Cardiff’s Bute Park: From Grey Skies to Golden Daffodils

After our visit to Cardiff Castle, we followed along the Animal Wall until we reached the entrance to Bute Park. I specifically wanted to visit this park, because I’d been staring at it on Google Maps for many months while writing a novel in which my protagonist was chased through the park and entered Cardiff Castle through a little-known side gate. I wanted to see that gate for myself!

We visited on a very rainy grey sky day in March, and although the daffodils were little pops of sunshine everywhere, the bare branches of the trees showed that spring hadn’t quite sprung yet. Still, the park was beautiful and I think it must be gorgeous in summer.

We wandered the wet walkways, appreciating how creepy the trees looked without their foliage, and were delighted to find that Bute Park also had a circle of standing stones! I don’t know what it is about these Neolithic monuments that excite me so much, but I love the sense of history and myth they inspire in my imagination.

Following along the castle wall, we found its main entrance to Bute Park and, a little further on, nearly hidden by overgrown vegetation, we also spotted the little side door! My day was made!

From there, we crossed a little river where both Gareth and Aidan were delighted to find some ducks happily splashing about.

Roughly a million photos of ducks later, we headed back into town. It was time to grab a bite to eat, dry off, and get warm again. Thank you, Bute Park – it was great! Hopefully, we’ll get to see what you look like in the height of summer one day…