I took a break from catching the Cardiff buses in numerical order in order to take a ride on the Skycar, Cardiff’s open-top summer-only bus, my thinking being that if I left it to the end of the challenge it may be mid-winter and not running.
It starts off in the civic centre and attempts to take in everything Cardiff. There is a quick circuit of the Portland stone civic buildings, university buildings , Alexandra gardens, police stations and law courts. If you are lucky you can catch sight of a perpetrator going in to be sentenced.
We then drive past Cardiff Castle, the building we pretend is very old but Cardiffians know is more of a Victorian folly built by the Bute family. It must be said however that the ornate clock tower is lovely. If visitors had wanted to see something truly old they would have looked the other way at St John’s church tower dating back to second half of the 15th century.
As we round the corner into Westgate Street we see another place of worship, Cardiff Arms Park and the Principality Stadium. That was true until a few years ago when Welsh rugby descended into the doldrums. Always a good conversation starter if ever you meet a Welshman, ask them ‘What’s wrong with Welsh rugby?’ but make sure you have an excuse ready to stop the conversation after 45 minutes of listening.
There’s a treat in store for any bus enthusiasts next as we visit the bus station and get views not often seen from normal buses.
The next section of the journey, down to Cardiff Bay showed the changing face of Cardiff. As we go around Callaghan Square road lanes were being fenced off in preparation of the new tram lines that will be constructed from Cardiff Central down to the Bay. We pass the new Bute Street Station nearing completion and then see the cranes working on the 16,000 capacity Cardiff Bay arena.
The Skycar route seems to have changed this year. Although you still get a good view of the Millennium Centre you then are whisked off to Mermaid Quay, the less successful side of the transformation of Cardiff Bay from an architectural point of view. Previously the Skycar went down to past the Norwegian Church and offered views across Cardiff Bay and the barrage but now if you want that you have to alight and take a walk.
I stay on the bus enjoying the breeze and sunshine but the route back is pretty much the route we took there so I entertain myself by telling complete lies to the tourists on board, ‘This is the route Julius Caesar took to into town when he visited Cardiff in 36AD’, ‘Calling a Welshman Taffy is regarded as a term of affection and highly recommended’, and ‘You were lucky to catch the bus this year as next year all motor vehicles are going to be banned from Cardiff and tourists made to ride bicycles’.
After being dropped back at the museum I went over the road and got a coffee at Brodies and read some of Bill Bryson’s ‘Down Under’, still one of my favorite authors.
Cardiff Capers 