Plenty of parking options, but some locations require a bit of walking as well. For Pier Head /Oval Basin area, multi-storey at Stuart Street, Norwegian Church/Britannia Quay (we’re going around the bay clockwise), street parking (gets crowded weekends/evenings). Nothing then until you get to the other end of the Barrage, about a mile walk, car park approached from Penarth End. Moving around Penarth Marina/Ely Harbour it’s street parking or Cogan Tesco, Sports Village has street parking, access from Grangetown/Ferry Road or A4232, likewise The Marl, or access from Corporation Rd/Avondale Rd. Hamadryad Park/Wetlands reserve would be street parking near yacht club or on Windsor Esplanade, then we’re more or less back to Pier Head.
Don’t be fooled by the roads on the map near the Cardiff end of the Barrage, which are inside the fenced-in area of ABP’s ‘Cardiff Freeport’, not available without an ABP pass for customs reasons. Private vehichles are not permitted on the Barrage. Public transport is feasible but of course has to be combined with walking. TfW run trains to Bute Road, close to the Oval Basin, from Queen Street station, and Cardiff Bus no.6 from the Central Bus Station to the Oval Basin, and you get Ruth Jones as Nessa doing the stop announcements in her ‘Oh, whas’ ocurrin’ voice. No.9 goes to the Sports Village, but public transport to the Penarth side is not as good. Nos. 92-94 pass Baron’s Court, Cogan, and there are trains from Queen St & Central to Cogan, which provide reasonable access to Pont y Werin, Ely River Marina, and the Sports Village.
Don’t forget that Pont y Werin and the Barrage Lock bridges lift to allow boats through, which may be significant if you are intending to catch a particular train or bus. The Barrage is a popular commuter route between Penarth & Cardiff for cyclists,and can be busy with them in the rush hours; fortunately the actual barrage section proper has a seperate roadway that they use, but they need to be watched out for on some of the bendy bits of the Cardiff side approach, especially in winter!. The Barrage can be ‘a bit fresh’ in an easterly wind…
The pathways are all paved, lit (except for the wetlands reserve), and level or sloped, so mobility scooters, pushed prams, or wheelchairs should present no problem. You will never be far from a food outlet except in the middle of the Barrage stretch, and there are pubs a-plenty in the Pier Head area. The Barrage is a great place for watching ships entering or leaving the Port of Cardiff, but you need to time the tides!
