Pontcanna, on the west bank of the River Taff in the heart of Cardiff, is one of the city's more coveted places to live and it's not difficult to see why. Turn right at various points as you travel north along Cathedral Road, the suburbs spine and first you'll hit Sophia Gardens, home to Glamorgan Cricket Club and the Welsh National Sports Centre(which offers a swimming pool, squash courts and a vast array of fitness classes), then you reach Pontcanna Fields with its wonderful avenue of trees, riding school where many a local child has learnt to ride and numerous sports pitches, then the beautiful Llandaff Fields where local residents soak up the sun on a summers day or take peaceful autumn walks along the leafy central avenue with the spire of Llandaff Cathedral peeping above the trees. Here you will also find ten excellent tennis courts, bowling green and a safely enclosed children's playground (3 wheeler off-road pushchairs abound). For the energetic the Taff trail is close by.
One of the best things about living in Pontcanna is that it's all so close to the City centre, you never really need to use your car, everything is within level walking or cycling distance and its a nice walk too. It';s is easy to stroll down the the avenue of lime trees or along the banks of the river watching the cormorants fish and forget how close you are to the centre of the capital until you look up and see the fairy tale towers of the Castle and the impressive National stadium looming above the trees, in fact you can get to Marks & Spencer in the heart of the City centre for example without hardly walking on a road.

Not that Pontcanna is short of it's own shops. At the north end of Cathedral Road and is a range of excellent small specialist shops, including a well stoked late night delicatessen (warm croissants on a Sunday morning), excellent butchers, a jeweller who makes his own designs, and around the corner on Pontcanna Street, are a pair of up- market ladies fashion shops, the fragrant Costa Rica coffee shop, gift shops, fine arts, antiques, interior designs, etc etcBut Pontcanna is best known for its stylish cafes and restaurants including - Brava and Cibo where 'Pobol Pontcanna' congregate for Sunday brunch and hold lunchtime business meetings. The perennial favourite Diner 77 for classic American style food and Ana-Bela cafe-bistro offers fine cosmopolitan cuisine in a colourful surroundings,

and perhaps best known of all is the fasionable Cameo private members club which is open all-day and into the wee small hours of the morning. Just around the corner on Romilly Crescent are two of Cardiff's top restaurants Le Cassoulet and Le Gallois. Pontcanna is also well served with watering holes, with a number of excellent pubs

Just across the boarder in Canton is the long established Chapter Arts Centre, one of the best arts complexes in Britain. Here in Canton you will also find excellent local shopping and leisure amenities and in the Victoria Park district one of Cardiff's most popular child friedly parks

To the north-west of Pontcanna is the exclusive enclave of Llandaff with it's impressive Cathedral and village atmosphere. The BBC Wales studios are also located here.