Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom

with Group Travel, on 28 February 2014

Today we were off to Cardiff in Wales. We arrived at Group Travel HQ in Audnam, Stourbridge at about 8am, ready for our 8.30am departure. This was a freebie coach trip for me, as the Ancient Assistant won it in a competition during their reunion trip to Liverpool. Well, I get to benefit and on this visit to Cardiff we planned to visit the Doctor Who Experience.

We had a few minutes to kill so I took a look through the Group Travel brochure, they do some nice trips around the UK and to Europe (I'd know, I've been on several!) as well as great day trips throughout the year! Check them out! Tell them TourGuideTed sent you - I don't even get commission!

   

As soon as the coach pulled up outside we headed out to it. Our driver was Mick and he was right on time. It was a bit drizzly (we'd checked and the weather forecast was only twenty percent rain, so presumably this was the fifth of the day we were gonna get it). I wouldn't have minded but the assistants forgot my raincoat (again!) We were the last to get on the bus and the seats weren't assigned so, as the back row was available, we grabbed it. Plenty of room for two humans and a bear.

   

I ate breakfast on the coach, pickled onion Monster Munch, which were lovely and it wasn't long before we arrived at the Services. We stopped for half an hour at Strensham Services – just time for a Bacon and Egg McMuffin and a hash brown (slightly undercooked and didn't there used to be lots of little ones?) I also had a latte, which was surprisingly nice considering this was McDonalds (haven’t been for a while). I suppose breakfast for a fiver isn’t bad these days, though it seemed a tad overpriced to me! They were soooooo slow too - it took ages to be served (even though there was only one person in front of us) and once I had my breakfast there were about ten behind! It's bizarre considering this is supposed to be fast food. There's a nice WHSmith shop too, with some cute teddies on sale (we don't need any more). They also have a Cotton Traders, which is where my assistants get their slip-on travel shoes (handy for the airport). They had them on offer for £17.50 but for now the assistants are well stocked! I did look at the doughnuts, but was advised I didn't need one - what's that about? Hmph!

   

We got back on the bus for the next leg of our journey. I was working on my website and we seemed to be in Cardiff in no time at all – ahead of schedule at 11.35am. Driver Mick said he’d pick us up at 4pm and off we went. It was a bit cold and rainy – did I mention the assistants forgot my raincoat? – anyway, we set off for the Doctor Who Experience.

 

I hadn’t read up much about where it was or how to get there, after all this is THE BIGGEST thing to hit Cardiff since the Castle. I just knew it would be signposted everywhere. Which turned out to be a rather unfortunate assumption on my part. Nope. No signs AT ALL, except one (when we could already see our destination!) I thought I'd try the next best thing, trying Google Maps on the phone, but that kept trying to send us to the Doctor Who Exhibition at the Red Dragon Centre (while also telling us it was closed!) I kept telling it no, I didn't want to go there, I wanted the Doctor Who Experience! When it said it knew what that was - it even linked me to their website - I figured this was progress and we set off. Big mistake, as I suddenly realised that we'd arrived at the Red Dragon Centre. Arrgghhh!! It was still raining too.

So, we went back to the DWE website which gave directions from a car park. Terrific help that. Well, we could see the car park, but couldn’t get to it without doubling back to the main road, where we also spotted Cardiff Bay station. Hmm (filed for reference). We aimed for the waterfront, or at least, where we thought the waterfront probably was, as the sat nav was having none of it, though we could follow our position on Google Maps.

   

We got directions, which was pretty much go outside and walk till you reach the water - it's the silver tube in front of you! Sigh. We headed outside and passed the National Assembly building, before finally spotting the Doctor Who Experience (DWE). It was then that we spotted the first signpost to the DWE. Brilliant planning as, by this point, we were looking at it! Grrrrr. What's the deal Cardiff? It's ludicrous - there weren't even any mentions on the road signs - how is anyone supposed to find this place?

