Cardiff – in Welsh ‘Caerdydd’ – is located on the Southern coast of Wales, at the mouth of the River Taff, about 150 miles west of London. Outsiders most readily associate the capital of Wales with Cardiff Arms Park, where stirring international rugby matches are played. Another famous association is the highly acclaimed Welsh National Opera. Cardiff was fairly insignificant until the 1830s, when the second Marquis of Bute began building docks to transport coal from the nearby valleys.
Roath Park, Cardiff: The clock tower and promenade
Nowadays the docks at Cardiff Bay are undergoing massive regeneration. The Welsh Industrial and Maritime Museum provides a full-scale introduction into the coal- and iron-ore industries through an exhibition on power and displays of old locomotives and boats, and Techniquest is an excellent and interesting hands-on science center.
