Studios and stadiums with a weekend train trip to Cardiff

Dean Mellor leaves the car at home to sit back, relax and travel by

hen I was at university my Student Railcard was a godsend, allowing me to travel from my Sheffield home to Newcastle and back, saving me a third off my travel each time. After one or two trips it had paid for itself.

What I didn’t realise is that there are now (and possibly even then) Railcards for almost everyone, whether you travel solo, as a couple, or as a family.

So my Student Railcard, nowadays badged as the 16-25 Railcard, has as its stablemates the Senior Railcard (over 60s), the Two Together Railcard, 16-17 Saver, 26-30 Railcard, Disabled Persons Railcard, Family & Friends Railcard, Network Railcard and the Veterans Railcard - all starting from £30 for a year (£20 for disabled) and rising to £70 where applicable for three years. More about this later.

With UK Staycations becoming more de rigueur these days - a recent survey showed that half (47%) of Brits are more likely to holiday in the UK than abroad* here was a chance for us to travel in style and comfort to see a home nations capital I’d yet to visit Cardiff.

It felt unusual for us to leave the four wheels at the station car park, but was really refreshing to just sit back and relax, a surprisingly tasty train coffee in hand, watching the Yorkshire countryside idly pass by as we travelled down to the county of Glamorgan.

Cardiff is developing a reputation as one of the UK’s most vibrant cities - and we were not to be disappointed. Arriving at Cardiff Central, our busy schedule kicked off (pun intended) with a tour of The Principality Stadium, home to the Wales national rugby union team.

Our meander around this magnificent and imposing 74,000-seater sporting venue was in the safe hands (another one!) of Steve, whose sharp and gently sardonic humour was an ideal accompaniment

Wto some impressive sights, including the breathtaking vista of the stadium from the best seat in the house - that belonging to William, the Prince of Wales!

We went pitchside, to hospitality, saw the home and away changing rooms, and even travelled in the service lift which has taken Madonna, The Rolling Stones, Ed Sheeran and Beyonce to name but a few to the stage when The Principality hosted their gigs, with history, facts and gags a la Steve thrown in for good measure.

Well worth giving it a ‘try’... ahem. For more details, visit

www.principalitystadium. wales/tours

Our next experience was a trip to BBC Cymru Wales, bang opposite the train station, where tour guests can take a sneak peek at TV galleries and other broadcast facilities, and even read the news and weather, commentate on a sports match and discover much more in this exclusive 90-minute behind-the-scenes tour, winner of a coveted Visit Wales gold award.

This is one of the largest BBC newsrooms, packed with cuttingedge technology including augmented reality, virtual reality and robotic cameras.

Because it’s a live and working broadcast centre, no two tours are ever the same and you never know who you might bump into, be it Carol Vorderman, Go Compare singer broadcaster Wynne Evans or others.

On our tour TV meteorologist and star of BBC2 series Weatherman Walking Derek Brockway promptly walked up and joined our tour, happily answering questions and posing for pictures.

And yes, feel free to take snaps with your own cameras! A great and recommended experience. For more details, visit www.bbc. co.uk/showsandtours

We were staying at the fivestar voco St David’s, a relatively new build and part of the ihg Group of hotels, located in Cardiff Bay.

This luxury contemporary hotel provided the perfect welcome after our busy first day and, though I’m told a normally pleasant 25-minute walk from the town centre, we were caught in the throes of Storm Otto, so took a taxi which will cost you roughly £9-10.

A family room provided us with two opulent double beds, stylish bath and shower room, tea and coffee-making facilities, a large flatscreen for TV and hotel information, handy fridge, and bathrobes and slippers to use in the hotel’s Spa and Leisure area.

The gym, sauna, whirlpools and swimming pool are free to use for guests and accessed via a private lift for you to pad along in your fluffy towelling ensemble without having to parade through reception and possibly disapproving eyes therein.

For an additional cost you can also treat yourself to a bit of personal pampering with a spa treatment at voco St David’s. I succumbed to the ishga Deep Tissue Massage, 50 minutes of dreamy indulgence from the expert kneading of Molly for £95, while my wife and daughter opted for the OPI Gels nails treatment

(£50) and ishga Facial (£95) respectively.

With a vista over the Bristol Channel to die for and a sumptuous full and continental breakfast selection to boot, this was a wonderful stay in state-of the-art surroundings.

For more details, visit stdavids.vocohotels.com/

Without a car we were reliant on nearby places to eat and drink, but Mermaid Quay just five minutes’ walk away has a plethora of eateries and bars, and even with Otto threatening to do its worst, this area is so picturesque and certain to be even prettier in spring and summer.

It’s also from the quayside that you can avail yourself of the Aquabus City Bay link service which takes you to Cardiff city centre.

With a tight schedule and Otto putting paid to any scenic views

A reputation as one of the UK’s most vibrant cities