Caerphilly Ridge

Caerphilly Ridge is a swathe of green countryside that forms a big chunk of Cardiff’s green backdrop, offering fantastic, far-​reaching views over the city. I first visited this area when I was doing a photography course and wanted to take some non-​urban pictures. There are plenty of marked public rights of way you can follow, some of them steep with stiles and others a bit flatter.
It’s not far from Cardiff’s northern suburbs, and at its tallest the ridge is 254 metres high, made up of a mix of lovely oak and beech woodland (beautiful in May when the bluebells carpet the ground) and farmland pasture, interspersed with streams.
You can also find the ruins of Castell Morgraig on the crest of the ridge, just east of the well-​known Travellers’ Rest pub on your way up the hill.
There are no facilities up here, but you can park quite close by. There are places to park in Thornhill and Lisvane on the edge of Cardiff, or there are car parks within the countryside area that link up with the ridge via footpaths. A car park is located on the A469 at Caerphilly Common, too.