Discovering Cardiff with DING! Cycle Tours
Amidst Cardiff’s busy streets and iconic landmarks is a unique way to experience the city.
DING! Cycle Tours, founded by former journalists and married couple, Beccy and Mark, seamlessly blend storytelling, local anecdotes, and leisurely cycling to offer an unforgettable experience for both tourists and locals.
We had a fantastic time on our tour of the city and the bay, soaking up lots of interesting facts and history.
We met our tour guide, Mark, at Little Man Coffee where he handed us our blue DING! bikes and assured us that you don't need to be a pro athlete to enjoy the ride, just a competent cyclist.
Sure enough, the pace was relaxed, allowing us to take in landmarks like the statue of the third Marquess of Bute, the super-rich man behind much of Cardiff's modern development, and the newly unveiled canal quarter, hidden beneath the city's streets until last year.
As we pedaled through Bute Park, looking beautiful as ever with its blossom trees and vibrant spring flowers, Mark told us all about its history. From its days as private land owned by the Bute family, to the site of Blackfriar's Friary, Mark’s insights and archive photos brought the past to life.
Storytelling is at the heart of DING! Cycle Tours, and Mark, with his extensive broadcast career covering major events across Wales and beyond, is a natural storyteller. Reflecting on his transition from reporting to tour guiding, Mark said:
"It's a bit of a gear-change, but now we'll be passing on the story of Cardiff in a slightly different way.
One thing we noticed throughout the tour was just how easy it is to navigate Cardiff by bike. The new cycle lanes in the city centre and the Taff Trail make cycling an enjoyable and efficient way to get about. Mark is eager to embed cycling into Cardiff’s culture, he explained:
“We want to help make cycling part of the fabric of the city, sharing it with care – something that will increasingly come naturally to people.
“Cardiff is wonderfully flat for cycling and if it rains, which experience has told us it occasionally does, we have some waterproof orange ponchos for people to use.”
Continuing along the River Taff, we reached Mermaid Quay, where we enjoyed some tasty Welsh cakes while Mark shared tales of Cardiff's history as a bustling coal port.
Back in the city, we paused at the Betty Campbell statue, taking in its intricate details. Mark pointed out the statues within the statue, including a touching memorial of a young Betty reading to her granddaughter. He even shared poignant anecdotes from his interviews with Betty herself.
We rounded off the tour at Cardiff Castle, chatting all things from Romans to rockstars. Check out Mark’s Manic Street Preacher’s ticket from 1999!
Led by passionate guides with a knack for storytelling, DING! tours offer a unique blend of leisurely cycling and insightful stories. Whether you're new to Cardiff or simply want to see your city in a new light, DING! invites you to pedal through Cardiff’s history, one landmark at a time.
Find out more and book your tour today at ding.wales