Life in Cardiff?

MountainMonster

Hey everyone,

What is Cardiff life like? My wife and i have visited quite often and love the place, but of course everything seems amazing on holiday. We are astonished at how low house prices are in Cardiff bay and are contemplating moving there to spice life up. Any words of wisdom about Cardiff?

welshkev

Rid a nice place. Beware of buying in 'Cardiff bay' though as some places are billed as the bay and are really in butetown where you really (really) don't want to live. My bro used to live in the bay and it's great, you've got all the bars and restaurants right there, a train into town.

You've also got some great riding 15 mins drive or a 40 min ride away.

But maybe gazlar or northern monkey may be better to answer as they've moved there from abroad ;-)

cooldad

If you want to spice life up, probably easier and cheaper just to get her some kinky underwear a giant rubber obvious.

mcnultycop

I lived in Cardiff (in the bay) for 6 months because of work. I was down in South Wales a lot so it made sense. I love Cardiff, great fun place and some decent places off the beaten track.

jndb72

Theres the bay and then theres the "bay". make sure you choose the right bay. as kev says theres some rigbt dodgy areas nearby.

jimothy78

I came to Cardiff for Uni (from Havant, Hants. originally) some 15 years ago and I'm still here. It's a great place to live as you've got all the advantages of a big city, but with lots of nice big green spaces, the Brecon Beacons on your doorstep (about 20-30 mins away depending on whereabouts you choose to set up camp) and decent beaches just a couple of junctions down the M4. Obviously for a cyclist the advantages are obvious, with The Taff Trail and lots of off-road trails in S. Wales, too.

It takes a while to get used to ignoring the top half of every roadsign, but after that, living in Wales isn't so bad

Don't just look at the bay, though - there are lots of other nice areas where you'll get a lot more living space for your buck.

jndb72

Consider locations 10 mins outside the bay\centre twice the bang for your buck

welshkev

jndb72 wrote:

Consider locations 10 mins outside the bay\centre twice the bang for your buck

It all depends on what the op wants though. My bro in law lives in penylan where a 3 bed terrace will set you back 300k but in 1 mile away splott will be 150ish. He likes the coffee shops/park etc are within walking distance.

The bay is superb for this reason, everything is right on your doorstep. I only live 20 mins drive from penylan and about 25/30 mins from rhe bay and my 3 bed terrace cost me 96k in the housing boom :-) but apart from hills there's feck all here :-)

The Northern Monkey

I probably wouldn't live down the bay... Tbh Cardiff is like most big cities... Big and exciting. But you ideally want to live far enough away that you can visit without bother.
Plus, the bay is overpriced for what it is. Pretty much everything is a flat.
I live in a 3 bed house with the Mrs and its cheaper than a 1 bed flat down the bay.

I lived pretty much in the centre for about a year because it was cheap and had good transport links.
I now live on the outskirts of Cardiff on a nice small village, still cheap but much much much more homely and relaxing.
2 min walk and I can jump on a train and I'm in the centre of Cardiff in about 5 mins.

Lovely people in Cardiff, generally very friendly

jndb72

welshkev wrote:

jndb72 wrote:

Consider locations 10 mins outside the bay\centre twice the bang for your buck

It all depends on what the op wants though. My bro in law lives in penylan where a 3 bed terrace will set you back 300k but in 1 mile away splott will be 150ish. He likes the coffee shops/park etc are within walking distance.

The bay is superb for this reason, everything is right on your doorstep. I only live 20 mins drive from penylan and about 25/30 mins from rhe bay and my 3 bed terrace cost me 96k in the housing boom :-) but apart from hills there's feck all here :-)

Agreed mate, I ;ive 20 mins up the road and have a 5 bed 4 storey property for less than 100k. You can pay that nearer the centre for a one bed appartment. All about expectations at the end of the day

Gazlar

What do you want from your home location, do you want quiet/vibrant/bustling and what kind of budget if I may be so bold to ask.

I love Cardiff, ok for me it was only ever a stopover as I already have my name down to move to Carmarthern, but living here has made that a harder decision than was first expected.

A piece of advice I was given was try and avoid anywhere with town in its name, and its not far off the mark. Butetown, Adamstown are really worth avoiding, parts of Grangetown are ok other parts not. I'm not sure where you would get a 4 storey house in Cardiff now for under 100k mind.

