Walking around St Mellons

St Mellons Business Park is on the edge of St Mellons which, in turn, is on the edge of Cardiff, so much so that it used to be in Newport.

Being in the middle of nowhere means that there is little to do lunchtime other than carry on working over a sandwich and a smoothie.

If the time and weather allow then I like to stretch my legs around the park which has been well designed for people like me with a pretty collection of paths and some careful planting.

Water is a key feature here, as it is throughout St Mellons.

There are ditches and ponds a plenty, and that means water-loving plants like reeds.

The ditches cut erratic green swathes throughout the area but, sadly, when they reach the housing estates they become collecting grounds for rubbish.

This is despite obvious signs of care and attention with the reeds being cut back in Winter and the grass being mown regularly.

The short-loop that I, and several others, do is around the nostalgically named Fortran Road and Cobol Road.

The later forms one of the boundaries of the business park and there is an active farm on the other side of the road.

The fields here are clearly, and expectedly, wet so they are mostly used as grazing for a few cows and horses.

There is something surreal and exciting about being able to see real cows in a real field just a couple of minutes from your sterile office.

The ditches need bridges to cross them. These were once brightly painted (no idea why) but have now been softened by sun, wind and rain in to more delicate hues that have been further tempered by encroaching rust.

This eclectic mix of paths, water, fields, flowers and farm-life makes St Mellons Business Park an in interesting place to work and one that gives you a good reason to get outdoors when you can.