The Ghosts of Llandaff

(185 reviews)

Cardiff audio tour: The Ghosts of Llandaff

This is a 0.6mi walking tour

It takes an average of 45 mins to complete.

Cardiff

The United Kingdom

$8.99

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About the Tour

Follow the forgotten but, in places, ancient pathways which lie behind Llandaff Cathedral. Isolated, atmospheric, and away from modern urban Cardiff, they are filled with mystery, atmosphere, legend and ghost stories. It is no wonder. In places these paths were ancient Celtic trade routes, or medieval roadways.
They are filled with strange and sometimes spine chilling tales of ghosts and phantoms, still being witnessed and reported in modern times. In places the atmosphere can become strange, overwhelming, even sinister, especially in the dark seclusion of night!

This tour follows a circular route taking you along a mysterious and atmospheric wooded lane, the scene of many ghostly experiences, before following the riverbank where more ghostly encounters and legends are told. The route turns back towards the Cathedral for more tales, and culminates in the old abandoned and overgrown woodland graveyard, with its intense atmosphere and ghostly tales.

The stories are highlights from The Llandaff Ghost Walk, which I researched, created and operated under the name of “Cardiff History and Hauntings” from 2009-2019, and whose tales form part of a new book scheduled for publication in 2020.

The Llandaff Ghost Walk captured media attention locally and nationally and welcomed thousands of participants from all over the world. Every tale you hear on this tour has been faithfully researched and retold and when, in the second half of the tour, I share with you my own personal ghostly experiences of this place, I can assure you that my accounts are honest and faithful, whatever it was being experienced at the time.

I cannot of course guarantee that you will experience a ghost on this tour. However, I hope that you find it intriguing, captivating and, in places, as spine chilling as I did when I walked these paths, in the night, in the dark!

Tour Producer

James Cowan

11 tours

Having led professional walking tours in person in Cardiff, Wales, for many years through my own business called "Cardiff History and Hauntings" I have turned my passion for history and storytelling into creating audiotours in cities which lie close to my heart, to share this passion ever more widely!

I grew up with Cardiff on my doorstep and lived there for many years of my adult life. Discovering its incredible but still largely unknown history became an ever-growing passion which led me to develop walking tours telling stories of the history, legends and ghost stories of Cardiff and Wales – tales of Kings, Princes, traitors and a one-time tiny town on the Taff that overnight become the world’s biggest coal port, from which emerged the grand domes, towers and columns of its beautiful civic centre….while all the time, in its woodlands and castles, ancient legends and tales of ghosts still lurked! The success of this enterprise led to me being invited to script and present two TV series for local television, as well as guest appearances on TV and radio programmes all over the world.

I am delighted that, thanks to VoiceMap, I have been able to convert some of these tours into self-guided audio tours.

Since 2019 I have had a new home, Copenhagen, and I have fallen in love with this city. My thirst for historical research and uncovering "tales of the city" found a new focus here and, in 2021, I was delighted to offer my first Copenhagen audio tour, as a prelude to others which followed in 2022 and 2025, with a further tour to follow in 2026!

In 2023 I was very excited to introduce my first ever audio tour in Poland, of Warsaw’s beautiful Old Town. I have been fascinated and deeply moved by Polish history since childhood, and as an adult I have been spellbound by the beauty of its cities, and awe struck by the resilience and determination of the Polish character, despite everything the country has experienced.

My Polish partner has further wedded me to a love of this country and in 2025 I published a series of audio tours of Łódź! I hope that my tours of Łódź shed new light on this striking, exciting, and much underrated city! Moreover, I hope that my audiotour of the site of the Łódź Ghetto serves as a powerful informational and educational tool, shedding light on the city's darkest chapter. Indeed, I hope all my Polish audio tours convey my admiration and respect for the country's history and culture.

So, that is why I am thrilled to be a VoiceMap publisher. I offer you meticulously researched tours, spoken with true passion!

Preview Location

Location 10

The Yew Tree

Please stop once you have reached the large Yew tree, standing at the centre of a crossroads at the very heart of this old graveyard. Feel free to sit on the wall surrounding it.

