Cardiff parkruns, reviewed

Saturday, 9am - parkrun time. Cardiff is lucky to have not one but six parkruns covering the whole of the city area (plus Penarth). From fast and flat to muddy and hilly, there's a parkrun for every type of runner.

This page reviews each of them to help you pick which event to do this weekend. I've personally run all of them, picking the event which best suits the training I've had planned.

Cardiff parkrun

Location: Bute Park Course: Out and back Terrain: Close to flat, tarmac Best for: PB attempts Parking: Tesco Extra has extensive free parking next to the start Facilities: Toilets, bag drop

The Cardiff parkrun - and the most popular in South Wales. In fact, Cardiff is regularly in the top 10 best attended parkruns in the UK each weekend.

The regular course is a flat out and back - a slight downhill slope on the out section, but not much. There are no sharp turns, and the paths are wide and good quality. The B course, which is used fairly often throughout the year (especially in summer, because of Blackweir Fields gigs, and winter, because of the winter light show) is a two lapper, also very flat, but with more turns and narrower paths.

In theory, it's a brilliant PB course. While this is true for the fastest runners (sub 20), the event is now so popular expect extensive bottlenecks at the start if you start further back, which can be frustrating.

The tarmac cycle/running path provides sound underfoot conditions all year round, and about half the course is run under tree shade.

While parking is easy, disappointingly the public transport connections aren't great - the nearest station is Llandaf, a 2km walk away. There's no good cafe near the finish, although Secret Cafe at the turn around point is a good option.

I tend to run Cardiff parkrun fairly infrequently. When I do, it's as part of a longer run along the Taff Trail. While it's a great flat course, it's not the most exciting, and the size of it inevitably kills a lot of the friendly parkrun vibe. I set one of my fastest 5km times (and my first sub 17) on the B course, pulled along by stronger runners, although that course is probably 10-15 seconds slower than the main A course because of the turns.

Llanishen parkrun

Location: Llanishen Park Course: Three and three quarters lapper Terrain: Hilly, part tarmac, part off road Best for: Hill repeats Parking: Many spaces in Morrisons, short walk away Facilities: Bag drop at start

I'm biased as Llanishen is my local event and often makes up part of my Lisvane running routes, but it's also one of my favourites. If you don't like hills and mud, it's unlikely to be your favourite though.

The lap itself; downhill on tarmac for about 400 metres, around a flat field on a trail for the same, then uphill for a couple of hundred metres. Around the top bend, back on to the tarmac, through the start and repeat. Every lap is the same apart from the last, which finishes at the end of the uphill.

The Hollywood-style "Llanishen" sign appears most weekends, and there's always a friendly and welcoming feel. The course is narrow in parts, but passing is always possible if you don't mind risking stepping off the path.

While it's not a PB course, I actually ran my parkrun PB here. Each lap is essentially four sections - downhill, flat, uphill, flat - so pacing is relatively easy and there's plenty of recovery time after the uphill attacks.

Logistics wise, leave your bags and coats on the playground railings by the start. Coffi Lab on Llanishen High Street is great for a coffee afterwards and has toilets, and Llanishen train station is about 10 minutes walk away.

Tremorfa parkrun

Location: Pengam Green Course: Two and three quarter lapper Terrain: Flat, tarmac Best for: Tempo runs Parking: Many spaces at Tesco Extra Facilities: Bag drop

Tremorfa is the Cardiff parkrun I've done the least often. Not because I don't like it, but it's furthest from me.

It's a near three lap course, all run on tarmac. It's flat and therefore quick, but there's a few too many turns to make it a PB course. It normally gets around 150 runners, so expect it to be busy but not rammed. Start further forward if going for a PB as some parts can feel narrow.

Friendly? The last time I ran it was during a heatwave, and the volunteers gave out ice creams to finishers, so no complaints there!

Abundant parking nearby plus a cafe in Tesco, but it's difficult to get to without a car.

Trelai parkrun

Location: Trelai Park Course: Three laps Terrain: Hilly, mix of tarmac and grass Best for: Easy and hilly runs Parking: Small local car park Facilities: Toilets (before start only), cafe

I've got a soft spot for Trelai, which reminds me a lot of Llanishen - but more mud in the winter. It's an uphill start on tarmac - get to the top, and then it's off road round and down a field, looping back round. Three laps of this and then dive off for the finish.

