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Note : the estimated time below is calculated automatically according to Naismith's rule. A  more realistic estimate is 2 hours 45 minutes.

Start Point: Parking place on the left at the end of Lisvane Road, just before Church Road. Grid ref. ST 190 829. What3Words ///boost.search.swift

Getting there from Cardiff:

by bus:  Service 86 from Greyfriars Road to St Denys Church, Lisvane
by train: both Llanishen and Lisvane stations are about 1 kilometre from the starting point.
by car: out of Cardiff, past the castle on North Road, over the Gabalfa flyover, onto the A469 through Birchgrove. When you reach a roundabout go right into Ty-Glas Road, then Station Road and carry on through Llanishen Village onto Lisvane Road to Lisvane. Park on the left before Church Road.

Route Description:

First published 1997; revised and updated in 2022 to avoid new housing developments in the area.

[1] From the parking place go up Lisvane Road and left into Church Road to St Denys Church opposite the Black Griffin Inn. Go through the gate and follow the path up to the church, turn right and go through the gate ahead onto open ground. Take the path to the far-right corner, go through a kissing gate and ahead for 10 metres. (The footpath goes across the field but, due to construction work, it has been rerouted around the edge of the field). So turn left and follow the fence along the lefthand side of the field, then across the top and down the other side to a stile on the left. Cross the stile and turn left into a lane, then, after about 60 metres, go right through a wooden gate onto a public footpath. Keeping the stream on your right follow the path to a road. Turn right then right again and cross the road at the crossing. Turn right and then left into Rudry road. Go ahead and under the motorway and after about 140 metres turn left into a road and pass the entrance to "The Hollies".

[2] After 50 metres turn right through a kissing gate and follow the horse exercise track up to the right. As it goes left, turn right and cross a stile. Ignore the stile directly ahead and turn left and follow the hedge on the right. Cross a track which goes through the gate on the right and go through a kissing gate ahead. Go past horse jumps to a stile through the hedge. Now the hedge will be on the left as you make your way to yet another stile/gate into the next field. Follow the lefthand hedge to the waymarked gate/stile ahead which leads into a tree-lined lane. Go straight ahead to a path, turn right and then round to the left to pass to the left of Channel View Farm. Go left uphill, with care, on the country road which bends to the left and levels out, for about 600 metres. From here you have extensive views south over Cardiff to the Bristol Channel. Then at a T-junction go left down Graig Road for another 550 metres to just past the Ty Mawr Inn to a way marked stile on the lefthand side of the road.

[3] Cross the stile and go ahead, slightly right, through a wide, way marked gap in the opposite hedge. Then go half right across the field to cross a way marked stile, then slightly right to go to the right of a wooden building through a kissing gate onto a road. Turn right and 10 metres ahead at the green footpath sign turn left through a small way marked wooden gate. Follow the narrow path along a high wooden fence to a large pond. Go along the right-hand side of the pond and then left across the top to reach steps going down on the right. Go down these and follow a narrow path with a wire fence on the right. When the fence goes right, look for a small gap in the hedge next to a broken way marked stile just ahead on the right. Go through the gap, down into a ditch and climb out to go over a stile immediately in front of you. Once over this stile follow the wire fence on the left past a gate to go through a gap. Go half right along a green path (towards a pylon behind the trees ahead) to reach a stream. Cross the stream and go over a stile, turn right and go through a large metal gate. Turn left immediately and follow the way marked route across two horse tracks, through a gate into a field. Go straight ahead then through a metal gate on the left. Follow the track to the right and back down through the kissing gate on the left to the road. Turn left and walk to "The Hollies". Cross the drive and go immediately through a small gate (duck under a cross bar), then follow the right-hand fence to a kissing gate, and out on to Rudry road.

[4] Go left for 50 metres and through a kissing gate on the right, then take the footpath directly across the field to a large metal gate. Through and straight ahead again through a small gate with a large gate on the left. then straight ahead again to a gap in the hedgerow below a white house. Cross the track to go up a grassy bank and bear right to a way marker in a small group of trees. Carry on in the same direction, crossing the driveway, to the right of the lake, to the far-right corner of the field. Out through the kissing gate, turn left into the lane and then right into a signposted private road opposite a thatched cottage. This road takes you under the motorway, then immediately go left, through a large metal gate to another metal gate on the right 40 metres ahead. Head for the way marker post near the centre of the far side of the next field to the right of a slight gap in the trees, through the trees to stepping stones over a stream. Through a kissing gate, up the short rise to another kissing gate and then follow the left edge of field to the end and around to the right, through a large metal gate to right of a large house, "Malthouse Farm". Through another gate on the left, turn left in the lane then right through another gate 20 metres ahead. Follow the left-hand hedge straight ahead to a kissing gate, then again straight ahead and along the line of the top hedge round to the right where a kissing gate in the corner will bring you out onto St. Mellons Road. Be careful here as you step down to the road because it is difficult to see traffic approaching from the right.

[5] Taking great care on this busy road, cross and go left across the top of Ty -Draw Road to an enclosed footpath. Follow this to the end and turn right into Heol Glandulais. Go down to the roundabout after crossing Maes y Hedydd and turn right into Heol Pontprennau. Go to the end, turn left, then first right into Butterfield Drive. 100 metres along on the left enter Butterfield Park. Follow the path straight ahead past the playground, then turn right to go through the park at the bridge, going right at the fork to pass Cyncoed Medical Centre to Pentwyn Road. Go right down Pentwyn Road, straight across 2 roundabouts and across the end of Ty-Draw Road.

[6] Take the next right into Hampton Crescent East and continue to Hampton Crescent West. Follow this to an alley on the right between house numbers 19 and 21. At the end, cross the stream on the stepping stones to reach a field. Go straight ahead along the right-hand side of the field on a well-worn path and through a gap in the hedge into the next field. Turn right and through another gap in the hedge and immediately left and follow the path across a stream. Follow the left-hand hedgerow through 3 more fields to an enclosed path which goes to the left of the new housing estate. At the end of this turn left and in 30 metres you will be back on the main road. Turn left and walk down to the parking place.

St. Denys' church