There is so much to do and see in Roath Park that each activity almost warrants its own category. 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! read more

Roath Park - Parks Near Me - Cardiff, CRF

Such a cute park! I had tons of fun with my aunt and 2 younger cousins on the pedal boats (word to the 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. read more

Why not take an elegant stroll around the gardens at Roath Park Lake? A popular, local landmark for social fun and for children's entertainment. Every child and adult dream for an afternoon out of fun and rest for the parent. There is a lighthouse and rowing boats, pedal boats and duck pedal boats. There is also a short boat trip around the whole lake. The place is buzzing with life, due to all of the ducks and geese that nest there for months if not years. You could walk your dog; ride your bikes and, play tennis, eat a delicious, creamy ice cream, go on the slides and swings, eat and drink in the cafe, visit the old wishing well, and stand in awe at the waterfall. I recommend this place to and for all; it is a pretty little place that is very well organised, it is free to attend. read more

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This is one of Cardiff's little gems. It's absolutely beautiful and is packed with things to see and do. In the summer months it is full of people sunbathing and generally chilling out in one of Cardiff's top natural beauty spots! You have to have a go on the pedal/ rowing boats, its cheap as chips to have a go and you can have a lot of laughs, as long as you don't fall in the algae filled water! And here's a tip, don't throw bread to the ducks if you're out on a boat or it'll turn into a whole new experience; something that resembles Jaws but with swans. If you get hot and bothered there's an ice cream shop and a coffee shop near the park entrance to refresh and revive. All year round the park is open, it closes at various times during the evenings. It's great for getting a spot of exercise, as its a great jogging circuit as its away from traffic and the paths are kept tidy and rubbish free. Its also very child friendly as there a jungle gym/ play park there, and there's a gorgeous rose and botanical garden there too. The park has recently been awarded the prestigious Green Flag award, to recognise the high quality of Roath Park and its importance to Cardiff. Its a great way to fill up an afternoon, and its a beautiful, natural escape away from the cities' hustle and bustle. read more

Roath Park - Parks Near Me - Cardiff, CRF

great park for kids who would love some great fresh air & energy and a break from the tiring parents + very good for your instagram grid that haloed me a lot also amazing ice cream sell over there :) read more

I have had some great times at Roath Park. This park is a wonderful place to go and relax and have some fun too. When the weather is glorious you need to take a trip down there to admire the beautiful scenery and even try to go for a boat ride so you can look like fools but laugh in the process. I remember taking a trip on a beautiful day with my girlfriend and we decided to have a go on the paddleboats and go across the lake and we ended up having one of the most funniest times of our lives, it was fun just to mess around and try to steer the boat when we were mostly dreadful, but that was all part of the fun. This is a great park to have a walk, see the ducks and swans, go for a boat paddle and the main thing is to just enjoy yourself. Roath Park is a beautiful park that everybody should visit. read more

Whenever the sun comes out, which has been surprisingly often of late, I enjoy nothing more than staring out my front windows at the mass of humanity gathered on the grass of Roath's recreational ground, the goal-posts banished for the summer b-b-qs, topless and shoeless football, and semi-professional frisbee tournaments. As open spaces in city centres go, it is no Central Park, but find me an area that is as conducive to frivolity and I will bow most humbly before your superior wisdom. There is nothing like shucking heavy winter clothes for a spot of sun-bathing, or running up and down (not me, I hasten to add, but quite a few of my nearest and dearest enjoy the punitive self-transportation from point A to point B and back again in pursuit of health and fitness), and if there is cold beer or cherry-red wine (perhaps from the excellent local Oddbins on Wellfield Road) so much the better. Plus, where else can you take the kiddies for a spot of relatively safe family fun in Cardiff that doesn't come at a hefty price, either to finances or sanity? There are ducks and swans a bit further up by the lake (and row boats and pedalos for those willing to risk death by drowning or green algae), beautiful gardens in which to stroll in dappled shade, and all the like-minded, spiritually generous people one could wish to meet. However, and this is a big however, as a resident of the area, the fun has it faults. With an inquisitive and willful terrier in tow, a tour of the broken glass, foil barbeques and generally distressing detritus left strewn across the grass during the day is a most stressfull experience. Pulling said terrier from the jaws of disaster (his tastes are not so well developed that he can tell the difference between cooked ham and silver foil that used to have cooked ham in it) whilst nimbly dodging broken cider bottles and collapsed and belligerent drunks is trying in the extreme, and although I'm not going to stand on Penylan hill surveying the devastation with a tear in my eye for the ignorant, self-destructive inhabitants of Gaia, I am almost constantly fighting the urge to whallop children dropping ice-lolly wrappers and chase gangs of unruly teenagers joyfully polluting the dribbling tributary with beer cans and juvenile urine. This sort of civil outrage is going to get me stabbed one day. Nonetheless, I have a feedback sandwich for you, as this good-bad-good review ends with a warm round of applause for the park rangers, as no matter what time I get up on Monday mornings for a quick march around the rec with Harley before work, they're already out with bin bags and those long grippy things to pick up the trash ready for the next round. Kudos to you fellas, and don't let me persuade you, gentle readers, that this park is not a treasure to be cherished. Let's hope there are no unscrupulous developers with an eye on a new yuppie condominium next to the brook and a large source of disposable and untraceable cash to offer to similarly unprincipled Cardiff Councillors... read more

