Good areas in Cardiff

[LittleDyn1982]

Hi

Any recommendations for nice areas to live with good schools in Cardiff? Eldest starting reception in September.

Thanks!

Penarth is lovely. Areas around Roath Park too, also Whitchurch is nice.

Cyncoed, Llandaff and Llanishen Village are all lovely if you have a big enough budget.

Penarth isn't in Cardiff .

What do you define as a good school?

Penylan

Whitchurch although the primary school is huge

Lisvane lovely but £400k plus - lisvane primary

Cyncoed - rhydepennau primary

Thornhill - thornhill primary

Other nice areas:
Penylan
Llandaff
Pontcanna

Rhiwbina, Roath and Llandaff all seem lovely. Tongwynlais primary school is rated excellent (just outside Cardiff).

Tongwynlais is in Cardiff. (Born and bred there ;).)

Tongwynlais is also hideous to get to and from
Imagine the joy of coryton roundabout every day
If you live in rhiwbina, llandaff, thornhill, Whitchurch, llanishen the transport links are excellent and you feel like you're living in a village but only 10 minutes into city centre

Not hard at all. Come of the A470 at Taffs Well and double back!

Not sure about good areas for schools but avoid Cathays.. it's student central and living there as a student was bad enough. No fucker cares when rubbish day is so there's rubbish everywhere and it bogs in summer

Penarth is lovely, it's in the vale of Glam but a stones throw from Cardiff.

Penarth would be top of my list if I didn't commute a very considerable distance already. I adore the Bay but not really young family orientated.

We just bought in a North Cardiff location mentioned previously for exactly that reason, village feel but 12 mins from the city centre on the train.

Went through a super extensive search but agree on Lisvane, Rhiwbina, Llanishen and Roath. Personally I didn't want to live in a new build area (only because we wanted a change) and then went and bought a new build anyway but Thornhill is very convenient.

Moved here 9 months ago and despite my truly evil commute, can't ever see ourselves moving. Cardiff is simply an amazing place to live!

Until recently I was an estate agent in Cardiff. For schools and in general, I'd look at the north of the city .... Thornhill, Rhiwbina, Llanishen, Lisvane. All the primaries are very good. Plenty of amenities in the north, and good transport links to the centre. Cardiff High is a great secondary school and Llanishen High School has this dynamic headteacher who's getting results and turning it into a really desirable school. Of the four areas I mentioned, Thornhill is the only one that doesn't have any period properties - it was built in the 1980s - so if modern architecture is not your thing, cross it off your list.

Llandaf is lovely but everyone I know who lives there educates privately or in Welsh-medium schools.

I don't know Penarth well but I've heard good things and the esplanade is lovely, I was there during the heatwave!

Cardiff High is a great secondary school

Depends what you look for in a high school. They hothouse able students and find any reason whatsoever not to have anyone with additional needs there.

@MrsPorth - I have a question for you! Do you have any insight into average offer levels in Cardiff (vs asking price) at the moment? Where we live currently, estate agents tend to want to list on houses on the low side in the expectation of receiving offers over. In Cardiff are offers usually below the asking price?

Yes, offers were below asking price or asking price rather than "offers over". Family homes in the areas I've mentioned sold quickly because of the primaries and because of Cardiff High and now Llanishen High. Friends who are still in the industry are very busy.

There are some nice eating places in the north too. The Old Cottage, The Maenllwyd, The Butchers Arms, Miller and Carter, The Plough, Juboraj. ..and loads more.

Your DC would enjoy Jump (an enormous soft play centre in Llanishen) and the Mountain View Ranch, and there's a trampoline park and a Rampworld for later. The park at Roath Lake is great, with an enormous slide. Also, the animals at Thornhill Farm and Cefn Mably Farm were a big hit with my DCs.

I would definitely offer at least slightly under there seemed to be a boom at the end of last year and then this year there's been a reset. Certainly in the £400-£700k mark if you look on Rightmove, you'll see at least 20% of properties have been reduced.

Great, thank you for the extra info.

As everyone else seems to be flagging up North Cardiff, I'm going to mention my very favourite part of Cardiff which is the area around Victoria Park. Cheaper on average than the North, excellent road and rail links and proximity to the centre. Welsh and English medium schools in abundance.

Has anyone mentioned Creigiau? Naice village just outside Cardiff. Schools feed into Radyr, I think. Oh yes, Radyr!! Another naice suburb with excellent links.

Creigiau is also in Cardiff.

North Cardiff is really dull.

Actually sniggering at the "dynamic head teacher at Llanishen High" comment. Give Llanishen High a swerve if you can.

Currently not popular (but house prices are suggesting that's changing) is Grangetown/Riverside/Canton. You do need to pick your streets wisely in some parts but there's lots going on, easy walk to anywhere you'd want to get to really, they're interesting and diverse areas.

Some parts of Grangetown will put you in the catchment for St Cyrus (in neighbouring Dinas Powys) and Stanwell (Penarth), worth checking the catchments on RightMove when house hunting.

North Cardiff is, imho, quite...um....conservative. I think the demographic is different too. There seem to be more elderly people about, and the pace of life seems somehow slower. I'm the areas you mentioned, pp, the population is more diverse, the pace of life is faster, you can walk pretty much everywhere, and the vibe is younger and more bohemian. Properties are generally more characterful.

Lisvane, say, is lovely but you won't get a "characharacter" property there. Or Thornhill.

The good thing about the 'Diff is that there aren't many real no-go areas.

Hi there! Where did you end up moving to LittleDyn1982?

I'm in a similar situation now moving to Cardiff with little one about to start reception. Any advice would be much appreciated!!! X

Everyone's assuming you're after English medium schools. If you're planning to stay in Wales long term then please do consider Welsh medium, for primary at least. Ysgol Gymraeg Melin Gruffydd in Whitchurch is great, for example, and much smaller than English medium Whitchurch Primary.

Don't assume you'll feel excluded as a non-Welsh speaker: most parents will be in the same boat in my experience, and lots of socialising, WhatsApp groups etc. will be in English. In terms of helping with homework etc. I've always found people very happy to help with translating things, and in any case I think the fact kids of parents with no Welsh have to do their own homework can be a bit of an advantage. The tasks are supposed to be to assess and support the child's learning, not the parents'!