Talybont South student guide

Hello new resident of Talybont South or Talybont Court!

First off, we are the Residence Life Team, and we would like to congratulate you for securing a place to study here at Cardiff University, and more importantly for deciding to live in Talybont. For your information, Talybont is probably the most popular university accommodation in the whole of Cardiff! Even if Talybont was not your first choice, we are here to ensure that you have a wonderful, happy, healthy, and safe time here with us.

The following is a guide to what it is like to live in Talybont. It has been written and developed by students, like yourself, who have lived in university accommodation and know what it is like. It includes things like what you should expect living here, what we expect of you living here, an answer to general queries, and some tips and secrets to make your time with us at Talybont as memorable as possible! 

One very important thing before we move on: the proper Welsh pronunciation for Talybont is Tal-uh-bont not Tal-ee-bont! Visit this link to listen to the proper pronunciation: https://forvo.com/word/talybont/

Site map

Talybont comprises four different halls: Gate, North, South, and Court. The four ‘Talys’ are organised longitudinally – from top to bottom, with a road that cuts half-way through. At the top, there is Taly Gate followed by Taly North. Then, you have the bisecting road. After it you have Taly South followed by Taly Court. 

Shortcuts

Shortcut through Taly South:
There is a pathway that starts between houses 4 and 5 in Taly South, leads you behind house 6, and opens between house 18 and the laundry. 

Residence facilities

*Please note that although most of the flats in Talybont are mixed gender, there are FEMALE ONLY flats and LGBTQ+ flats. As such, please ask for permission before entering a flat and ensure you are respectful towards all of its residents. *

One of our RLAs has done a handy tour of a Talybont ensuite room. Check it out below!

What to expect when you arrive

From Residences, you will receive your Residence card and your room key (Talybont Court) or card (Talybont South). Your Residence card will display your name, halls address, and your catering status. From the university, you will receive your Student ID, which will display your name, picture, student number, course, and date of graduation. Please make sure you carry all three, your Student ID, Residence card, and room key/card with you at ALL TIMES. Residence Life will be leaving (amongst other things) a handy lanyard to help keep your cards safe in your rooms when you move in!



Talybont Social Centre



The Talybont Social Centre is a free-to-use social space in Talybont for students to use. It is located right at the bottom of Talybont North, marked by the 'C' on the map.

It has got seating spaces and tables where you can sit and enjoy hanging out with your friends. Moreover, there is a facility inside the centre to play free table tennis or snooker! There are proper study pods available too; you can study in such pods if you do not want to study in your room or do not wish to walk far to reach the nearest library.

Other than that, you can get free coffee, tea and biscuits (specific times, usually from 6-9pm) from Residence Life while you are studying or chatting with your friends. You will also find the Residence Life Assistants (RLAs) in the Social Centre at those times and can ask about any issues, personal or regarding the accommodation, and they will redirect you to the right university services to help solve your concern. 

There are regular small events organised by the Residence Life Team, and they are all free of charge (mostly requiring a free online ticket purchase). You can attend them and enjoy your time in Talybont North. There are also periodical visits by other teams (for example the Students' Union) who may set up an information desk for an awareness campaign for student life. 



*To enter the Talybont social centre, you need to scan your student ID (the one with your picture) against the card scanner outside the door. Residence and room cards do not work.

Laundry

There is a laundry building in the centre of Talybont South and a laundry room next to the reception in Talybont Court. Both of these facilities are open 24/7. You will need your house key (Taly Court) or card (Taly South) to enter. There are both washing machines and tumble dryers, and to use them you have to either download the Circuit application on your phone or buy a laundry card from reception. To use the Circuit app, you need to create an account and add funds to your account. A single wash costs £2.90 and a single dry costs £1.50. As the demand for laundry facilities is usually high, it is advisable that you check availability on the Cardiff Student app (although note that this may not be completely accurate all the time). 