Roath Park - MadBob's view - Parks Near Me - Cardiff, CRF

If the sun happens to be making one of its rare appearances in Wales, Roath Park is the perfect place to go to make the most of it. Roath Park has lots to offer its visitors, from the active wildlife and huge extensive play ground for the kids to the various sized boats for hire for those wishing to go out across the lake. Whether you're pedalling across the lake in pedal boat, taking the kids to have a go on the slides or getting violently attacked by one of the many ducks and swans, Roath Park is a great place to enjoy the weather and have a good time without having to put your hand too deep into your pocket. read more

This is a place I always like to come when visiting Wales. It is a lovely place to relax and take in nature with swans gliding past as you stroll around the lake. It is absolutely beautiful on a sunny day! read more

This is such a beautiful park. It's absolutely full of families (and is normally quite busy - Bute Park is the place to go if you want a quieter walk) and their dogs. I miss my dogs so much here so sometimes it's nice just to go and be around some wildlife. The park is sort of split into two. One park is just a small area around rugby pitches. The other, a little bit further up the hill, is much larger and features a lake, a play park and some regulated flower beds. The lake is the busiest part of the park, but that's only because it's so extremely beautiful. Ducks (I LOVE DUCKS!) and swans and seagulls and tiny little birds that dive under the water... how lovely. You can even take out little pedalos in the summer. The last time I went it was a wonderfully sunny day - I know, shock for cardiff, right? - so everything was even more beautiful. read more

Roath Park really is beautiful, if your luckily enough to catch it on a bright sunny day then you really can appreciate the beauty of our country an how lucky we are to have such things. The lovely and I fed the duckies here and just wandered around and had a small picnic, it really was the perfect day despite doing so little. I'd recommend visiting here rathe than Bute park if you only have time to visit one. read more

On a summers day there really is no place better than Roath Park to spend a lazy afternoon and have a picnic. Fantastic for people watching, lazing by the lake and just watching the world go by. The birds are slightly cocky so if you're not a fan of ducks (I think they're ducks but I'm not exactly Bill Oddie so don't take my word on that one) then you should avoid the areas where they are. They WILL try and nick your sandwiches. It's a haven in the middle of a buzzy area that always makes me wish I had a dog because I know for a fact that it would be a little slice of doggy heaven. Word of warning, on a hot day, it's busy as hell and parking can be a nightmare. read more

This was probably the only cool place in the whole of Cardiff over the the last couple of days: it's been baking, anyone else notice? So it was one of the most lovely things to be able to sit down under the trees and enjoy the cool air blowing off the lake while licking an ice cream and chatting about poetry and upcoming weddings. There is a fantastic playground area to keep the kids busy, and endless sprawling sections of grass and trees and flowerbeds. You're never quite sure when this park is ever going to end. But, where have all the peddle-boats gone? I remember peddle-boats. read more

Going boating on the lake in this wonderful Victorian park has to be on any Cardiff resident's list of things to do. I've enjoyed lots of afternoons out rowing on the lake, circling around the white lighthouse and getting tangled up in one of the lush willow trees along the riverbank. It's the perfect way to spend a sunny afternoon - but just make sure you stock up on drinks and suntan lotion before you venture out on the water. If you don't fancy boating, you can sit around the riverbanks feeding the resident populations of ducks and geese, or pop into the lakeside café for a drink or a snack. Covering 30 acres in total, the park also has a 'wild' area at the far end, where I've spotted Green woodpeckers hammering on the trunks of the trees, and conventional playing fields right up at the other end. In between, there is a children's play area, a Victorian glasshouse containing orchids, banana trees and other exotic plants, and ornamental gardens with bright displays of flowers. read more

