Llanishen, Cardiff with kids: books, swimming and waterside walks

Choose books and a toddler group at Llanishen Hub

Llanishen Hub at 11 Station Road combines a full library service with a reading and relaxation area. Families can browse talking books, Welsh-language and community-language publications, and use the hub as a quieter stop between more energetic activities.

The council directory includes parent-and-toddler groups among the branch services. Ask the hub which group is currently running and how to join before planning around a particular session. The library’s public computers, printing and advice services are useful extras, but are separate from a children’s activity.

• Llanishen Hub

  Choose books, share a reading break and find out about parent-and-toddler groups at Llanishen’s library hub.

• Parent and Toddler Groups at Llanishen Hub

  Share books and a library visit with your toddler at the Station Road hub.

• Current Llanishen activities

Make the pool the main event

Llanishen Leisure Centre on Ty Glas Avenue has a leisure pool with a beach area and play features. Swim for All is the family programme, and the owner advertises the wave machine at weekends and during school holidays. Pre-book the right session and check the children’s supervision rules rather than relying on the building’s opening hours.

Published non-member swim prices are £9 for adults aged 16+ and £4.90 for juniors aged 4–15. Pay-as-you-go member prices are £6.80 and £3.65, and resident-card prices £8.20 and £4.35. Check admission for children under four through the booking instructions. The separate free-swimming offer for 16s and under applies only at advertised times; it is not a promise of free entry for the whole family.

For a longer-term skill, Better Swim School runs on weekdays and weekends, starting with Swimbies from three months. Choose the child’s stage and check the course fee and enrolment terms. Swimming lessons and public family swims are different bookings.

• Llanishen Leisure Centre

  A local base for family swimming, children’s sports and indoor play on Ty Glas Avenue.

• Swim for All at Llanishen Leisure Centre

  Splash and swim together in a leisure pool with a beach area and play features.

• Better Swim School at Llanishen

  Build water confidence through structured swimming lessons, starting with Swimbies from three months.

• Current Llanishen activities

Choose one indoor activity for the day

The leisure centre’s junior programme offers soft play, supervised football basics and energetic street dance with styles including hip-hop, breaking and funk. These are different activities with their own bookings: pick what your children want to do and confirm the class’s age band, charge and joining arrangements.

Eleven- and twelve-year-olds fall within the advertised 11–17 range for Junior Gym, Junior Spin and Junior Circuits. Junior gym entry is listed at £6.20 for non-members, £4.60 for pay-as-you-go members or £5.60 with a resident card. Confirm induction and supervision requirements and use a specifically junior session.

For October half term, Cardiff Youth Service advertises a pop-up at Llanishen Skate Park on Tuesday 27 October 2026, 3pm–6pm, with street-based activities and sport for ages 11–16. No booking is required: turn up at the skate park. Contact Darryl.Payne@cardiff.gov.uk about the meeting point or any changes. This is an older-children and youth activity, not toddler play.

• Soft Play at Llanishen Leisure Centre

  Clamber, play and meet other children in the leisure centre’s soft-play zone.

• Junior Football at Llanishen Leisure Centre

  Learn football basics in a fun, supervised junior session.

• Junior Street Dance at Llanishen Leisure Centre

  Try energetic street-dance styles, including hip-hop, breaking and funk.

• Junior Gym at Llanishen Leisure Centre

  Use the gym through timetabled sessions for eleven- to seventeen-year-olds.

• Junior Spin at Llanishen Leisure Centre

  Try an indoor cycling-based fitness class for ages eleven to seventeen.

• Junior Circuits at Llanishen Leisure Centre

  Try a circuit-based fitness class for ages eleven to seventeen.

• Youth Pop Up at Llanishen Skate Park

  Drop in for street-based youth activities and sport at Llanishen Skate Park.

• Current Llanishen activities

Start slowly at RampWorld

RampWorld Cardiff, Unit B on Parc Ty Glas, is an indoor charity-run skatepark for scooters, skateboards, skates and BMX bikes. Beginners have their own slower two-hour sessions at £10 per rider. These sessions exclude jumps, tricks, fast riding, the foam pit and the Resi ramp; free BMX coaching is available on request within the session. Check the current holiday or term-time timetable.

Every rider must complete the park’s free public membership registration; under-16s need parent or guardian details. All under-16s and every scooter rider must wear a helmet. Helmets are not rented: bring one, or the park sells them from £20. Bikes and scooters need bar-end plugs, sold for £2 each, and fold-up and three-wheeled scooters are not allowed.

A normal public session is £12, with duration varying by timetable. Equipment rental is additional: skateboard £3, scooter £6 or BMX £10 per session. Advanced features are not beginner areas. For questions, email rampworldcardiff@gmail.com; the park says it does not operate a telephone line.

• RampWorld Cardiff Indoor Skatepark

  Ride scooters, skateboards or BMX bikes at Llanishen’s indoor wheeled-sports park.

• RampWorld Beginners Only Sessions

  Practise riding slowly in a beginners-only skatepark session, without jumps or tricks.

• Current Llanishen activities

Walk beside Llanishen Reservoir, with the closures in mind

The waterside circuit around Llanishen Reservoir offers open-water views and wildlife watching. Welsh Water describes the route as wheelchair-accessible, but the compacted gravel can be puddled after rain. Bring suitable waterproof footwear, keep to signposted paths and stay off the protected grass.

Current maintenance closes the Story Trail, the lower path between the boathouse and Rhyd-y-Penau track, the nearby picnic area and Towy Road Gate. The owner says the Llanishen waterside path remains open. Do not plan a Story Trail outing or use the lower route while those closures remain in force. The adjacent Lisvane Reservoir circuit is closed from October to March to protect overwintering birds. Dogs are not permitted on reservoir paths, apart from assistance dogs.

The walk is around Llanishen Reservoir, but the visitor centre and main parking are on Lisvane Road in Lisvane, CF14 0BB. Parking is free for up to 90 minutes, £3 from 91 minutes to four hours, or £6 all day. Pay by cash or card at the visitor centre, by card at the machines, or through the optional NexusPay app. Check the current access notice and gate-closing time before setting off; the paths may also close in icy conditions.

• Llanishen Reservoir Waterside Walk

  Follow the waterside path around Llanishen Reservoir, with open water, wildlife and wide views.

• Current Llanishen activities

Useful sources

• Llanishen, Cardiff activity and visitor authority
• Llanishen, Cardiff activity and visitor authority
• Llanishen, Cardiff activity and visitor authority
• Llanishen, Cardiff activity and visitor authority
• Llanishen, Cardiff activity and visitor authority
• Llanishen, Cardiff activity and visitor authority
• Llanishen, Cardiff activity and visitor authority
• Llanishen, Cardiff activity and visitor authority
• Llanishen, Cardiff activity and visitor authority
• Llanishen, Cardiff activity and visitor authority
• Llanishen, Cardiff activity and visitor authority
• Llanishen, Cardiff activity and visitor authority
• Llanishen, Cardiff activity and visitor authority
• Llanishen, Cardiff activity and visitor authority