The area I live in is nice, kind of Gabalfa/Maindy area, its a bit leafy, there are a good supply of shops and restaurants 30 seconds walk away and its less than a couple of miles from the town. a 3 bed bay fronted victorian house here will set you back around the 200k mark for a good example mind. A mile up the road around Plasneweydd a 2 bed smaller terrace will knock you 130/140.

Like Kev said the bay covers a lot of areas when selling and its very hit and miss depending on what footprint it falls under.

jimothy78

The Northern Monkey wrote:

I lived pretty much in the centre for about a year because it was cheap and had good transport links.
I now live on the outskirts of Cardiff on a nice small village, still cheap but much much much more homely and relaxing.
2 min walk and I can jump on a train and I'm in the centre of Cardiff in about 5 mins.

Sounds a bit like me - I lived pretty central during my Student years, but gradually drifted outwards. I'm in Tongwynlais, now. Sounds like you must be fairly close from your description. I could use a couple of riding buddies, so if you (or anyone else watching this thread) is interested in meeting up, let me know. (Apologies for the hijack)

Gazlar

jimothy78 wrote:

The Northern Monkey wrote:

I lived pretty much in the centre for about a year because it was cheap and had good transport links.
I now live on the outskirts of Cardiff on a nice small village, still cheap but much much much more homely and relaxing.
2 min walk and I can jump on a train and I'm in the centre of Cardiff in about 5 mins.

Sounds a bit like me - I lived pretty central during my Student years, but gradually drifted outwards. I'm in Tongwynlais, now. Sounds like you must be fairly close from your description. I could use a couple of riding buddies, so if you (or anyone else watching this thread) is interested in meeting up, let me know. (Apologies for the hijack)

I'm up for riding, just very hit and miss when I do because I work shifts. Tend to do most my riding either in the day midweek or at some point every 5th week, but if this ever suits you I'm happy to go for a spin, very much a trail rider, not a great bike handler

jimothy78

My schedule is hit and miss too - I look after my daughter a couple of days a week and work the rest, plus saturdays, so Sunday tends to be my only regular free day. I do get an hour or two on a wednesday afternoon whilst the little one's in playgroup, but that's only enough for a very quick local ride. Maybe a thread in the rides and routes section would be a good idea, then we can post available times and see what matches up.

MountainMonster

Gazlar wrote:

What do you want from your home location, do you want quiet/vibrant/bustling and what kind of budget if I may be so bold to ask.

I love Cardiff, ok for me it was only ever a stopover as I already have my name down to move to Carmarthern, but living here has made that a harder decision than was first expected.

A piece of advice I was given was try and avoid anywhere with town in its name, and its not far off the mark. Butetown, Adamstown are really worth avoiding, parts of Grangetown are ok other parts not. I'm not sure where you would get a 4 storey house in Cardiff now for under 100k mind.

The area I live in is nice, kind of Gabalfa/Maindy area, its a bit leafy, there are a good supply of shops and restaurants 30 seconds walk away and its less than a couple of miles from the town. a 3 bed bay fronted victorian house here will set you back around the 200k mark for a good example mind. A mile up the road around Plasneweydd a 2 bed smaller terrace will knock you 130/140.

Like Kev said the bay covers a lot of areas when selling and its very hit and miss depending on what footprint it falls under.

Gazlar, many thanks for the lengthy reply, as well as everyone else! My wife and I are mostly modern flat focused, with houses outside of town in old Victorian style being the most un appealing as possible. We have a budget of roughly 2k a month with council tax factored in, so we aren't looking to go exactly cheap. We found a loft in town which worked out just about right, and when we were at the harbour we even noted the location of the building which we really liked. Views for us are much more important than space, and the flats in the bay seem to be hitting the mark exactly, especially price wish. We were finding amazing property in Cardiff for around 250k to buy, which wouldn't even get us the one bed flat that we are living in right now in Cambridge, and that was for a 3 bed penthouse flat.

I think we have decided to make a short trip down and sty for 2 weeks and try t get a feel for the life there.

And of course, the riding is very appealing.

What is bike theft like in Cardiff? Is it something to really worry about such as in Cambridge?

