This knitted snowman was possibly part of a winter trail for the youngsters in Llandaff Fields, Cardiff
A couple of weeks ago I visited Llandaff Fields for a walk for the first time in several years – since the Covid-19 lockdown, I guess. Here are my photos…
Cherry trees along the edge of Llandaff Fields, next to Cathedral Road, Cardiff…
…with fat buds waiting for spring – the cherry blossom on most of these trees will be pink
Lime / linden tree…
…top of the tree…
…characteristic shoots at the base of the tree…
…with red buds…
…and lichen on the bark
Dried and dead sycamore leaves on the grass
A stand of pines and horse chestnuts…
The chestnuts line a couple of main avenues across Llandaff Fields
A big bough was cut off this chestnut tree a long time ago…
A tall beech tree near the edge of the fields
These pictures were taken on a Bank Holiday Monday for the New Year and Cafe Castan at the entrance to the fields was busy – its Welsh name is the word for chestnut, related to the Latin Castanea sativa (the sweet chestnut) and the horse chestnut Aesculus hippocastanum
I hadn’t walked in the fields since the new development of expensive townhouses was built at The Rise on Penhill Road, a former Victorian villa used by the council as a remand home for young offenders.
The original house and surrounding land were sold by the council in October 2017 with a guide price of £595,000 but reached £1.6m at auction. The eight new townhouses have sold for around £1m each.
Controversially some trees on the western edge of the fields were cut down to enhance the view from the properties.
New townhouses at The Rise overlook the west side of the fields
This was The Rise before it was developed – image from Google Streetview
Side of the new development…
…and the townhouses seen from the entrance to the site
There are more details about the homes on the developer’s website, here.
The Squirrelbasket 
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