Hey guys! How are we almost finished with July?! it’s all gone so quick!
So, in my last blog I complained about how summer didn’t look like it was going to turn up… it must have heard me because, oh my, summer has shown up. It is HAWT.
We hope you used some of the glorious weather we’ve been having to sneak a beach walk or 4 in! We’ve certainly taken advantage of the sunshine and taken some lush beach strolls - I know I’m bias but isn’t Barry just flipping awesome?!
SO. You’ve had your fill of beach walks, ice cream and you’ve been to Marcos like a million times to see if you can spot Gavin and Stacey being filmed. Are you ready for a change of scenery? How about some forest bathing and green fields to picnic on with your favorite furry friend? Thought so, Lets get stuck in!
Porthkerry Park
Who doesn’t love Porthkerry Park? Barry’s largest green space has just about everything a pup and hooman could need. We took Gus and Jerry for a day out here not so long a ago and you couldn’t find happier doggos! There’s a HUGE field for playing ball games (although you may have to dodge the crowds on busier days), plenty of shaded, woodland spots for hot days and streams for cooling off. There’s even Porthkerry beach if you fancied a sea view. The park stretches across wide area, so there’s plenty of variety for walking and it’s the perfect place to spend the day with your doggo, a picnic and some friends. If you’re looking for a pit stop, we hear Mrs Marco’s Cafe is the place to get a cuppa and slice of cake — it’s a great place to sit outside on nicer days and take in the views of the viaduct.
Marine Drive
One of our favourite green spaces in Barry, I never know why it isn’t busier in the summer months! Tucked away just up the road from The Knap car park are steps to this space and there’s also access from the woods opposite Romilly park. This green space stretches above the cliffs of The Knap pebble beach and that can only mean one thing — spectacular views! On a clear day, you can not only see the whole of Barry from the top of Marine Drive, but also Cardiff Bay, Steep Holm, Flat Holm and even Weston-super-Mare. As a quieter green space, its great for reactive dogs looking for a more peaceful atmosphere. As you walk across the field towards the cliffs of Porthkerry, you and your pupper will hit woodland and the ‘Golden Stairs’ that join Marine Drive to Porthkerry Park — perfect for a lengthy walk! Although I love Marine Drive as a space all of its own, it’s a great place to sit and watch the world go by on a sunny afternoon.
Romilly Park
I have fond memories of this park. It was my stomping ground as a kid — me and Fudge pup spent many an afternoon hanging out here. Not much has changed since I was 12, but that isn’t a bad thing for you or your pooch! It always feels a lot smaller than I remember, but there’s plenty of variety in this park — a lovely playing field that’s perfect for a game of catch, woodland with plenty of squirrels to chase. There are plenty of shelters, which are handy because we live in the UK and summer time means glorious sunshine turning in to major down pours within a matter of minutes. There’s a super cool new water refill station for you and pup to re-hydrate, and the parks in good company, a five minute walk away from the Knap Gardens, beach and pit stops (you can read more about this in my last blog).
Parade Gardens
Now, I knew this place existed but it was never really somewhere I’d ever considered walking any doggos. That was until about 2 years ago when Stella and I visited my dad in Barry. I was living in Cardiff at the time, and found myself in a bit of a jam when it came to walking Stella at the end of the day — I couldn’t go to the closest beach (Whitmore Bay) because of the beach ban. So where could I go? I decided the Old Harbour was the best bet and on my way down I took the scenic route through Parade Gardens, and what a beaut of a route it was! This little park is full of wild flowers and has the most amazing view over the Old Harbour and Barry Island. Its great as a stop off before the beach, but I often take dogs just to this spot. It’s always pretty quiet which means you can take your time and watch the world go by.
Victoria Park
Back in early July our pal Bella pup needed some drop in visits for morning and evening walkies. Rather than taking her to our usual hangouts when she stays at la mansion Oh Doggo, I thought we could hang out on her patch. There was just one problem — I wasn’t familiar with this patch. Where did the pups hang out?! On the first evening we took a stroll around the area so I could get my bearings and that’s when I found Victoria Park. I’d been to Victoria Park when I was a kid for Cadstock but I’d never visited for walkies. This is a beautiful Victorian park, full of bandstands and super cute flower patches. It really reminds me of the Victoria Park we used to live opposite in Canton, pretty and charming — perfect for a dog walk and explore. Like Romilly Park, Victoria Park is equipped with a refill station for pooch and owner alike. We bumped in to a super sweet tribe of doggos filling up on our walk!
Pencoedtre Park
A 10 minute stroll up the road from Victoria Park is a field of any puppers dreams. Its flat, it’s big, it’s got room for any ball game you can imagine. Pencoedtre Park is super for dog walks! There’s a splash park here too, so if you’ve got little hoomans walking with you this place is fun all round. Bella loved it here. She got to run around, sun bathe, sniff doggo butts and make friends. We spent most of our mornings hanging out around here, because it’s such a large space that’s flat in out look your dog will always in your eye line so you can feel free to let them go a little further and stretch their legs!
Barry, that’s a wrap! We’re using August to check out our old haunts in Cardiff. We’ll be exploring the best green spaces and dog friendly hangouts. We’ll do what ever it takes; cake testing, beer sipping… What ever it takes! We’ve had some amazing suggestions from a ton of you guys over the last few weeks so thank you! If you know of a great hang outs we should visit, get in touch, DM us! We’d love to hear from you!
In the meantime, if you haven’t already, give the green spaces in Barry some love, they’re made for sunny days out with your doggo!
Emma