Spectacular Snoopy Sculpture Trail in South Wales
This month I headed down to Cardiff to chase Snoopys! That’s not a sentence I ever expected to say, but thanks to leading public arts organisation Wild in Art in collaboration with the charity Dogs Trust, this awesome Snoopy sculpture has been brought to life on a sculpture trail around Cardiff, Caerphilly and Porthcawl in South Wales. In just over 24 hours I managed to get around all three locations and saw some brilliant art in some fantastic settings. Called ‘A Dog’s Trail’, this excellent Snoopy sculpture trail sees 40 large Snoopy sculptures and 75 mini versions unleashed onto the streets until the 5th June 2022 and promises lots of pawsome delights to anyone who manages to sniff out these priddie pooches!
As with all sculpture trails of its kind, the giant Snoopys are decorated by local and national artists and are sponsored by local businesses as a means of attracting more visitors to the towns and city and boosting the local economy, while raising awareness and vital funds for Dogs Trust. Dogs Trust is a national charity that looks after thousands of dogs every year but has local rehoming centres in Cardiff and Bridgend. At the end of the trail the Snoopy sculptures will be auctioned off to add to the funds already raised.
Why not download the free mobile app which will help you locate each Snoopy. As you unlock them using codes from the pooch plinths, the app treats you to rewards and special deals from many of the local businesses that have sponsored a Snoopy.
You can also download a map online too, or pick up an official map from various outlets around the trail including the A Dog’s Trail shop at Mermaid Quay.
Table of Contents
Cardiff Snoopy Sculptures
I spent my first day on the Snoopy sculpture trail in the Welsh capital, heading first to Cardiff Bay where there are 7 Snoopys, followed by Roath Park where you can now see 10 Snoopys. In the early days of the trail many of the sculptures unfortunately became the target of vandalism, so after deciding to relocate those at greatest risk, many of the Snoopys were re-homed to Roath Park where they were much easier to keep safe.
Roath Park Snoopys
If you don’t have much time to head out on the Snoopy sculpture trail and want to see a quarter of the dogs easily & quickly, then Roath Park is the place to go. It’s only 2/3 mile to walk around all 10 sculptures. Plus, it’s such a lovely place to go for a walk with lots to see while you’re there. With miles of paths, it’s a wonderful green oasis in Cardiff and the Snoopy sculptures are an excellent addition to the Roath Park landscape.
Some of my favourites are Forever Home who is decorated in dog houses, each with a popular dog’s name. He represents the important mission undertaken by Dogs Trust in rehoming lots of different dogs.
Four Seasons of Dog Walking is a joyous celebration of everything that’s brilliant about going for a walk with a dog – feeling at home in nature and getting to experience it all with your favourite furry friend, every day of the year!
Tally is not necessarily the most impactful Snoopy from a distance but when you realise that each black mark on Tally’s white body represents one of 14,000 dogs that come through the Dogs Trust rehoming centres every year, it may just be the Snoopy that impacts me the most, long term.
If you have time to spend at Roath Park, I can recommend the walk around the lake, something I’ve done on previous trips to Cardiff. Watching the sunset here is always nice too.
If you are visiting in a car, it’s easy to park around the edges of the park nearest the sculptures with no on street parking restrictions to contend with. There are several entrances into the park, but be aware that the gates into the Snoopy section are closed 30 minutes before sunset.
Cardiff Bay Snoopys
Most of the Cardiff Bay Snoopy sculptures are located around the waterfront from the Cardiff Bay Wetlands Reserve, round to the east past the Senedd and the Norwegian Church, to the Barrage.
There is a Snoopy at the city end of Roald Dahl Plass with the imposing Millennium Centre behind him and a further one located inside the Red Dragon Centre.
You get to see some fabulous places and views while following this route. Cardiff Bay is home to a wide variety of stunning buildings. In addition to those already mentioned, there is the vibrant orange Pierhead building and more recently, the addition of a huge Ferris wheel further enhances the eclectic architectural mix.
This is the first time I’ve seen the Ferris wheel in Cardiff, so I hopped on board to take in the views. It moves pretty swiftly and does 3 revolutions, but it’s definitely worth it on a clear day as the views looking over the bay and towards the city are spectacular.
I particularly loved the Pop Art comic book styled Snoopy called Pow-Wow! who looks out onto the bay, as well as Salty Old Seadog who can be found nearest the barrage. His design features an above and below sea scene, of all the well-known Cardiff Bay buildings and the life that lives under the waves. He is made to be remembered however by the ginormous octopus that engulfs Snoopy’s head nose-on!
