Your daytime guide to Cardiff Freshers’ 2017

Cardiff is great, that’s why you’re going to uni here. And there will be a handful of you freshers who resent the idea of monging in bed, pining for the next night out, who actually want to spend your Freshers period exploring what your new home has to offer.

Ditch the hangover blues and spend the daylight hours right, before they are taken up with lectures, lectures, and more lectures.

Cardiff Castle

Whether you just head into town to view it from the outside and get some snazzy Insta pics, or actually delve inside to learn all about its vibrant history, the castle is a must. It marks the heart of the capital, and is always decorated to reflect events and happenings going on in the area. Plus buying a castle key for £6 entitles you free – I repeat – FREE Entry to the castle for three years.

For more information click here.

Street Food Circus

With free entry and a disco ball the size of a small human, this weekend is the last time Sophia Gardens will be hosting their annual Street Food Market. This market offers several stalls boasting Indian, Chinese, Mexican, Singaporean, and British cuisine, all ranging between £5 and £10. And if you’re getting ready for the next night out, the cocktails are also ready and waiting for you.

Find out more info here.

Restaurants

There are endless eateries in Cardiff, so try and venture from the usual Maccies binge (hard I know) and try out something new. Feline Good Cat Café has recently opened offering cakes, drinks, and cat cuddles, and hidden in Castle Arcade is Science Cream, the only liquid nitrogen ice cream parlour in Wales. If you live in Taly and don’t want to venture too far however, Hogwurst is the one for you.

Barry Island

If you haven’t been to Barry to pretend you’re in Gavin and Stacey (btw they filmed in Pryzm) do you even live in Cardiff ? A short train journey from Cathays will transport you to the Barry beaches within half an hour, and here you will be able to explore the arcades, the fairground, the beaches and the cliff tops, while fighting seagulls off your fish and chips.

Cardiff University’s Give it a Go are offering a trip to Barry on Monday 25th September for £5, for more information and to sign up click here.

Bute Park

Bute is beaut. And on the doorstep of Taly, there is no reason why a fresher should not have been there. A perfect spot for BBQs, walks, or just recovering from a hangover, Bute Park caters for all fresher’s needs and is the best getaway from the chaos of town.

Order a cheeky Dominos and get yourself down to Bute to watch the sunset. Let’s face it, after the night before, you won’t be ready to leave your room much earlier than that anyway.

Cardiff Bay

If by some miracle you wake up early and the sun is shining, the best way to spend the day is to walk along the Cardiff Bay Barrage. A beautiful sightseeing spot that can be completed with food and drinks at the bay. It has one of the fanciest Wetherspoons you'll ever see too. The Bay is easy to get to by train from Cathays or if you’re feeling adventurous it can be walked in forty minutes.

The Depot is based in Cardiff Bay which holds a huge range of events throughout the year, the annual Oktoberfest starting here on Saturday 30th September. For more information click here.

Cardiff Central

Unless your favourite hobby is hunting through hundreds of shops for just one outfit, there is more to the town centre than just shopping. As well as the high street shops there is Cardiff Market boasting everything from fruit and veg to pets and books, or hunt through the arcades that snake through the city for more quirky and seasonal goods.

As well as this a lot of activities in Central offer whopping student discounts so it would be silly not to use them. A student ticket for Cineworld is £4, a round of bowling followed by a round of Laser Quest at Superbowl UK is £6.95, and students can play Treetop Adventure Golf in St. David's Shopping Centre for only £6.50.

Do Freshers right, you’ve got all year to be hungover anyway.