Penarth is an unusually convenient place to draw. The sea, formal gardens, old trees, Victorian streets, and working marina are all close together, and there is nearly always a café within retreating distance. If you are looking for quiet, creative things to do in Penarth, a sketchbook can turn a short walk into a full afternoon.
I have drawn this town for years and run Espresso Sketches Penarth, a free and informal local sketching group. These are the places I return to, plus the practical details that matter once you have actually opened the sketchbook: what to draw, where to sit, and where to go when the weather changes its mind.
1. The Italian Gardens
What to draw: The palms against the sea, clipped yews, flower beds, and stone steps make ready-made compositions. The garden is small enough to look carefully without spending half the session searching for a subject.
Where to sit: Benches face the central beds, while the upper path has a view down the steps towards the water.
See more sketches and seasonal views of the Italian Gardens.
2. The Esplanade and Penarth Pier
What to draw: The pavilion, lamps, railings, people on the promenade, swimmers, or just the long dark line of the pier against the water. I often end up drawing one small part of the architecture rather than fitting the whole pier onto the page.
Where to sit: There are benches on both sides of the Pavilion with good side views along the beach. More benches at the end of the pier look back towards the nearby cliffs of Penarth Head. From the beach itself, the pier feels taller and more dramatic; the tide decides how long the lower viewpoints remain useful. Rain plan: the café on the upper floor of Penarth Pier Pavilion has panoramic windows overlooking the sea and part of the pier. Coffi Co on the Esplanade is another nearby option.
Read the full guide to Penarth Esplanade and the Pier.
3. Alexandra Park
What to draw: Old trees, the pond, sloping paths, topiary, the bandstand, and blossom in spring. I usually notice the shape of the whole canopy and the dark gaps between branches long before the individual leaves.
Where to sit: There are benches beside the main paths and near the pond; the station-side path is better if you want a wilder, wooded view.
Explore Alexandra Park through my photographs and drawings.
4. Victoria Square and All Saints Church
What to draw: Mature trees, long summer grass, paths, and All Saints Church appearing between branches. The church often reads as one clear shape behind the trees, with grass and trunks making several layers in front of it.
Where to sit: There is plenty of grass under the trees and beside the paths, with several views towards the church.
See the full post about Victoria Square and All Saints Church.
5. Cosmeston Lakes Country Park
What to draw: The two lakes, reed beds, water birds, woodland, and open meadows make Cosmeston feel very different from central Penarth. Reflections and moving groups of swans, coots, and ducks are usually part of the view, while the quieter paths offer tree studies and smaller details.
Where to sit: There are benches and picnic areas around the park, with open views beside the east lake and quieter subjects around the west lake and reed beds. Rain plan: the café and toilets are near the visitor area.
6. Penarth Head
What to draw: The wide view over Cardiff Bay, the marina, distant city shapes, and the curve of the coast. The viewing platform in Penarth Head Park also has the Dragonshell, a large mosaic shaped like the Wales Coast Path logo, which makes a strong foreground against the view.
Where to sit: The viewing area at the end of Penarth Head Lane has space beside the Dragonshell and interpretation panels, safely back from the cliff edge. It is exposed, so this is one of the places where my smaller sketchbooks prove their worth. Rain plan: the marina lies downhill and the town centre is behind; there is little shelter at the viewpoint itself.
The viewpoint and Dragonshell are described in the official Wales Coast Path Penarth route.
From the southern end of the seafront, the coast path continues beyond the town through fields and along the cliffs. I have written a separate post about the Penarth Clifftop Walk to Lavernock.
7. Belle Vue Park and St Augustine’s Church
What to draw: We have sketched in Belle Vue with Espresso Sketches, surrounded by lawns, mature trees, old railings, and the Victorian streets around the park. A short walk away, St Augustine’s Church brings a completely different scale: its tall saddleback tower is one of Penarth’s clearest landmarks and rises above the rooftops on the headland.
Where to sit: Belle Vue has restored benches and open grass, while the area around the church has views across Cardiff Bay as well as closer studies of stone, trees, and the churchyard. Rain plan: Belle Vue Pavilion provides shelter when it is open, and the cafés of the town centre are only a short walk away.
8. The Kymin
What to draw: The Kymin has a Victorian house, mature gardens, a broad lawn, terraces, and an elevated view towards Penarth Pier and the Bristol Channel. It feels quieter than the Esplanade even though the sea is still the main presence.
Where to sit: The lawn and terraces open towards the pier, with trees and planting available as foreground shapes.
9. The beach below the pier
What to draw: Pebbles, layered cliffs, pools of reflected sky, the brown-grey water of the Bristol Channel, and the iron columns under the pier. At low tide, the repeated supports make a strong tonal study; a single stone or line of seaweed is enough for a smaller page.
Where to sit: Stable patches of stone away from the cliff offer views through the pier supports, although they change with every tide. Rain plan: the Esplanade cafés are safer and more comfortable than trying to shelter beneath the cliffs or pier.
See how repeated visits to the beach and pier became paintings.
10. Penarth Marina
What to draw: Boats, masts, ropes, reflections, pontoons, and the geometry of buildings beside the water. The forest of vertical masts and its broken reflections give this part of Penarth a rhythm quite unlike the open seafront.
Where to sit: Public seating along the waterside gives several angles without entering working areas or blocking access routes.
11. Cardiff Bay Barrage
What to draw: The Barrage is all engineering and open space: locks, bridges, sluice gates, boats entering the Bay, and long views towards Cardiff or back to Penarth Head. The contrast between precise concrete structures and constantly moving water is completely different from drawing the Victorian pier.
Where to sit: The 1.1-kilometre embankment is flat and has landscaped public areas, with views towards both the sea and the Inner Bay.
Visitor information is available from the Cardiff Harbour Authority.
12. Glebe Street, Windsor Road, and the town centre
What to draw: Shopfronts, bay windows, signs, rooflines, people waiting at crossings, and the Washington Building. Some of my favourite urban sketching subjects in Penarth are the smaller ones: a doorway, an awning, or a particularly complicated chimney.
Where to sit: Public benches offer a few longer views, while a small sketchbook also works for quick standing sketches away from doorways and the pavement flow.
13. When it is properly raining: draw in a café
What to draw: Cups, spoons, cakes, plants, coats on chairs, the window, and the gestures of other customers. People may remain still for almost seven seconds, so my pages tend to collect general poses rather than detailed portraits.
Where to sit: I prefer a small side table with just a sketchbook and a few pencils, especially when the café is busy. There is no rain plan here: we are already indoors, usually with coffee and cake, which is the whole point.
What to bring for sketching in Penarth
I have put my notes about materials, weather, and sitting outside in a separate post: What to Bring to an Outdoor Sketching Meetup in Penarth.
If you would rather not draw alone, join Espresso Sketches Penarth. The meetups are free, relaxed, and open to beginners as well as experienced artists; the next place and time are announced on Instagram.
Many of these familiar places also become finished paintings and drawings. You can browse my available work, or simply take your own sketchbook for a walk and see which view makes you stop.