Yew trees have long been associated with magic and mystery in Wales which might explain why th... Please stop once you have reached the large Yew tree, standing at the centre of a crossroads at the very heart of this old graveyard. Feel free to sit on the wall surrounding it.

Yew trees have long been associated with magic and mystery in Wales which might explain why there have been so many strange and frightening incidents right here.

The ghostly children you just heard about have also been witnessed from this spot. Also, just as at other parts of the route, people have reported a feeling of coldness, discomfort, and of being watched.

It is also here that our most sinister ghost has been most frequently seen. He is the figure I described at the start of the tour in the wooded lane. A male figure, standing still and silent in the distance, as if watching you. Described as a black shadow, or wearing a black cloak, black hood, with no face. Sightings of him are accompanied by overwhelming feelings of dread and danger.

Moreover this ghost has a habit of suddenly rushing towards you at great speed, sometimes silently, sometimes with a deep sinister growl or sigh, before vanishing just before he reaches you.

Reports over the years led me to conclude that he is a deeply sinister, even evil ghost. He looks like a Dominican friar, the religious community which lived in Llandaff until the 1500s, They earned the name "blackfriars" because of the black cloaks and hoods that they wore.

But this particular blackfriar seems to have had an evil streak about him. On the surface, a good man, but in secret a sinister predator, stalker, even abductor. Several times people who have seen his ghost say that he seems to be holding a child, apparently against their will. He is also commonly seen near where the ghostly children play.

It helps explain his behaviour: watching, waiting, silently then lunging forward as if trying to seize his victim. Worst of all, given how close the river once was to this spot, perhaps he was even responsible for murder: abducting his victims, then drowning them to conceal the evidence of his crimes, with deaths assumed to be tragic accidents, while he escaped justice and retribution.

On several occasions, as I stood here with tour groups, people were convinced they could hear him, sense him, or see him nearby. Sometimes described as crouching, as if trying to hide from us, while wanting to listen. Other times the sound of heavy plodding footsteps has been heard approaching.

One night, in 2014, I myself witnessed something which to this day I cannot explain. It was a late dark summer's night. I was standing with a group at this spot, telling them about this ghost. Suddenly, without warning, something black raced past before me, silent but at incredible speed. Too big to be anything like a bat or bird, I was so taken aback I just caught my breath, whereupon a lady standing next to me said "did you see that?" She had seen the same thing. Another lady then said "See? I didn't see anything but I just heard something like a big sigh!"

Could it be that he came to us that night? Who knows but, if he is a ghost, then he is as present here today as he might have been centuries ago. Walking, watching, waiting, for his moment to strike.

The terrible nature of this story really sums up the bizarre history of Llandaff. An ancient, spiritual holy site surrounded, it seems, by a dark sinister halo. casting a woeful and tragic curse on its victims.

Perhaps it is just as well we are now going to leave this graveyard. So please turn so you are facing the Cathedral and follow the path. After a few metres you will cross a small bridge and I will join you on the other side. Read More

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Major Landmarks

Llandaff Cathedral
Llandaff Meadow
Llandaff Meadows

Getting There

Route Overview

VoiceMap tours follow a route from a set starting point. It’s how we give turn-by-turn directions and tell a story greater than the sum of its parts.