To do laundry:

1. Select an available machine to use by scanning its QR code or manually entering the machine number on display. (Machines are numbered, so always check that the machine you scanned/entered its number is the one you are going to use). 
2. Make sure that the machine is empty. If there are any items of clothing left from the previous use, remove them and place them above the machine. 
3. (IF YOU ARE USING A DRYER, MAKE SURE TO CLEAN OUT THE LINT TRAP FOR OPTIMAL DRYING!)
4. Enter your load as per the instructions written on the machine/walls and close the machine door. 
5. Select your preferred cycle and start the machine. 
6. Note the time it takes for the cycle to finish. (Washing cycles tend to take 40 minutes and drying cycles 50 minutes. You can choose a super-wash cycle to wash your clothes faster). 
7. Return to pick up your clothes 5 minutes before they are due to finish, so as to empty the machine and make it available for the next person to use. (Make sure you are not late to pick up your load from the washing machine, as wet clothes start to smell if not dried soon after. Also, because it is disrespectful to keep your clothes in a machine when others could be waiting to use it). 

*When in the laundry room, make sure you are connected to Wi-fi or data to use the app

**If this is the first time doing laundry for yourself and your not very sure what to do (what colours to put together, what detergent to use, how much detergent to put etc., check out our article on doing laundry for the first time!)

If you are facing any issues while doing your laundry or there is a fault with the machines,  you can contact Circuit or try calling their helpline at 01422 820 040 (their websites states that advisers are available Mon-Fri: 8:30am-7pm and Sat-Sun: 8:30am-3pm). 



Post

Talybont Court reception can receive any mail or parcel sent to you via Royal Mail. For all other delivery couriers, reception cannot receive anything on your behalf, and you have to arrange with the courier to be there for collection. 

Once reception has received post on your behalf, you will be sent an email from reception informing you to go collect it. As part of the email, you will be given a collection number. You can collect post during reception working hours, which are Mon-Fri: 8am-6pm. To collect your post, you need to present your collection number, Student ID (or any form of ID with you picture), and Residence card.
You cannot collect post without presenting all three.

If you want to order anything from Amazon, luckily, at Talybont we have our very own Amazon Locker called Minsk. When choosing where you want your order delivered, choose it so that you don’t have to be in when the actual order arrives. Just make sure to collect your order within the time frame they tell you (usually a few days). However, not all orders can be picked up from an Amazon locker. (There is also another Amazon locker right next to the SU!).  

If you want to send post, these are some of the post offices nearby:

Students’ Union Post Office 

• This post office is located inside the Love Cardiff shop, on the ground floor of the Student’s Union.
• Opening times: Mon-Fri: 9am-5pm, Sat: 10am-4pm, Sun: closed. (Only open during term time).
• Cut off time is at 16:30 Monday-Friday and at 12:20 on Saturday. After this time your mails would go in the following days post.

Whitchurch Road Post Office

• Address: 100 Whitchurch Rd, Cardiff CF14 3LY
• Opening times: Mon-Fri: 9am-6pm, Sat: 9am-1pm, Sun: closed. 
• Phone: 029 2022 5959

Where to shop

Aldi
Around a 10-15-minute walk from Talybont, you can find almost all your essential goods at a much cheaper price than elsewhere. There is also a selection of non-essential goods, although not as varied as what you might find elsewhere. 

• Address: Unit B Batchelor Rd, Cardiff CF14 3AX
• Opening times: Mon-Sat: 8am-10pm, Sun: 10am-4pm
• Best thing: They have a huge selection of cereals that are really cheap!  

Tesco Extra
This Tesco is huge and has absolutely everything. 

• Address: Excelsior Estate, Excelsior Rd, Cardiff CF14 3AT
• Opening times: Normally opening 24/7 but closed between 10pm on Saturday 
• Best thing: There’s a bakery and it sometimes offers £1 pizzas (although they tend to finish quickly). They also offer cooked chicken breasts at £0.5 a piece and chicken wings £0.25 a piece. 

Tesco Express
This is the closest shop to Taly. It is quite small, although you will find what you are looking for. There is not much variety, so sometimes you may only find one variant of goods, which might be expensive.  

