HelpHound

Penarth is a sleepy seaside town on the Severn Estuary and is about 5 miles from the Welsh capital of Cardiff.

I say sleepy town as there are a high proportion of elderly and retired people living in the town.

The town is sprawling and has three main areas of interest -

The first is the town centre itself. The main shopping area is based around the streets of Windsor Road and Stanwell Road. The town has a good selection of shops such as Woolworths, Boots, Spar, Thomson Holidays, Greggs, Blockbusters and recently a Starbucks. In the centre of the town there is a JD Wetherpoon Pub called The Bears Head (which is the literal translation of Penarth - Pen is head and arth is bear in the Welsh language). There are also a plethora of charity shops if you are looking for a bargain! Another place worth a look is the quaint Windsor Arcade that includes a brilliant old style sweet shop, traditional barbershop, fruit and veg shop and a Tea room.
In Stanwell Road you have the towns library and the Washington Cafe that is built in Art Deco style and used to house the towns cinema (there isn''t one anymore).
The biggest problem with Penarth town centre is the parking situation. There are no dedicated car parks and in busier times you find yourself driving circles around the town at low speed in hope that a space becomes available.

Away from the town centre and towards the coastline you have the wonderfully beautiful landscaped gardens of Victoria Park. This park connects the town to the beach are and it the grounds are fantastically maintained and really colourful in the summer. There is an aviary there too which the children really love. Once you have walked through the park you are then on the Penarth esplanade. The first thing you will notice is the green turretts of the Pier. The pier is free to enter and has a restaurant and sweet shop in the middle that open in fairer weather. The end of the pier is usually littered with fishermen. The view from the Pier looks over the Severn Estuary and you can see the coastlines of Clevedon and Weston Super Mare clearer on a haze free day. Throughout the summer months trips on the famous boat The Waverley can be boarded from the pier and visits places such as Minehead, Weston Super Mare and the South West Coast. Along the esplanade their are a couple of resaturants, bistro''s and gift shops. At the end of the esplanade is the Lifeboat centre and launch ramp. Up the hill from the lifeboats is a clifftop walk that has a mini pitch and putt golf course that costs a couple of pound to play, a childrens play area and a cafe. The beach itself is pebbly with a muddy type sand and the water is a brown murky colour so possibly not the best place for children to swim! Sadly there is little entertainment for children on the beach front as the Amusement arcade was demolished many years ago.

The final area of Penarth that is worth a visit is the Cardiff Bay Barrage. The barrage is situated just around the corner from the Pier and is an impressive construction. The barrage runs from Penarth to Cardiff Bay. In the summer months a little noddy style train runs across the barrage and around The Bay which is great fun for all. There are also boat trips and water taxi''s that leave from the area and allow you to examine the seawater animals and wildlife up close. Fortunately there is a large pay and display car park at the foot of the barrage plus a rather impressive Brasserie that has been built out of the old custom offices.

So that''s my guide to Penarth. It''s worth a visit for a day as there are some nice shops and parks though If you are looking for Nightlife I''d suggest visiting Cardiff instead!