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ACJ take great pride in our expert knowledge of the local areas we work and live in. From travel connections to local schools and the surrounding area, we give you an overview to what Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan is like to live in. Whether you are local or new to the areas, our area guide is here to make your life easier when making your next move. Take a look at our property to rent or for sale in the areas to get you started.
Penarth is a wealthy seaside resort and the second largest town in the Vale of Glamorgan. It is also where the main office of ACJ Properties is located and as the majority of our staff live and work here, we might be a little biased, but we love it! Find out more about this lovely area we call home with our local area guide for Penarth. find out more
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Sully is a village lying on the northern coast of the Bristol Channel, midway between the towns of Penarth and Barry and 7 miles from the city of Cardiff. There is a beach, local shop, Post Office and pharmacy, along with a couple of pubs and a Cricket, Football, Bowls and Yacht Club. Sully Primary school is a feeder school for Stanwell Comprehensive in Penarth.
There is no railway station in Sully but good bus links. Cadoxton Train station in Barry is the closest, approximately 2 miles away.
Sully Hospital was converted to a luxury apartment complex, Hayes Point in 2010; otherwise, the properties tend to be larger houses and bungalows towards the beach side of South Road and more compact, affordable houses off Arlington Rd.
Find out more about this area with our more detailed area guide.
The centre of Dinas Powys still has a mostly unspoiled and almost rural feel, with a large village common and a traditional village centre “The Square”, which includes a post office and a range of small independent shops, pubs and community facilities. Dinas Powys Golf Club is a short walk from the Square.
There are 2 train stations in the area, Dinas Powys and Eastbrook. Dinas Powys has a handful of primary schools which are feeder schools for comprehensives in Barry and Penarth.
Find out more with our Dinas Powys local area guide. find out more
Barry lies on the north coast of the Bristol Channel, approximately 9 miles from Cardiff. Barry is a seaside resort, with lovely beaches and the resurrected Barry Island Pleasure Park. According to the 2011 census, the population of Barry was 51,502, making it the fifth largest town in Wales, after Cardiff, Swansea, Newport and Merthyr Tydfil. Want to know more? See our full area guide for Barry.
There is no train station in Wenvoe but it has good access links to the M4, Cardiff and Barry.
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Birchgrove Station on the Coryton Line is served by Arriva Trains Wales. This area is popular with hospital workers due to its proximity to University Hospital of Wales.
Many of the houses here are terraced and there is a thriving high street with independent shops, cafes and restaurants. Though the area has strong working class roots, many artists and young professionals have found the proximity to the city centre and the number of arts venues and pubs an attraction, renting or buying houses in the area. There are some lovely parks nearby, such as Victoria Park, Thompsons Park and Llandaff Fields.
Canton and nearby Pontcanna were named 13th on the hippest places to live in the UK in 2017.
Cardiff Bay is the area of water created by the Cardiff Barrage and is also the name commonly given to the areas of the city surrounding the Bay. The creation of Cardiff Bay is now widely regarded as one of the most successful regeneration projects in the UK.
Mermaid Quay is a waterfront shopping and leisure district with many bars, cafes and restaurants. It also houses the Senedd (National Assembly for Wales) and The Wales Millennium Centre which is home to the Welsh National Opera.
If you choose to live in Cardiff Bay, you would probably live in a modern apartment block, though not all of those to be considered as located in Cardiff Bay are around Mermaid Quay itself. You can walk into Cardiff from Mermaid Quay in about 20 minutes, plus there is a train station, buses and regular water taxis to Penarth and the City Centre (the water taxi stops behind Cardiff Castle).
There is a train station, regular bus links and you can walk into the city centre in approximately 10 minutes.
Roath Park is a long, fairly narrow park stretching from Roath into Cyncoed. This is one of Cardiff’s most popular parks with a very large lake in its centre. The houses that surround the park are mainly Victorian and this is also considered to be an affluent area.
The area is within walking distance of the city centre and Cardiff Bay, with its own train station.
Just south of the Gabalfa roundabout is what used to be called “little Heath”, now often identified by the main road running through the area, Whitchurch Rd.
Heath is home to the 3rd largest hospital in the UK, the University Hospital of Wales (or just Heath Hospital to the locals). This area is mainly Victorian terraced houses, cafés, shops and restaurants and is home to many students and hospital workers.
The area is serviced by Lisvane and Thornhill railway station.
Llandaff is served by railway stations at Danescourt, Fairwater, and Waun-Gron Park, each about a mile from the cathedral. There are 2 high schools in the area, Bishop of Llandaff Church in Wales High School and Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Glantaf (serving Llandaff, but located in Llandaff North), a Welsh medium school, plus 2 independent schools, The Cathedral School, and Howell’s Girls School.
You can walk or cycle the Taff Trail which will take you through to Bute Park in the city centre, right up to Llandaff Fields on the borders of Pontcanna.
Nearby Danescourt has a primary school, a church, a pub and a shopping centre that includes a local convenience store, a newsagent, a Post Office, a nursery for children and Forte School of Music. There is also a dentist’s surgery and a GP’s practice next to the Shopping Centre.
Llandaff North is also home to Hailey Park along the River Taff, with large playing fields, tennis courts and two children’s playgrounds.
Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Glantaf is a state secondary school based on the outskirts of Llandaff North. It is a Welsh-medium comprehensive school.
Nearby Gabalfa is s characterised by a large fly over road at the Gabalfa Interchange, where the A48 road meets the A470 road (North Road) which leads from Cardiff to northern Wales, and the A469 road (Caerphilly Road).
There is no train station within Gabalfa, though plenty of bus links and good access to main roads.
Old St Mellons is a very wealthy area, made up largely of 19th-century housing, a village hall and several pubs and shops. There are 15 nationally listed buildings and structures in the village. This area houses some of the most expensive houses in the city. Transport links into the city centre are not the best, but there are ambitious plans to create a new train station and business park at St Mellons.
There is no train station in Penylan, but you can walk to the City Centre and it is close to access to the M4.
The BBC’s Broadcasting House is located in nearby Llandaff, so you may find many media executives living or socialising in Pontcanna. Parking can be difficult in this suburb, with mainly resident permit parking offered on a first come first served basis, but it shows no sign of losing its popularity, with Pontcanna and nearby Canton being named 13th on the hippest places to live in the UK in 2017.
Great transport links with Radyr train station and its proximity to the A470 and M4.
There are three primary schools within the area and comprehensive schools in nearby suburbs of Whitchurch and Llanishen.
Rhiwbina has its own train station and the M4 and A470 are very nearby.
See Cyncoed / Roath Park for information on Roath Park.
Cardiff city Centre is within walking distance and as such, there is a diverse population in Splott including young professionals, families and students.
Whitchurch lies between two rail lines, Llandaff and Coryton and has good access links to the M4.