Cardiff Half Marathon

Parking

Our Official Park & Walk facility is located at the Cardiff City Football Stadium (Leckwith Road, Cardiff, CF11 8AZ) and will be open from 7:00am – 6:00pm.

Cardiff City Stadium is a 1 mile walk from the start, ideal as a warm-up before the race.

As part of our ambition to continually improve and promote sustainable travel across all Run 4 Wales events, we’re thrilled to announce free parking spaces for coaches and minibuses as part of our parking service. This will give large groups the opportunity to travel sustainably and split the cost of travel across more people.

Booking is one place per vehicle, priced at £8 per car (+ booking fee*) and free for minibus/coach (whilst availability lasts). The registration portal will close at midnight on the Friday before the race, or when spaces sell out – whichever comes first. We advise early booking to avoid disappointment.

A small number of bus/coach spaces remain available, but these are available exclusively for these types of vehicle. Please email us to enquire about a coach/minibus space.

Please print your email confirmation as proof of purchase and place on your dashboard to allow for speedy entry. 

*Please note a small non-refundable booking fee is charged on top of the parking charge by ACTIVE, who manage our online registration platform. This is clearly broken down/itemised at the checkout page before payment.

Other parking options within the city can be explored at www.en.parkopedia.co.uk/parking/cardiff or www.cardiff.gov.uk and some road-sided parking may be available (please ensure it is safe and secure).

The Park Cardiff App provides a real-time map of parking availability in the city before directing you to an empty space. Download on iOS and Android devices or learn more here.


Travel

Please be aware that thousands of people will be wanting to get to the start of the race at the same time as you. Allow plenty of time to get there in time for the 10:00am start and remember that late starters will not be permitted to take part.

 

By Train

A train driver strike has been announced for Saturday 30 September, which will impact people travelling to the race on this date and in the days before and afterwards. Please check before you travel or consider an alternative method of transport. Click here for more details and advice.

With so many participants and spectators travelling to Cardiff over the race weekend, one of the most reliable, stress-free and cost effective ways to travel to Cardiff and avoid congestion is by travelling by train in advance of race day – why not make a weekend of it?

If you are planning to travel on race day, please check with your local train provider whether a train allows you enough time to arrive at the race before the start at 10am and be aware that early Sunday morning services can be extremely limited.

Cardiff Central train station enjoys excellent rail connections between a number of major cities and regions within 3-4 hours travel. Check www.nationalrail.co.uk or www.trainline.com for timetables and prices from around the UK. If you live in Wales, we recommend travelling via one of the regional Valley Lines or Transport for Wales stations. A timetable can be found at https://tfwrail.wales/.

Transport for Wales services arriving into Cardiff on the morning of the 2023 race:

  • 08:48 arrival from Swansea (calling at Neath, Port Talbot, and Bridgend) – 10-car formation
  • 09:21 arrival from Pontypridd (calling at Trefforest, Taffs Well, Radyr, Llandaff, Cathays and Cardiff Queen Street) – 4-car formation
  • 09:36 arrival from Swansea (calling at Neath, Port Talbot, and Bridgend) – 10-car formation
  • 09:40 arrival from Swansea (calling at Neath, Port Talbot, Pyle, and Bridgend) – 3-car formation
  • 09:42 arrival from Bristol Parkway (this will likely only be suitable for those starting in later waves)

Please check these train times before travelling on the National Rail and Transport for Wales websites, as although they were correct at the time of publishing, they are subject to change if there are disruptions, strike action or any unforeseen engineering works.


Race Day Parking

A park and walk facility will be provided at the Cardiff City Football Stadium car park on Leckwith Road, Cardiff, CF11 8AZ. Scroll up for more information.

We advise all runners to explore all parking options within the city at www.en.parkopedia.co.uk/parking/cardiff or www.cardiff.gov.uk, as well as road-side parking where safe and secure.


On Foot

Cardiff is easily accessible by foot with a number of key destinations within a short walk of each other. Getting across the city and to locations around the city can be achieved easily with a number of pedestrianised streets allowing pedestrians to beat the traffic.


By Bus

Travelling to Cardiff by bus is cheap and easy from a number of major cities and regions. You can travel by National Express Coach from most UK cities. There are also Megabus routes into Cardiff from London, Swansea, Birmingham Airport, Manchester and Newcastle. The Megabus stops at Kingsway, just opposite the Hilton Hotel, near the starting pens.

Due to road closures in place for the race, traveling by bus within Cardiff will in some cases be a little trickier than normal if you aim to arrive just before the start of the race. Allow extra time and travel well before the start of the race to avoid being dropped off further from the city centre. Visit www.cardiffbus.com for more information closer to race day.


By Bike

Travelling by bike to the start of the race is easy, sustainable and practical if you live within a reasonable distance from Cardiff City Centre.

A bike park will be available in Gorsedd Gardens outside the front of the National Museum of Wales on the day of the race. You will be able to lock your bikes within this bike park for the duration of race day.

You could also cycle to your nearest Valley Lines network in order to take the train the rest of the way and avoid any traffic.

Sustrans Cymru have a number of maps, routes and advice on their website for anyone unsure of the best route into Cardiff.


By Plane

Cardiff International Airport

The airport is situated 15km South West of Cardiff city centre. Once you’ve arrived you can travel to the city centre by taxi, train or bus. Taxis are located just outside the arrival hall. For train tickets and times, please check https://tfwrail.wales/. If you’re travelling by bus the T9 will take you to and from the airport to the Centre of Cardiff and Cardiff Bay (www.trawscymru.info/t9/).

The following airlines offer flights to Cardiff: Aer Lingus, Air Malta, Eastern Airways, Flybe, KLM, Ryanair, Thomas Cook Airlines, Thomson Airways and Vueling.

Compare flight prices at www.skyscanner.net

Bristol Airport

Bristol airport is a 45 minute drive from Cardiff or an hour on the train or bus. With regular links to Cardiff and a variety of European airlines flying to Bristol, the airport is a convenient and closely located option for many.

For more information on getting to and from the airport, click here.

The following airlines offer flights to Bristol: Wizz Air, Aer Lingus, Aurigny, Blue Islands, BMI Regional, Brussels Airlines, Easy Jet, KLM, Ryan Air, Thomas Cook Airlines, Wow Air.

Compare flight prices at www.skyscanner.net

Other Airports within two/three hours of Cardiff include London Gatwick, London Heathrow, Birmingham and Manchester.


By Car

When travelling by car please be aware that congestion into the city may well be possible on the day of the race and during road closures. Please leave extra time to arrive well before the race to avoid congestion and find suitable parking.

Please be aware of the road closures which will be in place across the course on the day of the race. A full road closure map is available here.

From the East: Leave the M4 at junction 32 and follow the A470 (1st exit at roundabout) into the centre of Cardiff.

From the West: Leave the M4 at junction 33 and join the A4232 (3rd exit at roundabout). You can then either exit the A4232 at the next roundabout and follow signs for Cardiff city centre, or alternatively, there will be a diversion on the A4232 due to race road closures.

From the South West: Drive North along the M5 motorway and then follow signs for South Wales and the M4.

From the Midlands and North: Head for the M50 motorway (junction 8 on the M5 motorway) and then onto the A40 (signposted South Wales, Monmouth). Continue along the A40 until you reach Monmouth when the road becomes the A449. Continue along the A449 until you reach the Coldra roundabout. Here you should take the 5th exit to join the M4.