This is the smallest of the Cardiff parkruns, and as you might expect this makes it friendlier and more welcoming than some of the bigger ones. It's a tough course, definitely not a PB route, with the uphill dragging on and plenty of mud in the winters.

Despite this I always enjoy it; pace the hill appropriately and freewheel down the downhills for max enjoyment.

Waun-gron Park is the nearest train station, about 15 minutes walk away. The parkrun page says parking is limited, but we didn't have any problems finding a space when we visited - worth arriving early in good weather.

Grangemoor parkrun

Location: Grangemoor Park Course: Two Y shaped laps Terrain: Largely flat, tarmac Best for: Easy runs Parking: Starbucks/ASDA - recommended to buy something Facilities: Toilets (Asda), cafe

Grangemoor is one of the more unusual parkruns I've run anywhere. A Y shape, it weaves around Grangemoor Park and alongside the Ely.

It's largely flat, with a couple of small climbs each lap. However, it is very narrow, with runners in both directions on both paths, and there are numerous tight 180 degree turns which kill your momentum.

I tend to use Grangemoor as part of a long run - down the Taff Trail to edge of the centre, then it's a nearly straight road through Riverside and Canton to the start. All nice and flat! The congestion on the paths puts me off visiting too regularly.

Parking at Grangemoor is strictly monitored and enforced. Use the large store carparks nearby, although I think it's worth buying something after to avoid the risk of a fine. Listen carefully to the marshalls too - there is a specific way to leave the parkrun afterwards to not cause finish line congestion.

Cosmeston parkrun

Location: Cosmeston Park Course: Two laps - one small, one big Terrain: Mainly trails and gravel paths with some tarmac Best for: Off road running Parking: Dedicated car park Facilities: Cafe, toilets

It's technically not Cardiff, but I wanted to include Cosmeston as it's a hidden gem. For starters, it's not really a multi lapper - it is two laps, but they're mainly on different paths.

It's easy to get to via car with plenty of parking, but a bit of a trek from the nearest station (Penarth). Because of that, I've made it part of my Cardiff long run routes the twice I've done it; down the Taff Trail, across the barrage, through Penarth.

The trip is worth it. The parkrun tracks around the beautiful Cosmeston lakes. Expect hills, gravel, woodland, and in winter plenty of mud. There are some long flat sections where you can send it, but also some more technical areas with uneven terrain underfoot.

The Park has a car park at the entrance with plenty of spaces, and a small cafe with toilets. There's also additional cafes in huts just past the start, and it's a great parkrun for spectators who aren't running. I've not used the bag drop myself, but have seen other runners leave bags at the start/finish.

Cosmeston is one I have on my list to visit more often, especially in winter for cross country practice. Despite the terrain, it gets a large enough field to always be competitive, and with some narrow trails the racing can get tactical.

At a glance

parkrun	In two words	PB potential	Winter verdict	My rating (of 10)
Cardiff	Fast & busy	Yes	No different	7
Llanishen	Hilly & friendly	No	Some mud	8
Tremorfa	Flat & quieter	No	No different	6
Trelai	Hilly trails	No	Muddy	7
Grangemoor	Flat & narrow	No	Careful on sharp bends	5
Cosmeston	Pretty trails	No	Muddy	8

Which should you do?

• Chasing a PB → Cardiff
• Best morning out / scenic → Cosmeston
• With a buggy or kids → Tremorfa
• Best for kids spectating → Llanishen (playground)
• parkrun tourism, if you're visiting Cardiff → Cardiff

New to parkrun?

parkrun is a completely free social event which organises 5km runs across the UK at 9am every Saturday.

I recommend turning up to your chosen location at 8.45 - there will be a first timers briefing where they talk you through the course and how parkrun works. In short, sign up for a parkrun account before the start, run the course, collect the proffered barcode token at the finish, and then have both your personal barcode and finish barcode scanned to record your result.

parkrun is organised and run by volunteers, and all regular parkrunners are encouraged to volunteer to help out when they can, in any role. Spectators can also get involved if they wish!