You can park on both sides of the barrage (not free) more parking available on the Cardiff side,then go and watch boats go from inside the bay out to sea. When large boats go through you see the barrage lift up. Bike hire available but it's a pleasant walk around the bay. You can walk past the Welsh assembly building, the Norwegian church, plus many other attractions. Take a boat trip up the river Taff to the heart of the city and see the magnificent rugby stadium then up the river Ely pass the boat club to see the abundance of wildlife that lives on its bank. I tend to go to the barrage to fish for all the usual channel species and accasionally catch a decent Bass. But on other visits I love to take the grandchildren for a walk around and the boat trip which I never get bored with.

Nice little opening and closing bridge connecting Cardiff to Penarth. Made a small video showing the bridge in action as well. Nice tourist attraction if you are visiting the city of Cardiff.

Not the best of days weather wise....pleasant walk each way though, flat and tarmacked throughout, suitable for wheelchairs, with plenty of restaurants and buildings such as the Senydd (Welch Assembly), Pier Head, Norwegian Church, and landing jetties for boat trips up to Cardiff City Castle.

My first trip to see the Cardiff Bay barrage and I was impressed. There is a spacious car park next to the lock which is inexpensive/ You can watch boats going in and out of the lock either going to or from their safe moorings behind the barrage. One or two of the buildings look like they need an overall but the modern buildings are in keeping with the area and have done a lot to rejuvenate the area. There are special car parks for boat owners to park their vehicles when visiting their craft. There are also coffee shops and restaurants to visit too.

Went here yesterday on my bike its great to cycle over to Cardiff bay area, stayed for the sunset

Great simple enjoyable trip out. Two mile walk along traffic free road to or from Penarth. Witnessed the locks and bridges open, was fun. Really lovely walk on a pleasant sunny day. Bike hire available too if your not fancying the walk. An unexpected delight.

A masterpiece of civil engineering and urban design, makes Cardiff Barrage a fantastic walk, from Mermaid Quay to Penarth, a distance of about a mile and a half. The sea air is really invigorating, the footpath is well maintained and also has a separate bicycle lane. There's plenty of choice from several cafes and the toilets available by the skateboard park. If you want to travel by boat there are several trips available from Mermaid Quay. Parking is £1.20 per hour, the scenery is worth a visit. Popular with all tourists.

A great place to see the sun setting. And to watch the Barrage letting the yachts and boats in and out

Absolutely fantastic, the structure created for the sea ferry and crossing takes your breath away. We walked around the Bay following the Bay walkway and saw some amazing views over the bay. The wildlife is phenomenal

A really nice walk right around the Bay to Penarth mariner.

My wife and I had a lovely walk along the Cardiff Bay Barrage this morning. It was a beautiful day, and the weather was perfect for a walk. The sun was shining, the temperature was mild, and there was a gentle breeze blowing. The Barrage is a long, slender structure that spans the mouth of Cardiff Bay. It was built in the early 2000s to create a freshwater lake in the Bay, and it has since become a popular destination for walkers, cyclists, and fishermen. We started our walk at the Barrage's southern end, near the Mermaid Quay shopping center. We walked north along the Barrage, enjoying the views of the Bay and the surrounding city. We stopped to take pictures of the boats moored in the Bay. After about an hour, we reached the Barrage's northern end, near the Penarth Headland. We turned around and headed back south, stopping to take in the views of the Bay from different angles. We had a wonderful time on our walk along the Cardiff Bay Barrage. It was a relaxing and enjoyable way to spend a morning. We would definitely recommend it to anyone who is looking for a scenic and peaceful place to walk in Cardiff.

A lovely place for a walk or a cycle. The pay and display car park usually has spaces available. Sadly there's no facilities or cafe at this end any more (hopefully the cafe will return). The private road leads around from the Barrage to Cardiff Bay. It's a nice, flat walk on a sunny day.

Lovely walk from the City Centre out through the Bay Area and around to Penarth. Very peaceful and relaxing

We took the bus over to Penarth, had a cup of tea in town and walked back over the barage. If I lived here I would be biking and hiking this way regularly. Lovely and refreshing walk.

Sailing out through the barrage is always an easy experience. Professional staff maintain the operation in a friendly manner. Always willing to help if they can. Each lock is very deep, and the pump out is smooth. Once the outer gate opens it is an easy bit of navigation out to the buoyed channel. Returning through the barrage is equally easy, however it is important to ensure that you have good moorings, especially if near the inbound gate. The water does become quite rough.

Great start for a walk across the barrage. Plenty of parking, though be careful as many of the car parks are operated by a notorious local parking company. Locks are interesting to watch when in use and are quite busy. An "optical illusion" is painted in yellow on the locks visible from the yellow X at the barrier to lock 3.

Lovely views. Scenery is breathtaking. About a 1 1/2 mile walk from one side of the barrage to the other. A great piece of engineering. Even saw the Enormous Crocodile from Roald Dahl children's book.

Fantastic walk and part of a great cycle loop. We cycled around the whole bay on the Ovo bikes and spent a while admiring the view and technology. We’ll worth a visit.

Helpful when accessing the lock. Helped me out when I had engine issues (no neutral possible)

So lovely. Well kept, clean and tidy. Great views and a lovely walk

Place Is a technical marvel, worth of visit. Only the parking fee Is insane.

It is a very refreshing walk through in Cardiff with plenty of fresh air. The views are nice as well. It is not only water on both sides. There are lots of other activities going on. Specially the exercise place provided by adidas is so good. One of the best place in Cardiff to walk or sit down.

Could do with lighting at night (just low lighting so as presumably not to disturb birds), but nice walk from Cardiff Bay to Penarth. You can see the lights of Weston-super-Mare to the south.