Roath Park is one of Cardiff’s most popular parks and has a distinct Victorian feel about it. The park encompasses a lake on side and a botanic gardens and glass house on the other. There is a diverse range of things to see and do. There is a child’s play area, a lake to walk around, which includes boating for the able bodied, also a Victorian glasshouse to visit.
As you traverse the lake you will see a wide range of water birds. The habitat of the park is set so to create a suitable habit for the birds. The swans are known to get in the way of pedestrian or wheelchair user alike! So perhaps a little care is needed around them. At the right time of year you can see nesting Coot’s and said Swans, also Geese and Cormorants to name a few. The path around the lake is fairly easy going in a wheelchair, but the camber is at time a bit of challenge if you are using a manual wheelchair. The inclines are not too great. You are able to go around the entire lake, giving you chance to see all it has to offer.
The Botanic gardens park of the park is more of challenge, with some steep inclines. I would say this is only suitable for a powered solution or someone fit to push a manual wheelchair. However it is worth a visit, to see the stream running though, to sit in the shade of the trees or view the Rose gardens in season.
The park has a cafe, a takeaway coffee and ice cream shop and a ice cream van. It also has toilet facilities. The parking is on the road, be it Lake Road east or west. There are no dedicated disabled bays I could see on my visit.
I love coming here when I visit Cardiff. A chance to people watch, meander around the lake and have an ice cream. This has become something of a family tradition now. With the obligatory ice cream regardless of the weather. If you are in Cardiff I would recommended you stop by. It really does feel like a snapshot in time, the echoes of a bygone era.
Wheelchair Rambler 