• Address: 2-3 Parkfield House, 149 North Rd, Cardiff, CF14 3BH
• Opening times: 7am-11pm every day. 
• Best thing: There is a Reduced section that tends to fill up around the time students are getting back from class. It contains things that are set to expire soon, although actually most things are still edible beyond their expiry date. The main Reduced section is inside next to the milk fridge. There is a smaller, lesser known Reduced section on the top shelf above the bread section. 

Lidl
Just down the road from Talybont, this Lidl is ideal for students living in Talybont Court particularly or if you need to do a big shop. As it is close to the university, you can always pop in for something quick. Its prices and offerings are very similar to Aldi’s, so it is cheap.

• Address: Maindy Rd, Cardiff CF24 4HQ
• Opening times: Mon-Sat: 8am-10pm, Sun: 11am-5pm.  
• Best thing: Few will disagree that the best thing about Lidl is its bakery. From cookies, to croissants, to cupcakes, to pizzas, their assortment is HEAVENLY… and quite cheap! Like Aldi, they also offer a wide selection of cheap and delicious cereals.  

Gym and sports facilities

For those of you looking to invest in a gym membership, check out our Gyms in Cardiff article here.

As for playing sports, you can try joining a sports club/society. Most of these sports club meet regularly to practise at the Cardiff University Sports Training Village in Talybont. Which is why it is ideal to pursue a sport while you are living in Talybont; as your training will be right next to your home. 

On the other hand, if you want to organise a sporting event privately for yourself and your friends, you can try booking one of the sport arenas/fields in Talybont for the sport of your choice. There are netball, football, rugby, and lacrosse courts spread around Taly North. These are normally locked, and access is only available to sport clubs and upon booking. However, there is an open basketball court (only half a court) in front of houses S and V in Taly North if you and your friends are up for some hoops! 

Do not forget that while living in Talybont, the beautiful Bute Park is pretty much in your back yard. It has numerous rugby and football fields, as well as running and cycling paths along the River Taff! Make the most of it while you are staying at Talybont! 

Things to consider for communal living

Lockouts

It is quite likely that you will find yourself locked out of your room/flat/building, at least once throughout the year. You might have lost your key/card on a night out, don’t know where you’ve left it, or forgotten it in your room before leaving. If you do find yourself in such a situation, DO NOT FRET and follow the instructions below. There will ALWAYS be someone to let you into your place (even at 4am)!

1. Call Security on 029 2087 4444. 
2. Give Security your full name, full address, tell them where you are, and where you are locked out from. (E.g. “Hello. My name is Tom Evans. I am a student, I lost my card, and cannot get into my house. I live in Talybont South, house 13, floor 1, flat 1, room 3. I am standing in front of my house.”)
3. Await instructions from Security. They will most likely tell you to wait in front of your house until help arrives or go to the Talybont Court Reception to have a new key/card issued for you.

*You will not be allowed into your house/flat/room or issued with a new key/card if you do not present both your Student ID and your Residence card. If you do not have both, you will be allowed into your room with Security to retrieve them and present them before the matter is resolved. Which is why it is crucial that you have both cards on you AT ALL TIMES. 

Maintenance issues

If you have any maintenance issues in your room or flat, such as: no cold/hot water, electricity sockets not working, kitchen appliances not working etc., please fill out the maintenance reporting form or contact Talybont Court Reception during working hours if urgent. If you need urgent out-of-hours assistance, contact Security. 

Contacts

Some of these contact numbers are present on the front and back of your Residence card (the one with your name and halls address). It is a good idea to save these contact numbers on your mobile phone. 

Talybont Court Reception

• Phone: 029 2087 0272
• Email: talybontcourt@cardiff.ac.uk
• Opening hours: Mon-Fri: 8am-6pm 

University Security Centre

• Phone: 029 2087 4444
• Available 24/7 

Student Connect

• Phone: 029 2251 8888

Cardiff Nightline

• Phone (available term time 8pm-8am): 02920 870555

• Instant Message (available term time 8pm-12am): 

https://cardiffnightline.co.uk/homeIM