Gazlar

Its a capital city, lots of bikes, quite a lot of theft, I recently had a frame pinched out of my shed. My fault it wasn't locked up

For that kind of money I suggest looking around the Penarth part of the bay if its modern living you want. That kind if cash would also probably get you a modern townhouse around heath which is also a nice area of Cardiff and a bit less hectic. I've found moving here, renting and getting to know the area so useful, I'd suggest that as a path to buying, especially while the market is quite stagnant, mainly because there is a lot of nice parts to explore and you really do get a feel for that best fit area

welshkev

The problem with penarth us that it's still quite a way into the bay proper. My bro used to live in adventurers quay, it's one of the older developments but really nice. His place was huge for a flat with secure under ground parking etc. it's only 5 mins walk to the bay, nice views and out of it enough to be quiet.

I've just remembered that the gf's cousin lived in prospect place for a while. Nice view, nice flat - but small and the walls seemed to be made of paper cos you could hear everything people were doing next door, but a gym and swimming pool were included in the rent.

As for bike theft, the same ad any big city really.

Gazlar

All this talk of Cardiff has made me think that we could do with a south Wales and area Crudcatcher social drinking with beer with limes. I think then mountain monster could be welcomed to the area, and by welcomed I mean clingfilmed naked to a lamppost.

But seriously how about a Cardiff drinks night residents?

The Northern Monkey

sounds fun!

Re: bike thefts... there are quite a lot if you give them a chance. Mine got nicked out of the back of my car (smashed rear screen) on a major road near the centre. Same as any city really.

The problem, for me, with the bay is this...

There is the bay.. which is ace. Good for a day out, nice food, drink.... really social.

Then theres the bit around the bay before you get into Cardiff... its a bit of a dump. Some streets I wouldn't even drive down at night because they're rough. Hookers and blow galore.
A lot of Splott and surrounding area is students which usually increases crime etc.

Penarth is nice though... we nearly took a flat up there... some really quirky places to rent! And penarth town centre is lovely, with the beach undergoing renavation its going to be really nice!

jimothy78

Right - let's do it properly, then, lads and lasses:
viewtopic.php?f=10014&t=12880219
who's in?

sandy hill

Like in Cardiff is one down from life in Pentonville. That is all.

MountainMonster

Gazlar wrote:

All this talk of Cardiff has made me think that we could do with a south Wales and area Crudcatcher social drinking with beer with limes. I think then mountain monster could be welcomed to the area, and by welcomed I mean clingfilmed naked to a lamppost.

But seriously how about a Cardiff drinks night residents?

That Would be awesome, ill see when I can sort it out to be able to come down. I suspect I won't be able to come for an extended stay at any point in the near future, but a weekend may be possible soon!

Please make it an extra chilly lamppost too.

ddraver

I can't add much but I was a student there as well and a lot of my friends stayed on there. It's a great little city IMO! Friendly people so long as you avoid St Mary's Street at the weekend evenings when it can get pretty rough (no more so than other cities though)

Personally I'm not sure I'd make it all about the bay, but from what you say, it does sound right up your street. Did the J80 Nationals there a few years back and had a great time! It would be on my list of ideal places to live, but unfortunately there is not much in the way of oil industry stuff there for me

welshkev

ddraver wrote:

I can't add much but I was a student there as well and a lot of my friends stayed on there. It's a great little city IMO! Friendly people so long as you avoid St Mary's Street at the weekend evenings when it can get pretty rough (no more so than other cities though)

really? if you count drunk valleys girls not wearing very much clothing throwing up on themselves rough then you're right

but then again i haven't been out in town for ages, i tend to go out around roath where my mates live

oh yeah, i'd be up for a beer aswell could we make it the second weekend in november? as the parents in law will be home and the missus won't moan at me

ddraver

I saw some things maaan, you werent there!

You re right that it's nothign special but it was enough to make me not enjoy myself and go somewhere else. It's not like youre stuck for options there really...

ol\'gregg

As Kev said I lived in cardiff for 7 years 2 of those in the bay in adventurers quay. was a great place, very secure and a big place for the money. you had 2 security gates to get through plus secure access to the appartment blocks. I think the rent was £800 a month plus bills for a 2 double bedroom flat one with ensuite a family bathroom, large kitchen and lounge. with an entrance hallway and a balcony with a secure parking space. close to the bars etc and a 20 min walk to the centre.
I then lived in Cathays slap bang in the middle of studentville. great location for town and bars etc but i hated living on a street surrounded by students.
I know the prices for renting down the bay have become more reasonable of late as there are so many down there that were built but not filled.