Cardiff History and Hauntings

It seems to be a requirement of every British city to have someone running a local history walk, and often a ghost walk as well, and my first experience of these was on a trip to York, which is jam packed with history and legends.
This Cardiff equivalent, run by trained tour guide Jim Cowan, offers a variety of themed walks: one in the city centre, playing detective and spotting clues to Cardiff’s past; another discovering the legends of the fairytale Castell Coch, featuring a dramatic kidnapping of a Norman Lord by a rebellious Welsh Prince; and one in Llandaff village, dominated by its impressive cathedral, where visitors take a ghost tour (rated «excellent» by 8 travellers on TripAdvisor).
Friends of mine booked some of their visiting family onto the city centre walk, and they came back full of facts about the city that us residents didn’t know. The walk lasted about 90 minutes and only cost about £4 per person because it was booked in advance (you can do this online) — it costs a pound more if you pay on the day. You can also arrange a private guided walk at other times for £20 if you don’t want to go as part of a group (the price increases if there is more than one of you).

I have traveled a lot, and never thought I’d enjoy a walking tour until I went on Cardiff History and Hauntings. Jim kept our group engaged and in stitches with interesting facts and fun stories about this lively Welsh city. Even though it rained through part of the tour, it didn’t matter — I would have walked through a hurricane to listen to him. You can tell he not only knows about Cardiff, but cares about it too. And that’s a great combination. My one suggestion would be to book the tour early in your visit to Cardiff, so that afterwards your time in the city will be an even richer experience.

Cardiff History and Hauntings offer a really unique way to get to know Cardiff. Its offers Detective Tours of the city centre were you try and map its medieval past, Llandaff Ghost Walks around the spooky village dominated by the spectacular cathedral and a Castell Coch Walking Tour.
Tailored for small groups they are really good fun and informative too. I am local and still there is so much to learn. It would be ideal for the kids too as its not your normal dry history tours.