If you have time, it’s certainly worth walking as far as the barrage just to see how it works. It’s a fascinating piece of engineering.
Walking around Cardiff Bay, you’ll also see some intriguing memorials, sculptures and benches. There’s the World Harmony Peace statue, the Antarctic Memorial and the ‘From Pit to Port’ tribute to the South Wales coal industry. Next to this chap in Britannia Park there are a series of 3 tan coloured sculpted benches. I took an instant fancy to the fox one!
I saw my first of the mini Snoopy sculptures in the window of the A Dog’s Trail shop in Mermaid Quay. The 75 pups have been painted by school and community groups and can be found in small packs in indoor locations. I was gutted to arrive 10 minutes after closing however as I missed stocking up on A Dog’s Trail merchandise which I was hoping to purchase.
There is also a group alongside Snoop Draig at the Red Dragon Centre. This chap was aptly located as he is painted as the proud red dragon depicted in the Welsh flag.
Interested in exploring Cardiff further: check out my top 10 things to see and do in Cardiff
Other Cardiff Snoopys
The other Snoopys in Cardiff can be found at the castle and in two of the shopping centres – Queens Arcade and the Capitol centre. Again, as in Roath Park there are now several sculptures at each of these locations which have been moved from other areas of the city.
It’s a shame this had to happen as you lose the proper treasure hunt quality of the Snoopy sculpture trail and miss out on seeing key locations in Cardiff. As I only had half a day in Cardiff, I unfortunately did not get to see these pooches but looking on social media I’ve seen some ace designs.
Porthcawl Snoopy Sculptures
The following morning, I continued following the Snoopy sculpture trail 30 miles west of Cardiff in Porthcawl. It’s a town I had never been to before and there are 6 Snoopys to find.
There is a large car park right next to the town centre which is exactly where the first Snoopy can be found on walking through to the main shopping street (John Street). It was raining when I first arrived in Porthcawl so Happy Little Clouds had the perfect spot in the dry under the bandstand.
The high street in Porthcawl looks very healthy with no empty shop windows so is perfect for a bit of retail therapy, something I indulged in before continuing on the trail.
You’ll find Snoopy’s Spots, a dalmatian Snoopy by the RNLI station looking out to sea and Sea for Miles a deep-sea diver Snoopy, opposite the Seabank Hotel.
Then there’s Kintsugi, who’s design and patterning resembles the mindfulness colouring patterns that are so popular these days, whilst also celebrating the Japanese art and philosophy of Kintsugi – the act of mending broken pottery with gold to embrace the beauty of imperfection. I love that the artist addresses the idea of looking after your mental health in this design and the concept that ‘we may fall and break, but we can take a step back, mend ourselves and be even more beautiful.’
Snoopy Dog Vinci is a little hard to locate if you don’t know Porthcawl, as on the map/app the Snoopy looks like he stands alongside the main A road into town. However, he is actually situated below the level of the road and to access it from the town centre you have to walk through an underpass (Victoria Ave) to reach him.
In completing a circuit of the Snoopy sculptures in Porthcawl, I also popped into the museum and art gallery, passed the attractive marina, bought some goodies in the RNLI shop, took a stroll on a lovely looking stretch of sandy beach in front of Coney Beach Pleasure Park and discovered land train Lucie outside a great little play park, which I later discovered runs all the way up to Rest Bay Beach. Yes – I definitely managed to pack lots in, in the short time I was in Porthcawl. I also had a fantastic lunch in the Pavilion Café (which I can highly recommend), where there was a group of mini Snoopys on display too.
Porthcawl Rest Bay
Rest Bay is where the final Porthcawl Snoopy can be found. Pirate Snoopy stands facing the water sports centre with an impressive backdrop of glittering surf and sea.
I was short on time so I drove up to Rest Bay where there is a large car park (pay and display) but you could easily walk the 1.5 miles along the coast from Porthcawl centre and it looks a lovely walk through a network of paths that sit above the rocky coastline.
On leaving Rest Bay, I passed Lucie the land train just arriving, so she could be your answer to travelling between Porthcawl and Rest Bay too.
There’s an Elmer sculpture trail hitting the street of Belfast this summer: 20th June -31st August. Read all about when the Elmers headed to Suffolk.
Caerphilly Snoopy Sculptures
After leaving Porthcawl, I drove to Caerphilly, where I had just enough time to visit the castle for its last hour of opening before searching out the dogs.
I had already established that the Caerphilly Snoopys had no time restrictions on access, so starting the Caerphilly section of the Snoopy sculpture trail in the evening after a visit to the castle and dinner at the gatehouse restaurant (another excellent meal) worked absolutely fine.
