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Friends of Victoria Square
Ffrindiau Sgwâr Fictoria
Penarth, Wales / Cymru
Visit Us
So you've decided to come and Visit Victoria Square...
Whether you're a regular passer through, or someone spending the day exploring Penarth, why not make The Square a place to stop, relax, explore & admire (both our work and the work of nature itself).
Victoria Square is located in Penarth, CF64 3EH.
It is only five minutes walk from Windsor Road (Penarth's main shopping area). There are many, fairly easy ways to get to it:
Visit Us
Amenities of The Square
Benches - A few are available on the South to East side of The Square
Litter Bins - A few are available on the North to West side of The Square
Dog waste bins - None available. Please use ordinary bins or take mess home.
Toilets - Non available. Nearest public Toilets are 5 minutes away on Albert Road
Food outlets - None, but Penarth Town is only 2 minutes away, and hosts a wide variety of places to eat and drink. (Occasionally Stol Coffee is with us on Saturdays)
Defibrillator - None. Nearest is located at West House on Stanwell Road only 2 minutes away.
Night Lighting - None along the paths, though The Square is surrounded by some fine Victorian Street Lamps (which the PCS helped to save from being scrapped)
Rain Shelter - Nothing man-made, though the trees can be pretty helpful.
Things to Do at The Square
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Amenities of The Square
Things to Do
Besides the obvious answer, which is... explore our work that you've seen on this site, there are other things that can be done at Victoria Square. It is a public green-space after all.
...and of course you can explore Nature's Work too!!!
Victoria Square is an unfenced parkland, open 24hrs (though not advisable to go though it at night as there are no lights and it gets very dark thanks to the large tree-canopy coverage).
Dog Walking
This is a good space for people to not only walk their dogs, but let them off the lead, to run around (and chase squirrels). We ask all dog owners to please use best practice & common sense when bringing their dog(s) to this parkland.
PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU PICK UP AFTER YOUR DOG IF IT LEAVES A MESS!
PLEASE DO NOT LET YOUR DOG INTERFERE WITH OUR PROJECT ELEMENTS!
FoVS is not responsible for picking up any dog mess left at The Square, and we do not ask our volunteers to do so for health & safety reasons. Any instances of dog fouling may be reported to The VoG Council*.
People Walking / Wheeling
The Square is considered flat, and contains several hard surface paths that join the corners of the Square, meeting in front of The Church. These are good for ambling along, as well as rolling wheeled people conveyances such as pushchairs, wheelchairs, wheel-walkers, bikes and of course wheelbarrows along. You can do a nice loop using them (and the surrounding pavements).
Note, due to the laws of nature, in some places the paths have been raised-by-roots. This should not cause too many problems for wheeled items, though caution is advised when going over them.
Caution!
While it rare, after long periods of rain some of the water that currently floods the grassed areas may spill out onto the path. This thankfully recedes after a short period of dryness.
Grassed areas can also be slippery when wet, muddy, and in some places flooded. Please exercise caution if entering these areas.
Please also watch out for dog mess left by irresponsible owners.
FoVS is not responsible for any of the above issues that occur at The Square.
Nature Watching
From a whole variety of birds to great collection of mini-beasts (and of course the squirrels) there's enough to interest, fascinate and excite nature-lovers. If you're there around dusk, you might witness some bats flying about...!
Nature Feeding
The Square is a good place to feed both birds and squirrels. Please ensure the food is suitable for them. Things like birdseed, nuts and bread are acceptable. Please do not any meat or fish, or anything likely to cause problems when rotting or attract rats.
Feed should not placed on paths where people walk. Grassed and dirt areas (e.g. under trees) are fine. Please also do not place pumpkins on the ground because we may have hedgehogs, which cannot eat them without getting an upset stomach.
We have a number of feeding platforms dotted around The Square. You are welcome to use them for both birds and squirrels.
How to Get Here
How to Get Here
By Train
Victoria Square is only 2 minutes walk from Penarth Station (PEN)*
From Penarth Station's exit, go beyond the car-park and turn left (SW) onto Victoria Road. You will enter via The East Corner.
Trains run regularly from Cardiff on all days.
If travelling from South West Wales (Barry / Bridgend Line) you can either change at Grangetown or get off at Cogan, which is a 15 minute walk (and takes you past Dingle Park) - See below for walking directions.
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By Train
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By Bus
From Cardiff:
Regular buses run from Cardiff. 92, 93 & 94* (usually catchable from Wood Street, though check Cardiffbus.com for any issues due to road-works or construction currently going on in the area.