Roath park is truely amazing. Set in beautiful surroundings it has so much to offer from a childrens playgound to pedal boat rides. The pedal/rowing boats are great. Prices are reasonable and I am sure half an hour on a four person rowing boat cost us little more than a fiver. One top tip though when out on the water is avoid the algae. If you do happen to enter what seems to be a sea of algae make sure you only shallow row. Otherwise you will end up with biceps like Popeye and slimey stinky wet stuff all over you. Believe me I have been there.... done that! Another must when visiting Roath park with kids is the childrens play area. It has a wide variety on activities all gated off. It also has many benches for us adults to sit and observe without cramping the little ones hip hop style. read more

Roath parks is on of the nicest parks I have seen. it has a beautiful flower display for you to walk alongside and many a bench to perch and watch the world go by. There is a big park for children, however, me and my friend did take advantage of the tyre roundabout type thing whilst the park was quiet, we were ten year olds once again, but just that tiny bit bigger and a dignity we should be keeping. Once we were done with that, we had a nice stroll around the lake and a nice cup of tea in the cafe to remind ourselves we were in fact old now. There are a lot of birds around this lake and it always amazes me how they don't stroll into the road right next to it and get run over. Swans, geese, duck, the whole shebang are here to use the lake. If you get the urge to try to run them over yourself, you can always hire out one of the rowing boats. read more

What an unexpected surprise. I live 10 minutes from Roath Park and took about 6 months to visit it. What a mistake! To be fair, I had spent a lot of time walking and running around the bottom half of the park, which is really nice, there are playing fields and a picturesque area with a river, tennis courts etc. When you leave the park at the other end there is a road junction and it looks as if park land has finished. Don't be fooled, cross over and go into Roath Park proper. The park has a large botanical garden and a beautiful flower garden, the highlight though, is the lake, which is unexpectedly huge. It is a beautiful spot and worth walking round, taking a picnic, feeding the birds, doing all those park things. The only negative is that Roath Park is no secret (apparently people worked out how to cross a road) and gets incredibly busy on sunny days. Avoid the end with the giant children's playground and you'll enjoy it no end, except if you've got kids, naturally. read more

Roath Park has managed to trap three thousand joggers who will perpetually run around its perimeter, or at least that's how it seems whenever I'm around this fantastic park. The focal point of the place is the huge man-made lake in its centre. Here ducks and swans swim around or violently ask passers-by for some food. You can also rent boats and pedaloes if you fancy yourself as a sea-captain (or, at the very least, a lake-captain). The white lighthouse that stands in the middle of the lake is dedicated to Captain Scott, the guy that tried but failed to make it to the South Pole. This isn't an attempted reflection of the Welsh ethos; rather it is because Cardiff was where he set sail from to begin his journey. When the sun is shining there is no end to the number of people that gravitate towards this park for a walk, a picnic, a play in the play park, an ice cream, another ice-cream, a jog, or an accidental swim. It can be a real hive of activity and it is somewhere that will always be held in high regard by Cardiff types. read more

Wales' capital city is full of green spaces just begging for a picnic. Roath Park is a particular favourite with locals, stretching from the football fields in the south, through the shady botanic gardens, to Roath Lake in the north. The playing fields are always busy with sprinting dogs, runners, rugby, football and cricket matches, and - when the weather is hot - groups of friends enjoying a BBQ. Heading towards the lake you'll come across tennis courts, basketball courts and a bowling green hidden amongst the trees. Across the road, the botanic gardens provide a tranquil escape from the bustle of the city. Wander amongst the roses or tulips or just sunbathe and enjoy the view. Or if you fancy a taste of the tropics why not visit the greenhouse? At the lake you'll find a fantastic children's playground. You can enjoy a leisurely stroll along the banks, feed the swans or have a lazy float in a pedalo. There is a small café and plenty of ice cream vans. The views out to the hills make you feel as though you are in the countryside. And it's not just a summer location - blossom abounds in spring, autumn sees a mass of golden leaves, and in the winter snow frames the frozen lake. Roath park is a gem throughout the year. read more

This spot is serving meal kits during the covid season they will be open to its usual routine soon please be very patient with them this is new for them too. read more