With Bore Da Snoopy out of commission when I visited, there were only 5 big lads to locate and they were all very close together along a linear route, so it didn’t take too long to see them all.
Starting with Rubix cube inspired Snoopix at Castle Court Shopping Centre; moving on to bright and cheerful Welsh Wildflowers outside the tourist information centre and café; then the second bright red dragon Snoopy on the trail Quit Dragon Your Heels overlooking the castle; before going up the hill to the station past Daffadog who is emblazoned with daffodils, the national flower of Wales, all the Snoopys in Caerphilly are bold and vibrant designs.
The Snoopy sculpture trail in Caerphilly ends by the station with a Cwtch (hug/cuddle). This Snoopy has a far gentler coat of warm hearts and floral patterns in pinks and lilacs on a white background. On his ear is the Welsh word for love: ‘Cariad’. I couldn’t think of a better Snoopy to finish my whirlwind A Dog’s Trail experience, feeling all the love for these kinds of sculpture trails and the fun and excitement they bring.
I can’t believe I didn’t think to take up this pose with any of the Snoopys before now! I’m glad I got one in however.
Giraffes are heading to Edinburgh this summer – see how cool the giraffes sculptures are from Worcester in 2018.
A Dog’s Trail Farewell Event
If you miss seeing Snoopy out on the streets, then for the first and only time, all 40 of the large Snoopy sculptures will go on display together on Cardiff City Hall lawn from 17th – 19th June 2022. It’s the last blast farewell weekend to say goodbye to the pups before they head off to auction on 21st June at the Coal Exchange, then onward to their forever homes.
You can book a 45-minute time slot to visit all the Snoopys and bump noses with your favourites just one last time. You can get your tickets here priced at £5 adults, £4 concessions and £3 children. All funds raised will of course go to Dogs Trust.
The mini sculptures will be returned to the schools and groups who painted them for them to keep.
Get in Touch!
Have you been out on the Snoopy sculpture trail too and how many Snoopys have you’ve found? Which is your favourite? Drop me a line in the comments below as I’d love to hear your thoughts on the trail.
You have until Sunday 5th June to see these fantastic hounds, so if you’re looking for something to do over the half term holiday and Jubilee celebrations week, this could be right up your alley.
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Further Reading:
If like me you’re a fan of following sculpture trails then why not check out these previous trails. They’re such a great way of exploring a new place.
The 2022 Ipswich Owls on “The Big Hoot” trail |
Derby Rams in 2021 | North Norfolk Book Benches in 2021 | Burton Swans in 2020 |
The 2018/19 Snowman trails in Manchester, London & Middlesbrough
Ipswich Elmers in 2019 | Worcester Giraffes in 2018 | Nottingham Robins in 2018 |
Ironbridge Ducks in 2018
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6 COMMENTS
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Deborah Sanderson | 30th May 22
We collected 106 and I have been on 2 visits. First time most were in Cardiff and so easier to walk around (but some had been damaged and people allowing children to climb on them!)
2nd visit knew what we were doing and it was nice to see them in Roath park although it was raining and horrible.
Big Snoopy fan so will be watching the auction in case any are in my price bracket. Tally was my favourite, I liked the simplicity.
Tilly Jaye Horseman | 31st May 22
Wow, you’ve done well to collect that many! Nice one! Sounds like your first trip was before the sculptures were moved. I would have loved to have seen them in their original locations. It’s just such a shame that this trail received so much vandalism. I’m always impressed at how much gets raised at auction. I’ll keep my fingers crossed you manage to snaffle up a Snoopy! Thank you for leaving a comment x
Jenn | 29th May 22
I saw them at Easter. It’s much better when there are a few all in one place. They were spread all over a huge area in Cardiff with a few out on their own over large distances, so that was a pain. One or two had damage, and a few hadn’t been placed. I loved looking for them.
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Tilly Jaye Horseman | 29th May 22
Thanks for getting in touch Jenn. I have to say – it did mean I could see more of them this time as I had limited time in Cardiff, but I do generally prefer it when they are all in different locations and you do have to kinda seek them out. I feel a greater sense of satisfaction when I find them then. I do agree though that it’s difficult to get to far flung locations if you’re on foot. It does help having a car in those situations that’s for sure. x
Lois Cordelia | 28th May 22
This is a truly heartwarming read, especially after all the vandalism that ths particular trail experienced. x x x
Tilly Jaye Horseman | 29th May 22
Aw, that’s lovely to hear. It’s such a shame about all the vandalism. I don’t remember that happening with the Snowdogs there back in 2017. Now that was a fabulous trail to follow. xx