All walks › Cardiff and the Vale
Cardiff and the ValePorthkerry Park and the Cliffs
Wooded valley running down to a pebble beach under a huge railway viaduct, with cliff path east towards Barry.
- Distance
- 3.7 mi / 6 km
- Time
- 2 hr
- Ascent
- 120 m
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Shape
- Circular
Where it is
The circle shows the general area, not the exact start. Use the directions link below to get to the car park itself. Contours and paths shown are OpenTopoMap, drawn from OpenStreetMap data.
The route
From the park, follow the coast path along the cliffs and back through the woodland, passing under the viaduct. Some steps and clifftop walking.
Worth knowing
- The Porthkerry viaduct has sixteen arches and carries the Vale of Glamorgan line straight over the park.
- The pebble beach is good for skimming and poor for swimming.
- Bull Cliff and the coast path east give views across to Somerset.
What you’ll see
The viaduct, the pebble beach, cliff scenery and the Bristol Channel.
Background
The viaduct was completed in 1897 and partly collapsed almost immediately, delaying the railway by two years.