It took about forty-five minutes to get there - probably 35 minutes if you know where you're going! We spotted a bus stop outside as we arrived, with a bus headed back to the city centre, so we figured that was a possibility for our return journey. I have to say, the parking must be pretty bad in Cardiff - look where the Doctor has to park his TARDIS, and he’s in Cardiff a lot so must know the best places. I should think it's a bit dodgy at high tide though!

   

We headed inside at just about 12.30pm. A notice at the desk said the remaining tours today were at 12.30 and 12.50. When I'd checked they were running all day, so maybe the later tours were sold out? Good job we arrived when we did! After the fuss we'd had getting there, we'd have been really annoyed if we couldn't do the tour! We had looked at booking online, but instead of the usual online booking discount these were a reduced price, with an additional booking fee! - cheek! It's part of the reasoning behind the dropped Ted. We don't like being ripped off, so decided to buy the tickets on the day. Luckily, we didn't have a problem. In fact, the 12.30pm tour was just starting so we were able to join the back of the line and go straight in.

   

Unfortunately, no photographs are allowed in the experience part, so I'm having to tell you the highlights from memory (you know how good that is!). Although really targetted at children it was kinda fun, particularly if you are a fan of the show. I haven't seen too much with the eleventh Doctor so I missed a couple of references, but you get the general gist of it, even if you are only a part-time fan. Or not a fan at all. As I understand it, the experience part will be closed for six weeks later in the year as they change over from Matt Smith's Doctor and his experiences to Peter Capaldi's new Doctor. So, if you don't go soon, you won't see this anyway! (Phew! You'll never know I made it all up!) Besides, I don't want to tell you too much, you have to go look for yourself.

We didn't get off to a great start - there were only a couple of benches, so as folks didn't shove up there wasn't enough room to sit down, at least not without sitting in front of stickies who then wouldn't be able to see (they were on the same level). So, we stood at the back, which gave us a better view of the screen, though it was a bit disappointing to find a big tear right through the middle of it! There was then an introductory film of the Eleventh Doctor (Matt Smith) - not my favourite Doctor (I haven't really been able to watch him much at all).

Suddenly, all became clear as the screen split in two (along the crack) and we were invited to head into an intergalactic exhibition hall. Unfortunately, we hadn't really had time to study the exhibits with our electronic guide before the Doctor interrupted - the Daleks had him confined and he needed the TARDIS. Though we weren't his first choice of assistants, we were all he had, so it was down to us! Even if he did condescendingly refer to us as shoppers. Cheek! The TARDIS materialised in the corner and the doors were thrown open. It really is bigger on the inside!

There weren't too many of us on this tour, which probably made it better as the entire group could gather around the central console. With some help from the Doctor, and some levers to pull we were able to get the TARDIS into motion! Suddenly the Daleks were after us and we had to leave through the back exit (no, I didn't know the TARDIS had one either!)

As we ran through the corridor we spotted a couple of Daleks and suddenly we were confronted by a large white Dalek and his pals. You know what they're like, they got all excitable and exterminatey and kept saying how they were going to kill the humans, so I didn't worry too much. They never mentioned exterminating teddies so I figured I could make a dash for it!

With a little Doctor intervention, we did escape, past a number of the Weeping Angels. Unfortunately, they didn't take full advantage in here and instead of making these get closer with light effects (which would have been really cool and a little scary) the statues were just static then lit up. They never got any closer even though I kept blinking just to see. Missed a trick in this part if you ask me!

The final part was a 3-D movie with the obligatory glasses that don't fit. I'm not a fan of 3-D as it really doesn't impress me at all, just annoys me with the stupid glasses. There were a variety of enemies of the Doctor shown, inlcuding Daleks,Cybermen, Weeping Angels and more.

SPOILER ALERT!!! Suddenly the Doctor was free (I forget how) but what a relief (hope that didn't spoil it for anyone!) Anyway, it meant that he no longer needed our services (and he didn't need our shopping) so we were released into the static exhibition.

