Insight Newport south wales

[Sparklybutold]

Posting for traffic. My family and I are relocating to Newport south wales. Anyone have any recommendations - where's best to live, where's best to avoid, places to go, primary and secondary schools, nurseries, all insight muchly appreciated 😁

I live in Newport (Rogerstone) and really like it. The primary’s and secondary (Bassaleg) are all excellent and there’s a lovely sense of community. Locally Rogerstone has great transport links with 2 train stations and plenty of amenities and local parks. Shopping wise we don’t tend to visit the city centre (it’s a bit grim) but everyone uses Spytty or Cardiff. The kids do get taught Welsh up until GCSE but it’s not a main focus, a non welsh speaker will get along fine. Other areas in Newport that are nice are Caerleon, Ridgeway (not such a good school catchment) Bassaleg and Rhiwderin. I’d suggest coming for a wander and to get a feel for the areas. And please don’t let other posters put you off- I’ve lived in many uk cities and settled here as my DH is from Newport but I’ve been surprised by how much we like it.

I agree with @Chattydolls. All the posters saying to choose Cardiff over Newport are not factoring in the difference in cost. I would suggest Rogerstone or Bassaleg as the primary and secondary schools are excellent and the housing, while not cheap, is good. They are also the closest to Cardiff which is where everyone goes to shop.
Rogerstone is not in Newport itself and is surrounded by lovely countryside. There are also 2 train stations with direct trains to Cardiff.
I work in education in the Newport/Cardiff area and the only secondary schools I would consider are Cardiff High(very restricted and expensive catchment), Bassaleg or Caerleon. Definitely avoid all other Cardiff east schools as they are truly dire. With the exception of Bassaleg, Caerleon and St Joseph’s (Roman Catholic) all Newport secondaries serve very deprived catchments and reflect this in their outcomes and pupil behaviour.

It is sought after but that because it's a lovely place to live. 15 mins from Cribbs or Spytty, easy access to M4 and M5, a stones throw from some lovely countryside. Loads of local woodland walks, some lovely restaurants, river, racecourse and castle.

Oh and not forgetting the landmark jacket potato 😆

www.chepstowbeacon.co.uk/news/move-over-gherkin-its-the-giant-baked-potato-609201

Secondary schools I've already mentioned below (Chepstow School on the Welsh side and Whitecross on the English - J K Rowling went here).

There are 4 really good primary schools (one is RC but they are not strict about entry) and a couple of nurseries.

It's a nice place for children to grow up in imo

I feel I should stand up for my home city , I agree with the poster who said the city centre has been completely destroyed by out of town shopping and the internet . It’s a terrible shame as the architecture of the buildings is stunning and in all fairness the city centre is trying hard to improve but like a lot of other cities there is a lot of boarded up shops and a general feeling of poverty . I went to a another city last week which was far dirtier and run down in places than Newport . If you know where to live in Newport you will have a good quality of life and the house we have is a beautiful Victorian townhouse which we could never afford in Cardiff . I have posted some photos of my local area as I feel people only think of Newport as the run down place where they come to renew their passports.

But if I understand Ops link correctly her DH will be working near junction 28 which is a big difference from 24 in terms of travel. I've not commuted that way for a while, and road layouts have changed, so can't speak for within Newport, but in terms of the m4 in general the brynglas tunnels (between j 26 and 25) are notorious for traffic hold ups so I'd be wary about going east of Newport if he works that far west.

Good point @Simplelobsterhat

Fair play @Daisyhillsareblooming

The newer estate in Coedkernew (not Duffryn!) used to be nice when it was first built - handy for Asda and Tredegar House/Park, easy to drive to Cardiff through St Mellons, and right on the M4. Not sure if that's still the case though.

Schools-wise, Bassaleg is the best in Newport but hugely oversubscribed. St Joseph's would be next best but is Catholic so limited unless you are. Caerleon is better than it was when it was put in special measures, but it's still pretty run down. Education in Wales is not the same as it is in England so you may want to do a bit more reading around curriculums.

I'd also add that we lived in Newport for a bit and barely ever went into the centre. We went to Cardiff or Cwmbran for shopping, so the state of the "city" centre had no effect on our lives. Newport's leisure centre and the Riverfront arts centre put on good events though, so it's certainly not all bad.

Some people just think Newport = homeless people in tents by the underpass.

