, where the platform closest to the main car-park offers train services up towards Rhymney, and the platform closest to the bewilderingly large set of stairs offers services into the centre of Cardiff town and beyond to Penarth. This train station is very much no-frills. Although it does now have an electronic ticker to let you know the arrival time of the next train and where it's heading (just in case my instructions of which side is which weren't clear enough). Trains into the centre of Cardiff leave at 14 minutes past, 29 minutes past, 44 minutes past, and 59 minutes past the hour most of the time and you'll be in the centre within 15 minutes. There's no ticket barrier here, so you can hop on the train without paying, though it is probably best to catch eye-contact with the conductor at some point during the trip into town because there are barriers in both Cardiff Central and Cardiff Queen Street which you won't be able to get through without a ticket. The train conductor has a fancy box that produces the tickets that accepts cards nowadays so he's unlikely to accept any form of excuse for not being able to purchase one.

Not much to see here. Just a pair of tracks raised over the road. You can't even cross from one…read moreplatform to the other without walking down to the street and going under. No complaints, though. The train comes here as often as it does to Caerphilly.

Castell cars answer the phones very quickly and will get the taxi to you as quickly as possible…read more They are a very friendly and reliable service who will go out of their way to help you get to your destination as quickly and as easily as possible. Have tried other services in the area but not as reliable as castell I would definitely be using there services again.

One of this company's drivers has narrowly (by a matter of seconds) just missed crashing into my…read morecar as the driver was speeding through a red light on a roundabout in Pontypridd that meets the slip road from the A470. After beeping the careless idiot who was also on his phone, he proceeded (unsuccessfully) to intimidate me by following my car! For anyone considering using a company who would employ such drivers, I'd strongly advise to use a different firm. The car in question was silver and the plate ends in SXX - run a mile if that one arrives for you! The dangerous driving and driving whilst on the phone has also been reported to 101.

I really like catching Veolia buses; I find the staff are usually very down to earth friendly. They…read moreare usually on time and the prices are very reasonable, I would go as far as to say the prices are dirt cheap when compared to some of the competition that run services in the same area. The buses I usually catch appear to have seen a bit of service so I'm unsure of how new their vehicles are but they do have a selection of different vehicles which run different services. The smaller the service, the older the bus appears to be the way they organise things but you will not hear me complain about this as they get you where you want to be and usually on time, and cheap. Cheap, cheap, cheap, a few times I have boarded and the ticket machine hasn't worked. I've been asked if I know the price to which I respond that I don't and have been allowed to board for free. The only let down is that they don't accept all tickets from all operators but you can't have everything can you.

If you're around the Heath area and in dire need of some kind of train operating service, then you…read moreare in such luck! This is your best choice if you're around the Rhydypennau Crossroads area. This is a two-track station, where the platform closest to the main car-park offers train services up towards Rhymney, and the other offers services into the centre of Cardiff town and beyond to Penarth. This train station is very much no-frills. Although it does now have an electronic ticker to let you know the arrival time of the next train and where it's heading (just in case my instructions of which side is which weren't clear enough). Trains into the centre of Cardiff leave 15 minutes most and you'll also be in the centre within 15 minutes of departure. There's no ticket barrier here, so you can hop on the train without paying, though it is probably best to catch eye-contact with the conductor at some point during the trip into town because there are barriers in both Cardiff Central and Cardiff Queen Street which you won't be able to get through without a ticket. The train conductor has a fancy box that produces the tickets that accepts cards nowadays so he's unlikely to accept any form of excuse for not being able to purchase one.

Some of the racists in Alabama may not specifically be in the Klan, but they're Klan-ish. Luckily…read morefor everyone, this station has nothing to do with that. This is a tiny little station which just has a platform on either side and it's on one of the Valley Lines. It's mainly for a little village not too far away from Cardiff, and it's a cute old bridge over the track. It's just one of those little secluded stations in a little secluded area, which I think is really nice for people that live around here. There is a decent amount of housing on one side though. I've been to over 100 stations in Wales and this is a pretty average one.

If you're around the Llanishen area and in dire need of some kind of train operating service, then…read moreyou are in such luck! This is your best choice if you're around the old Llanishen Village or parts of Lisvane that are close to Llanishen. This is a two-track station, where the platform closest to the main car-park offers train services up towards Rhymney, and the other offers services into the centre of Cardiff town and beyond to Penarth. This train station is very much no-frills. Although it does now have an electronic ticker to let you know the arrival time of the next train and where it's heading (just in case my instructions of which side is which weren't clear enough). Trains into the centre of Cardiff leave 15 minutes most and you'll also be in the centre within 15 minutes of departure. There's no ticket barrier here, so you can hop on the train without paying, though it is probably best to catch eye-contact with the conductor at some point during the trip into town because there are barriers in both Cardiff Central and Cardiff Queen Street which you won't be able to get through without a ticket. The train conductor has a fancy box that produces the tickets that accepts cards nowadays so he's unlikely to accept any form of excuse for not being able to purchase one.

Taffs Well station lies between Radyr and Treforest Estate on the Valley's Line. Should you find…read moreyourself waiting idly for a train then at least you have a scenic view of the Garth Mountain. There's parking so good for park and ride into Cardiff centre (they've recently built another little car park across the road). You can access the station either from the car park on the east side or from Taffs Well village on the west by walking up the alleyway by John Mills the newsagents. There's a ticket man or lady there from about 7.30 to 9.30 weekday mornings, or you can buy a ticket on the train, mostly. Sometimes you end up in the unpaid fares queue at Cardiff Central if the conductor never turns up. There's live departure and arrival boards at the station or on the website.

In town for the Cheese festival, the Travelodge website gave me a solid deal for two nights but…read moreonly because I planned 8 weeks in advance. If you're looking for a last minute cheap room, you're not going to find it here. Their prices only go up and up and up. Internet is not free, but my WWAN dongle had a full 3G signal. It's a very new property. So new that the most recent Google image still shows dirt as I write this in July 2011. There is a Lidl next door and the shopping centre ("center" in American) across the roundabout has a nice pub, a chippie, a Chinese take-away and a Tesco Express. It's about a one mile walk to the Festival grounds down Nantgarw Road, which takes you just past Aber Rail station. I wouldn't want to walk it at night, but in the daytime it was fine. There are about 50 rooms in the hotel on three floors. My room was on the top floor (the penthouse - wa-hey!) and at the end of the corridor. Even still, there was the occasional slammed door from one of the other rooms. No other hallway noise or neighbor could be heard. The bed was a little on the soft side, but still comfortable. The duvet was similarly comfortable and I was glad for the three pillows. Quite lacking in other accoutrements. The only other things not nailed down was the chair and the bin. A small coffee and tea service was most welcome. The work desk area was large and there was a small closet area with hangars and two small shelves. It was a good room and if I come back to Caerphilly, I would stay here again.