I can understand not letting you take pictures or filming it as it would weaken the appeal. It's pretty fun and while not really interactive, it is reasonably absorbing, especially for the younger audience. I’m sure Doctor Who fans will enjoy it too, though they might recognise some of the footage. It’s nicely done and, while not spectactular in a Disney way, it’s fun and engaging. Well I thought so.

We exited out into the static exhibition. They missed a bit of a trick here in that there must be fifty years of historic artefacts to be had and a lot of the stuff here is from the more modern era, but not everything. There are early season heroes and villains. I've included a lot of photos here (I couldn't decide what to leave out!) but seeing some of these things for real is truly amazing. If you're a fan, you should see these for yourself.

The exhibition starts with each Doctor's costume, from one to ten (ignoring John Hurt's Doctor). Each costume has a precis of the Doctor's character and how his clothes reflected his personality. We had William Hartnell, Patrick Troughton, Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker, with K-9.

     

Then we had Peter Davison, Colin Baker, Sylvester McCoy and movie Doctor, Paul McGann.

     

This movie eventually led to the relaunch of the show with Christopher Eccleston, David Tennant (my favourite!) and Matt Smith.

   

In addition to the Doctor's costumes, they have some of the lead characters and companions here too. There's River Song, Amy and Rory as well as Donna, Martha, Captain Jack and Rose. They even had the Tenth Doctor's pyjamas in the centre of the picture, below right.

   

They have several TARDIS interior consoles present. Below left is the replica of William Hartnell's TARDIS created for An Adventure in Space and Time, the docu-drama created for the 50th Anniversary about the first years of Doctor Who. Below centre is the TARDIS interior for the Ninth and Tenth Doctors. During the Tenth Doctor's regeneration, explosions and rubble caused a lot of damage to the interior. Although it has been somewhat cleaned up, it still shows some of signs of the regeneration. The console below right was first seen in The Five Doctors episode in 1983, the first upgrade since the initial console of 1963. It then went on to be used by the Fifth, Sixth and Seventh Doctors.

   

Below left is the actual 1980s studio TARDIS (they had another that could be dismantled and taken to location). It was used for the Fourth to Seventh Doctors. As we headed upstairs to the second level exhibition, I grabbed a couple of group shots of the costumes earlier described.

   

Upstairs is more about the villains of Doctor Who. Each of the monsters have an explanation of who there are, where they appeared and when. The Ood, below left was familiar, but some of the next group less so (to me), though I did recognise the Ice Warrior (they are Abzorbaloff, Winder, Silurians and Varga, leader of the Ice Warriors). The Face of Boe was there too, below right.

   

I had to get this shot with one of assistant Di's personal favourites, K:-1, the Giant Robot (below left). She claims to have met him in Blackpool, England many years ago (maybe the '70s) at a Doctor Who Exhibition held there way back in Victorian times. Ouch! She says the 1970s, not the 1870s. Well, she looks old enough. Maybe I should try putting her in the Cyber Conversion Unit, though how they'd tell her emotions had been purged I couldn't tell you! The chap, below right, is a member of The Silence, who can erase your memories of having seen them, so maybe they weren't there at all. I can't remember.

   

There are five Cyberman heads on display. Below centre is a reproduction of the first Cyberman of 1966. The head, below right is an original Cyberman from the 1980s.

   

The next part was pretty exciting! I got to climb all over a deactivated Dalek! There used to be a person sitting inside the Dalek costume, operating the sucker arm, gunstick and eye stalk. I got to wave the two arms around as well as sitting on his head. My Twitter pal @TabithaTeddy loves Daleks and asked me to give one a hug, so I did! I only have little arms, so it's tricky but no, I am not kissing the top of his head!

   

   

They have a selection of Daleks, starting with their creator, Davros. This is a refurbished original model and I have to say, it's pretty scary, even when it's not moving. The two, below right, are from 1963 and 1967. They were intended to be totally alien from humans and proved very popular over the years. These early models have formed the template for later models.