West bacc can be completed in English and those not choosing Welsh at gcse do a short course. In most cases of short course students generally do not speak fluent welsh.
Newport itself is not very nice I fact the town Center is quite rough. I would look more towards np11 and np12. Wattsville and Cwmfelinfach are lovely also Blackwood but particularly Pontllanfraith notably around The Bryn. Bryn lane and Forest Hill and surrounding streets have 60s built houses whereas the other villages have older houses usually terraced. Avoid Risca at all costs I know someone will call me out but I’ve not had a good experience of it.
also you might get the children an nhs dentist but it’s unlikely for adults. I recommend smile at Newbridge l. Good luck x

Also always go to Cardiff never Newport shopping park At David’s centre in John Lewis car park or catch the train. Pleasant journey.

I'm looking at relocating to South Wales as my partner lives there, i can work remotely and i can get a house 2x the size for the same money as where i am now. However, he will not live in Newport or Port Talbot, he's from slightly North of Cardiff.

As others said, look at some close villages - you have a good budget!!

He did his whole education in Welsh and his mum teaches in a Welsh speaking primary school, it's a fascinating language but it's not for me 😂

Just a thought because I don't know about schools but my DS works in Cardiff and bought a house in Barry, which is handy for trains because you can get straight in to Cardiff/Newport and it's not as expensive for housing as Cardiff and parts of Monmouthshire.

Chepstow traffic is awful, a real bottleneck , town centre looks quite run down.
Monmouth is much nicer. Caerleon, Usk, Basseleg , are OK Abergavenny is nice. Personally I wouldn’t touch Valley towns like Oakwood, Blackwood. Look at Risca maybe?

As you can see the Newport area is awful!

As you can see the Newport area is awful!

Those places look lovely but personally there are quite a few places in Newport I wouldn't choose to live in.

That's why OP is asking.

I choose to live in Cardiff despite the price differential.

Some posters are talking about places in Newport they love tbh.

in the Newport area I should say

@sunglassesonthetable the same horrible areas as City road Cardiff, Splott and the students parts of Roath . Cardiff which is a lot better than Newport still has a problem with empty shops and dirty areas the same as most cities now . I lived in Cardiff for years and it’s not that amazing especially after 4pm on a Saturday afternoon when the whole city centre is taken over by drunks running around screaming .

the same horrible areas as City road Cardiff, Splott and the students parts of Roath . Cardiff which is a lot better than Newport still has a problem with empty shops and dirty areas the same as most cities now . I lived in Cardiff for years and it’s not that amazing especially after 4pm on a Saturday afternoon when the whole city centre is taken over by drunks running around screaming .

Totally.

Which is probably why no one has recommended those areas.

This isn't a race to the bottom.

But I'd still choose Cardiff over Newport.

@Sparklybutold

I think it's about whether you want to go more rural/village/valleys small town

In which case there have been lots of suggestions.

Or larger urban centre

In which case I'd go Cardiff.

Good Luck OP 👍🏻 Hope it works out.

I spent my teenage years drinking in Newport and grew up in Chepstow. I wouldn't live there if someone gave me a house for free. Suggesting monmouthshire areas - chepstow, caldicot, Magor, monmouth - all lovely places but please consider where your husband is working. The traffic around there and the queues that build up on the M4 are horiffic and he needs to factor in what time he starts work. I would look at houses east of Newport towards Cardiff instead. If he travels out of rush hour and he isn't bothered by a longer commute then Monmouthshire is lovely, you won't get a house like the Blackwood one for your budget if you start looking at the nicer villages though. Tintern, Shirenewton, St Arvans, Devauden all absolutely lovely.

OP if your DH is working at Cleppa Park Park then concentrate your search on Newport West and East Cardiff.

Areas to look at Bassaleg, Rhwiderin, Lower Machen, Marshfield, Perterstone, nicer parts of St Mellons.

I'd forget Blackwood it's not at all nice and the commute would take an age. In fact I'd recommend avoiding the valley towns not because there's anything wrong with them but because if you're not used to valley living you'll struggle to adjust.

I think valley living has changed a lot in the past few years, it has in my area anyway. Lots of people from outside the area (some even from England )call this village home and haven't had any issues adjusting to valley life!

I think since the Severn bridge tolls went quite a few people have moved out here due to house prices being cheaper. Sirhowy country park in the doorstep and proximity to the M4 has made the valleys village I'm in more popular.

Just horrific 😁

Beautiful photos ♥️