Nearest stop is on Stanwell Rd just past the station (near the Baptist Church). From there walk on a little to Victoria Avenue, or back a little to Victoria Road. Either will take you into The Square.
From the West Penarth (92) / Barry (94): Any of the three stops on Stanwell Rd (past Archer Rd) can be used. (93): The top of Grove Terrace is the first nearest.
The 92B to Penarth Cemetery & No. 7 via Llandough Hospital also stop nearby, though these are limited services.
The Nat Group* 89A (Cardiff to Dinas Powys & vice versa) has bus stops by The Square on Victoria Rd in both directions. This however is a limited service. This bus also runs via Cardiff Bay from Cardiff (Customhouse St), and via Llandough Hospital, from Dinas Powys (Square). Journey time from either starting direction is around 30 minutes.
By Bus
Walk / Bike
From Paget Road the quickest (easiest) way it to continue alongside Paget Road Park & Playground to Arcot St (Make sure you stop to take a look at The Arcot Street Triangle*). Head up (and then down) Arcot St until you reach Windsor Road. Arcot St has a dedicated Contraflow bike lane at the lowest section.
Quickest way from there (to avoid the town) is to cross over
Penarth Road/Pont-Y-Werin (Bridge):
After crossing the Pont-Y-Werin, you have the option of heading along Terra Nova Way (between Tesco and The Oyster Catcher) to reach the same zig-zag path above, or head up to Windsor Road (where the Penarth Road route merges).
Cycling Note: Windsor Rd is not Cycle friendly, and the pavements are not cycle paths.
Head along Windsor Road, through Cogan (passing the Allotments). Go under the Brains Railway Bridge. Here you have a choice of staying on the road or going through Dingle Park Cycling Permitted.
At the end of Dingle Park either:
- Cross the Railway Footbridge (Cyclists would need to carry their bike), go along the lane opposite the station and into Grove Terrace.
- Follow this all the way up and cross over at the Stanwell Rd roundabout, back into Grove Terrace (blocked road) and you'll have reached your destination. (Entering the East Corner)
... or...
Cycling alternative
- Head up two junctions on your left to Railway Terrace (or next Junction Hickman Rd and double back at first turning right).
- Head up the hill and turn right across The Victoria Railway Bridge
- Either turn left into Woodland Place or continue straight into Grove Place and then left into Grove Terrace. (Either route will take you to the Stanwell Rd roundabout).
- Continue as above.
Note: Grove Place is downhill in this direction, and made into a single, two-way lane by parked cars. Grove Terrace is uphill and likewise. Woodland Place is a flatter route, slightly wider.
Bike Amenities @ The Square
There are no bicycle parking facilities at The Square. Please try to avoid leaning/chaining your bicycle to one of our trees (especially the young ones).
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By Bike / Walking
From Cardiff:
There are several options to get to Penarth, though each face their own challenges for a biker or walker.
NOTE: Penarth DOES NOT really have many cycle paths/lanes leading to us. Unless stated, All cycling is meant to be done on the road (good luck!).
Barrage Route:
This involves a steep hill-climb at the end (Paget Road), although you can go a little further along the marina on Porth Portway until you come to a zig-zag SHARED CYCLE PATH. (It's still a hill, but less of an angle).
(If you're walking, there is also a secret; semi-stepped path a bit closer too).
The zig-zag comes out through Penarth Heights to join up onto Paget Road, near Arcot St, so continue as below.
BY CAR
Penarth isn't really designed for cars. The streets are narrow and parking is a nightmare. But if you must come this way, here's a few handy tips.
Accessing Victoria Square
If coming from Cardiff best route to take is via Windsor Rd through Cogan, turning into Hickman Rd to avoid the Town Centre. Continue to the lights at the end and go right into Stanwell Rd, over the railway bridge hump and then first left into Victoria Road (across the large zebra crossing).
From the West / NW / SW): either Victoria Rd, Salisbury Rd or via Stanwell Rd then turn off at Rosebury Rd.
From Lower Penarth: Westbourne Rd, turning left at the very end into Victoria Rd.
Or the B4267, turning right at Victoria Rd
PARKING
There are no dedicated/reserved parking spots around The Square. Parking is entirely pot-luck.
Please park responsibly.
PLEASE DO NOT DRIVE ON OR PARK ON THE PATHS/GRASS of The Square (despite what you may see others doing). Vehicles entering The Square do so for the purposes of church, council or our own activities only.
By Car
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