   

Below left, there is a 1984 refurbished original Dalek and is of a type seen throughout the 1970s and 1980s. He is joined by a Special Weapons Dalek from 1988, which contains a disintegrator cannon. The two below centre are from the modern Doctor Who series. The more tank-like armoured version arose in the 2005 story Dalek. The yellow Dalek is much bigger, having been regenerated from original Dalek DNA. I look forward to more Dalek stories to see how they progress. Despite my trepidation, Davros is a legend, so I had to get my photo taken with him.

   

I decided, below left, to join this chained Weeping Angel and the Cherubs to see if I could make it in their company. After all, I can't actually blink so they can't sneak up on me, unlike those weak, pesky humans! Seems I survived. They had a small selection of TARDISes (TARDI?) and you can see how they are not as alike as you thought! Good enough though I guess, don't suppose they are often in the same scene together - who'd notice? The creature (below right) is a Zygon (took me a lot of thinking to bring his name to mind as there was no sign up.) They first appeared in 1975, but were only mentioned, not shown, in the new Doctor Who series, until the fiftieth anniversary episode The Day of the Doctor.

   

Towards the end of the exhibition there are sections on make-up, costume and sound. The first two are very small with little explanation, although maybe these will expand over time. The sound area was a little more developed with some headphones available and a five-minute documentary about Delia Derbyshire, her role with the BBC's Radiophonic Workshop, particularly the original Doctor Who theme.

There's a small exhibit of Time Lord costumes (below left), with one for the Master in the centre. I had to take the picture of one of my all time favourite Doctor Who characters, Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart (played by Nicholas Courtney). His photo was on a board of many many characters but he stood out for me. Suddenly, I got an eerie feeling I was being watched and my fluff ran cold. I made a run for it, out of the exhibition and into the shop. On looking back at my photos later it seems I was right to make a quick exit. Yikes! I hadn't even spotted this guy! Phew! That was a close call.

   

We exited the exhibition and into the shop. There's not a bad range of merchandise there, from the Doctor Who branded toys you can find everywhere (including sonic screwdrivers for the different Doctors), to a variety of t-shirts, robes and even baby clothes. I noticed a distinct lack of teddy bears and, of course, there was no teddy t-shirt on offer! Boooooo! There are also collectibles and the usual cheaper mugs, pens and badges and the like. There is most certainly something for everyone with merchandise for children and older Doctor Who fans, with badges from a pound to items for many many pounds! You can easily spend as much - or as little - as you like, and we found much of the merchandise available elsewhere was selling for a competitive price, not with a huge mark-up.

We left the shop to go back downstairs to the foyer. Here there is a cafe which, during our visit, was pretty quiet. There is a decent range of food and drink on offer, however it did seem fairly pricey. I can't comment on the quality as we didn't eat there, but they did at least offer vegetarian options, snacks, cakes and even cream teas. Having paid £15 per adult to go into the exhibition, you might want to grab some lunch back in town.

Another blast from assistant Di's past was found here. We'd seen it as we entered, but didn't have time to stop. Now there was time to get a photo or two with the Third Doctor's motor car, Bessie, providing transportation for this mostly Earth-bound Doctor. It was first seen in 1970, but was used by the Fourth and Seventh Doctors as well. It's a shame you can't sit it in, but they say it's very fragile at more than forty years old (like my assistant!) According to my other assistant Paul (maybe I should start referring to them as companions, Doctor Who-style?), the car is not actually a veteran car, but from modern cars of the time.

   

Also in the foyer area is half of a triceratops. Made for the Dinosaurs on a Spaceship episode you can see how big it is - it had to be as Matt Smith, Rory and Rory's dad would ride it in the episode. The whole thing is on a trolley so it could be moved around set. It's pretty cool, I think, but then I love dinosaurs. Overall, we gave the Doctor Who Experience (DWE) four Teds, which is a good score! The difficulty of finding it, the lack of signposts, the relatively high price of entry (especially with the online ticket agents) means it was a little less than perfect). That said, it was well worth it - it takes about two and a half to three hours, depending how keen you are, but well worth a visit.

