From centuries-old taverns to funky new venues, Cardiff’s pub scene has the lot. While many historic watering holes have, tragically, been lost to the bulldozers or redevelopment projects over the years, we’re still spoilt for choice in the capital when it comes to finding a place to go for a pint or two.
I thought I knew Cardiff’s pub scene pretty well, having frequented spots across the city since moving here six years ago. That was until I was told about the ‘Canton Mile’, an allegedly famous pub crawl that I had never heard about, but was immediately hooked on.
As the name suggests, the epic crawl takes you on a mile-long route which largely follows the route of Cowbridge Road East, running through the middle of Canton. It includes some of the most historic pubs in the city, as well as some newer, perhaps trendier venues, providing those that brave to take it on with a well-rounded experience of the area’s pub life. Get more what's on news straight to your inbox by subscribing to our dedicated newsletter here.
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Of course, the only way to find out more about it was to take on the challenge ourselves, and so we drew up a plan of the pubs to hit, drawing on other first-hand experiences to learn the best route to take. Definitions of the Canton Mile will, of course, change from generation to generation, and with some of the suburb’s most beloved pubs, including The Maltings, The Duke of Clarence, The Insole and The Westgate closing down over the years, we ran the risk of upsetting the purists with our choice of rest stops.
Nevertheless, I, together with some other intrepid souls, settled on a list of 10 pubs within the mile that we felt was respectful to the ethos of the challenge, while also remaining doable on a weekday night. Almost immediately regretting choosing to do this on a Thursday, and with work in the morning, we set off on our journey.
