Dincar one

Verified Slow Way

Verified by 100.00% of reviewers

I walked it from Dinas Powys to Cardiff (see below for scoring "legend").
TLDR version -
There are some boggy patches, stiles, steps and hills. It's not as pretty as DinCar 3 or as direct, although the entry back into Cardiff is nicer. It's fine but not the best route and I can't see any reason I would walk it again.

Accuracy -
The .gpx file I had was sufficient to find my way but not as accurate as the DinCar 3 one. In Dinas Powys it had me walking on a narrow path with a stream to my right and houses to my left but this route is blocked off by people's front gardens. However, you can just stay on the main part of St Cadoc's Avenue or follow the very narrow muddy path at the rear of the houses without too much trouble. Similarly the .gpx file seems to suggest there is a turning right off Cross Common Road that isn't there, however if you just stay on Cross Common Road it sorts itself out. Having said that, it was super accurate at finding some easy to miss footpaths in the housing estate after Cosmeston lakes.

Accessibility -
Off Cross Common Road the path goes through a field that was exceptionally boggy when I went and a small streamlet just before the stile - the water went over the top of my hiking boot. Just after there is a low hanging tree branch that all but children will need to be able to duck to be able to pass. Large parts of the route just after leaving Dinas Powys were muddy and uneven. The route has several stiles that seemed non-optional to me and takes you up and down stairs in Penarth.

Pleasantness -
The walk through Dinas Powys is fine but is walking through a town. The short section between Dinas Powys and Cosmeston is a bit more rural with some nice fleeting views but not the prettiest. Cosmeston is nice but was pretty busy on a Sunday afternoon. And then it's a stroll through a housing estate and then walking through Penarth, over the barrage and back into Cardiff.

Directness / efficiency -
Not the most direct way and not really less muddy or easier than DinCar 3 in my opinion. The route between the barrage and the train station in Cardiff was nice to explore but not the fastest or most direct way.

1 star - Route not at all accurate or not passable
2 stars - Route is sufficiently accurate and passable but neither an efficient or pleasant route.
3 stars - Route functions and is either an efficient and direct route that isn't particularly enjoyable or is an enjoyable route that isn't particularly efficient / direct.
4 stars - Route functions and is both a pleasant route and a reasonably efficient route between the two points.
5 stars - Route is exceptional, do not miss.

April 2023. Direction: Cardiff to Dinas Powis.

A pleasant, easy and varied walk, taking in the barrage half of the Cardiff Bay walk, a lovely stretch of coastal walking along the Penarth promenade and cliff tops and Cosmeston Lake and Country Park before the last stretch through lanes and fields on the way into Dinas Powis.

The terrain is mostly paved or well maintained tracks until the section leaving Sully Road to cross the fields to Cross Common Road in Dinas Powis, where there are styles and a muddy lane and fields to cross. An alternative to this section for wheelers would be to turn right before the first style and go into Dina Powis along Watery Lane. There are also some stepped sections in Penarth (leading up to St. Augustine`s Church and at the end of the steep lane leading on to Beach Road), but there are alternative routes here following the streets.

Photo 1 to 3 - Cardiff Bay
Photo 4 - Penarth Head from Cardiff Bay barrage
Photos 5 & 6 - Penarth pier and bay
Photo 7 - Flatholm and Steepholm islands
Photo 8 - Cosmeston Lake
Photo 9 - The path leading from Sully Road.

A good route with very varied scenery. The route is indistinct or muddy in places but enjoyable.

Nice walk, a mixture of country park, suburban Penarth, clifftop and esplanade, then a stroll round the Cardiff barrage.

Not at all challenging.

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