   

Done with the exhibition, we headed outside. At least it had stopped raining! As we did, the City Centre bus passed us, so we figured a bus back into the city wasn't in our future. We retraced our steps back towards the Millenium Centre. Here is the SINGLE signpost in Cardiff that we found (pedestrian or car) to the Doctor Who Experience so I thought you should see it. It's about 100 yards from the building. Sigh.

Below centre is the Norwegian Church Arts Centre. The Church was founded in 1868 as Norwegian ships shipped Scandinavian timber into Wales for pit props. After World War II, mining declined and demand for timber fell. It finally closed in 1974 before falling into disrepair. Money was raised locally and in Norway, under President author Roald Dahl, to dismantle and rebuild in this location, opening in 1992. Cardiff Authority took over management in 2006, with further refurbishment enabling re-opening in 2011. There are now function rooms, exhibition space and a coffee shop.

Below right is a memorial statue to Ivor Novello of Cardiff, a stage and film actor of the early 1900s as well as composer of songs and musicals and writer of comedies.

   

We walked back past the Welsh National Assembly but preferred the look of this lovely old listed building, the Pierhead. It was built for the Bute Docks Company in 1897. We didn't go inside, owing to time constraints, but from the outside it's amazing.

   

Below left is Mermaid Quay, with its cafes and shops. I'd imagine it's buzzing in the summer but it was pretty quiet while we were there. I assume the sea comes into the quay at high tide and this area fills with water. We walked up the street and into Cardiff Bay station. We'd seen it on the way down from the city, and saw there was some kind of shuttle train into the city. We took a look and it was just a couple of minutes to wait so we figured it was worth it - wherever it went! No, we knew it went to Queen Street as it said so on the timetable. We hopped on the train and paid the conductor onboard - just £1.70 per human. We checked the map on the phone and were happy as Queen Street Station was virtually at one end of the road where we had to meet the coach.

TGTips
If you are visiting Cardiff and you are by the Castle, but want to see Cardiff Bay - and a mile walk is too much (it is for me!) then just go to the end of Queen Street and turn right. There's a railway station there Cardiff Queen Street which will take you to Cardiff Bay in one stop. Seems it just goes back and forth, several times an hour!


   

It was just after 3pm when we arrived - we had just under an hour to get to the coach stop. We dipped into a Sainsburys Local to buy lunch - a hot sausage roll for me, which was very welcome. It only took about ten minutes to get back to our starting point so assistant Paul thought we should test some local beer. He studied at Cardiff University (back in the Dark Ages) so had tried some before! We headed around the corner and found a pub opposite this little church.

   

We popped into the Owain Glyndwr pub and they had several local beers on offer. They were very nice and offered me a sample of two beers from Mantle Brewery, based in Cardigan. I tried the Rock Steady golden session ale, which was 3.8%. It was a lighter beer, but the flavour was a little strong for me. Instead, I chose the 4.5% (no, I didn't know) Cwrw Teifi best bitter (and don't ask me to pronounce it!) Paul, however, wanted a glass of Brains Beer. They had Brains SA, a 4.2% best bitter which is one of their most famous ales.

     

It was soon time to return to the coach and as we were crossing the road, we saw Mick and the coach arrive. Great timing. Even the sun was out (a little bit, but it was there!) I took a couple of photos of our coach and Mick was thrilled when I asked him to have his photo taken with me! You can see from the photo he was overjoyed.

   

I spread out for a nap on the back seat for our return journey. We stopped at Strensham Services again and spotted this Brum ride-in car. It reminded me so much of Bessie back at the exhibition I just had to get a photograph. I even persuaded assistant Paul to buy me a snack to keep me going! I love Cadburys Dairy Milk.

   

We arrived back at Group Travel House at just before 7pm. We'd had a great day, despite Cardiff's best efforts to hide the Doctor Who Experience from us! All in all it was a great day, all run to time just as Group Travel had said. I know we got the bus ride as a freebie competition win, but that just made it even better. The visit to the Doctor Who Experience was well worth it and there was just enough time for that and some lunch. Saves driving!

TourGuideTed