I've been coming to this park most of my life and it never fails to make me feel really good. The interesting thing about Roath Park is that it is a sizeable but narrow finger of land that lies right across the centre of the city. Each bit has a separate name and identity going from victorian lake and formal rose gardens to Waterloo Gardens. The stretch of river is the one thing that unifies the park. Most people in Cardiff will have gone tad-poling at one time or another fishing net in hand in the river. As I've gotten older, the thing I have come to appreciate is the amount and type of tree it contains. It is after all an arboretum or a tree museum I guess. you could call it. In each bit of the park, I have favourite trees. Some completely bent out of shape and huge but wondrous to behold. There are also some beautiful Japanese Maples not far from the lake which turn a gorgeous array of colour at this time of year. read more

Without a question the number one park in Cardiff! Stunning views, a beautiful lake, boats for hire, a fantastic children's park what more could you want? read more

I first fell in love with Roath park after spending the weekend in Cardiff with a pen-pal friend of mine. I couldn't believe such a park was housed in such a city. Pretty overwhelming for a ten year old. Now, I'm not a massive fan of swans, I don't trust the buggers if I'm being completely honest so if like me, do beware because there's quite a few of these beasts about. The lake is a massive 30 acres (geography bit) and is extremely popular for fishing, rowing and general lake stuff. There are also boats which can be hired out and used upon the lake, mind the swans mind!. It's home to a local radio controlled boat society which can prove quite amusing to watch. There are playgrounds and sports fields and everything you'd expect from your perfect type of park. I love a wonder around the lake myself, stopping at the cafe which provides refreshments and drinks and most importantly ice cream. Roath park is lovely for a wander in solace, a family day out or even a romantic stroll. There really is something for everyone here. read more

Cardiff has several parks that are great on a warm and sunny day to visit enjoy their natural beauty. Roath Park is simply one of the best as it has the lake in which you can hire pedalo and rowing boats, feed the ducks or just gaze which is a fantastic way to spend some of your spare time to get away from the monotony of your daily routine. On nice weekends this place will be packed with visitors and locals taking in the beautiful views and of course like I do with the parks in Cardiff I like to go and sit down with a book and a locally bought sandwich - Awesome. read more

As other reviewers on this site will tell you, Roath Park is a place of great and varied beauty. But for me it's all about the boating lake. Now, I've always loved water. My dad used to have a narrow boat, so I've grown up to appreciate that some of the most relaxing hours can be passed just floating along. Although the boats here don't come with their very own Rosie and Jim soft toys, they do provide all I need to recreate these excellent moments. On a sunny day in summer, pack up a picnic and head here. Although I've only been here with a bunch of girl mates (one, a splasher so zealous she could provide an active threat to the burning fires of hell; another, a lass so scared of both water and geese she spent half the time squealing and the other half quietly hiding under her hands), I can testify that this experience can be pretty romantic. Pack the strawberries, olives and cakes. Just be careful how much wine you sip. URBAN CHALLENGE: Take a date out on the rowing boats read more

A good place for a family day out or a jog around the lake.

my love for this park goes back to my childhood when swimming was common in the lake, a paddling pool next to the paddle boats.i truly loved the park, as teenage years came I courted here,giving many more memories, as a father I brought my child here, then I left the country for good, though I return with my adult children and grand children who have also learned to love the park. It has change little since I was a child, some improvements, the glasshouse being the main one. but for most part the park remains as well kept as ever, and my grandfather who worked as a gardener here would I'm sure be proud of the park. One of Cardiff's mainly hidden gems. read more

There's no need for another glowing write-up of Roath's premier green space, but it is worth mentioning the bite-sized café that sits near the lake at greater length. It's definitely seasonally dependent: even if the café were open in the depths of winter, it's fairly certain the experience would be cold and desolate. On a sunny summer day, however, it's a handy little stop-off for a coffee, sandwich or slice of cake with your better half, either inside or in the open-air seating just outside. The café itself is fairly dated and ordinarily, while the food and drink options are an odd amalgam of greasy spoon, pensioner's afternoon tea and school canteen. But, without wanting to encourage freeloaders, one particularly penniless trip to the café resulted in an offer from the guy behind the counter to take a drink on the house and pay him back at a later date. As a throwback to simpler times when locals knew and trusted each other, there aren't many better recommendations than that. read more

A lovely park and great for walking and for children. But not really good for dogs that want to run around. There is only one small wilderness where they can run off lead, but everything is very close to roads. There are other, less anxiety inducing parks around for dogs. Try one of those. read more

I along with another 60plus swimmers we entered the last "Taff Swim" at Roath Park . Please can any one else remember that day I believe it was in 1959 ? read more