Cardiff Barrage Plaza

Cardiff Barrage plaza was designed and built by Gravity, opening in July 2010. It is a mixture of concrete, brick and granite and can be found on the other side of the bay to the city and solely features street elements with a couple of nice transitions.

The skatepark starts in the back corner with a mini ramp, the open side of which is hipped and opens up into the main body of the skatepark. Following this on one side is a hipped bank that curves around the side of the skatepark that has a manny pad sticking out, a stair set, extension and a hubba along the top. As it curves around it turns into a ledge set with a rail and flat bank leading down a level at the end. In the middle of the skatepark are two funboxes, the first of which is a bowled shape that is half brick, half concrete and with a roll over at the rear. The other is made up of a manny pad with ledge and an earthquake gap behind. Running up the other side of the skatepark is a brick flat bank with manny pad inset and also a bowled edge next to it and in the back corner of the skatepark is a hipped bank to finish off the run.

Cardiff Barrage plaza is a great local spot in a nice location, especially if you are a street skater. The combination of surface materials makes for an interesting ride and there is a decent selection of obstacles that are well spaced. It is a great place to come and practise the basics or for a more challenging skate riding the lines.