Start location
Cathedral Cl, Cardiff CF5 2LA, UK
Total distance

1km
Final location
Cardiff CF5 2ED, UK
Distance back to start location

74.88m

Directions to Starting Point

The tour begins outside the main entrance (The West Door) of Llandaff Cathedral. The entrance has a tower either side of it. A tall perpendicular bell tower to the left, with a flag pole, and a taller spire to the right.
Llandaff Cathedral is 2 miles from Cardiff City Centre and can easily be reached by a bus journey of approximately 15 minutes. The most frequent buses are the #63 and #25 operated by Cardiff Bus (https://www.cardiffbus.com/)and which leave at regular intervals from Westgate Street in Cardiff. Please ask the driver to tell you when you need to get off for Llandaff Cathedral. Once you have left the bus, you need to make your way to Llandaff High Street. It is just a few metres from where you leave the bus, on the opposite side of the main road. The entrance to Llandaff High Street is marked by the prominent pub called “The Black Lion”.
Please walk up the entire length of Llandaff High Street (about 200 metres up a slight hill). Llandaff High Street is a narrow straight road lined by shops, pubs, houses and restaurants. When you reach the end of Llandaff High Street the main road bends to the left. Follow this bend and keep walking. You will see that the road before you widens to form an open space called The Cathedral Green. Walk towards the Cathedral Green and you will see the Cathedral on your right, down at the foot of a short hill. You will also see a narrow lane to the right leading towards the spire of the Cathedral. Please follow this lane to the spire which brings you to the entrance door to the Cathedral. This is where our tour starts.
If you are driving please follow directions to Llandaff Cathedral. If you are using GPS, then the postcode for the top of Llandaff High Street CF5 2DZ. Drive up Llandaff High Street and you will see on your left the Spar Supermarket. Immediately opposite it take the turning to the right which leads to a large surface car park. You will need to take a parking ticket from the machine and there may be a small charge, depending on what time you visit. After parking, walk back to Llandaff High Street and continue up the hill until you reach the end of Llandaff High Street where the main road bends to the left. Follow this bend and keep walking. You will see that the road before you widens to form an open space called The Cathedral Green. Walk towards the Cathedral Green and you will see the Cathedral on your right, down at the foot of a short hill. You will also see a narrow lane to the right leading towards the spire of the Cathedral. Please follow this lane to the spire which brings you to the entrance door to the Cathedral. This is where our tour starts.

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Tips

Places to stop along the way

Llandaff High Street has numerous shops, cafes, pubs and restaurants for you to enjoy before or after your tour. However, there are no buildings or toilet facilities on the route itself.

Best time of day

Of course, for the most atmospheric experience, the tour should be done at night, when it is at its most isolated and eerie. However, please see the section on personal safety in the “Precautions” section below. You MUST bring a flashlight and keep it focused on the ground ahead. There is no street lighting once you are past the Cathedral. You will also need to listen very carefully to the route instructions and stick to the path.
At points when we stop for a story along the route, you can switch off your flashlight for added spine chilling atmosphere (but never switch off the flashlight while you are walking as it is essential to see where you are going).
If you do not wish to do the tour by night it is quite possible to do so by day, although it will not, of course, be quite as atmospheric, and there is a greater likelihood that other members of the public will be in the area, walking dogs, jogging, or using the recreation fields near the route.
The tour is all outdoors so please dress for the weather. Parts of the route are cold throughout the year because they are shaded, so dress to be warm and dry. You will need good sturdy shoes or boots.
Some parts of the route are tarmac but most parts of the route are bare earth, or rough stone and gravel. The surface is often uneven so care is needed when walking. In wet weather the ground can be muddy or have puddles in places. In extreme weather conditions parts of the route can be waterlogged. There are parts of the route which slope gently up and down and great care must be taken, especially if conditions are damp or wet. Do not at any time go off the path on to the grass when using the slopes as the grass can be slippery.
The route is, regretfully, not suitable for wheelchairs, pushchairs, and not recommended for anyone with impaired mobility. This is due to its uneven and changeable nature.
Bottom line: The route is a pleasant and atmospheric journey provided common sense is applied.

Precautions

It is essential that you read the information in “Tips” above about the nature of the route, and wearing appropriate clothing and footwear for the conditions of the route.
Safety and Security: The area is generally safe but please bear in mind that the route, especially at night, can be very isolated and a long way from occupied buildings. You must take this into careful consideration if you are thinking of doing the tour alone and at night. Your personal security and well being is of paramount importance. If in doubt, you can check the route and its locations by day and listen to the tour in the comfort of your home or hotel by playing the tour on the “continuous play” option, when at least you will be more easily able to picture the scene.

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