Walks you can reach from Dingle Road by train

Flat Wales Coast Path circuit around Cardiff Bay out to the barrage, with views back to Cardiff, Flatholm Island and across to Devon on a clear day.

Waterway: four fifths beside rivers and canals.

Wales Millennium Centre: Landmark bronze-clad arts centre on the Cardiff Bay waterfront.

Pierhead Building: Grade I listed red-brick Victorian dock office on the bay.

Senedd: Welsh Government parliament building on the Cardiff Bay waterfront.

Norwegian Church: White-painted timber church built for Norwegian sailors, now an arts centre.

Captain Scott Monument: Memorial to Captain Scott's 1910 Antarctic expedition, which set sail from Cardiff.

Cardiff Bay Barrage: Tidal barrage closing off Cardiff Bay, with a wide promenade across it.

Time: 3h (1h30 walking, 1h30 lunch)

1 lunch spot: Mermaid Quay

Warnings: Lower waterside path is not fully accessible due to its surface.

Walk details: Transport for Wales (tips, photos and turn-by-turn directions).

Recommended

Time: 6h30 (5h walking, 1h30 lunch)

Walk details: Railwalks.

Awesome views across the Severn estuary and Gwent Levels. A long, mostly off-road coastal walk along the Wales Coast Path, with sweeping views across the Severn Estuary and Gwent Levels and plus a few stretches along busy roads going in and out of the two cities. Very exposed to the elements throughout. Mostly follows the Wales Coast Path. Wildlife includes kestrels, curlews and grass snakes; 7,000-year-old footprints have been found on the estuary shore. The Lighthouse Inn at St Brides Wentlooge is currently closed.

Coastal: two thirds along the coast.

Time: 8h (6h30 walking, 1h30 lunch)

Lunch: There are no places to get food or water on the route, so bring everything you need.

Warnings: A fifth urban. The route is very exposed, so wind, rain or heat will be strongly felt. There are no refreshment or water stops the whole way, so carry everything you need. A few stretches along busy roads at the city ends.

Walk details: Slow Ways.

Reverse direction: Railwalks.

Woodland: a third under tree cover.

Time: 5h (3h30 walking, 1h30 lunch)

Walk details: Railwalks.

Amazing views from the Machen; stunning views up the Rhymney Valley. A mostly off-road hill route with easy paths, open mountain and common land, little tarmac or traffic. There is a sustained climb from Risca up the slopes of Mynydd Machen and then a gentle descent; some field and forest sections can be hard to navigate. Follows part of the Machen Forge Trail, which adds some historical interest.

Time: 5h30 (4h walking, 1h30 lunch)

Lunch: A couple of small supermarkets where the route passes through Machen.

Warnings: Some footpaths leaving Risca and through the forest near Machen are unclear and easily missed; not ideal for navigating by paper map alone.

Walk details: Slow Ways.

A more rural route through fields, involving stiles and best done when the ground is dry or frozen.

Time: 5h (3h30 walking, 1h30 lunch)

Warnings: Involves stiles, and the field sections are best avoided when the ground is wet. Can be muddy.

Walk details: Slow Ways.

Impressive stretch; impressive.

Coastal: two thirds along the coast.

Time: 6h30 (5h walking, 1h30 lunch)

Walk details: Railwalks.

Stunning views across the valleys and down to Penarth, Steepholm and the Bristol Channel. A varied valley route following the Taff Trail along the flat, then a long, lung-testing climb through Cilfynydd and up the mountain via fields and the Eglwysilan mountain road and with a moorland crossing over Mynydd Meio. The moorland section is boggy and not clearly marked; the rest is mostly good going on quiet lanes and tracks. Follows the Taff Trail between Abercynon and Cilfynydd.

Time: 6h (4h30 walking, 1h30 lunch)

Lunch: Refreshment options are scarce along the route; the Rose & Crown at Eglwysilan appears permanently closed.

1 end-of-walk reward: the Angel

Warnings: The footpath across Mynydd Meio is unclear, boggy and not well marked, with a stream and bracken that may force detours; not recommended in poor visibility. Can be muddy.

Walk details: Slow Ways.

Stunning landscape and views; great walk. A walk with steep climbs at either end and an easy ridgeway in the middle with stunning landscape and views, even reaching a sea view to Somerset. The first footpath out of Ystrad Mynach is very overgrown with bracken, brambles and nettles and badly maintained and with several stiles in poor repair; the ridge path is much of it gravel but very exposed in wet weather. Marred by extensive fly-tipping on the ridgeway. Passes the large coal tips of the area's mining past and the 13th-century Senghenydd Dyke. A plaque marks Tommy Cooper's birthplace in Llwyn-Onn Street near Energlyn & Churchill Park station.

Hilly: two fifths on high ground, rising above the surrounding land.

Time: 4h30 (3h walking, 1h30 lunch)

1 end-of-walk reward: the Courthouse

Warnings: The section out of Ystrad Mynach is badly overgrown and poorly maintained, with brambles, nettles and stiles in serious disrepair; one part may require climbing over barbed-wire fences. The route passes a shooting range (which fires away from the path), and the footbridge over the A468 has gone, requiring a residential-streets detour. The ridge is very exposed in bad weather.

Walk details: Slow Ways.