Cycle to the Tynant Inn

I’m leaving the motorbike at home today and earning my lunch with a ride to the Tynant Inn Morganstown just outside Cardiff. This is a great ride along the Taff trail full of great scenery and history. Leaving from Pontypridd just follow the trail, you’ll pass through Rhydyfelin, Nantgarw, Taffs Well and then on to Tongwynlais, at Tongwynlais you have a choice to ride up to Castell Coch which is a late nineteenth-century 'fairytale'-style castle, built on medieval remains, designed for the third marquis of Bute by William Burges. Lavishly decorated and furnished in the Victorian Gothic style; a Romantic vision of the middle ages and well worth a visit, or you can carry on to Morganstown to the Tynant Inn.

The pub is owned by the Brains brewery which is a local brewery based in Cardiff. The pub itself is in a great location a mile from the A470 but you feel like you’re in the country. There are plenty of places to sit outside and even a play area for the children. A refurbishment took place in August 2009. Walls and the pool table have been removed to create extra dining space. With it being open plan it feels light and airy but still traditional. The food is very good with the usual pub grub choices as well as some nice Welsh curries. The staff are friendly and the service very good. The beer is supplied by Brains smooth cold, Brains SA and Brains dark, all of which are excellent, plus all the usual drinks.

This is a honest and friendly straightforward pub in a nice location, somewhere you can enjoy a nice meal and decent pint, the kids can even play outside while you watch them.