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 😁

What are your thoughts on barry to live?

I have never lived in Newport but have visited- it seems to me that all the places mentioned to avoid are the ones that get name checked in Goldie Looking Chain songs.

Barry to Newport would be an awful commute. Barry also is pretty similar to Newport in areas.

I've lived in Newport and wouldn't move back there. The city centre is grim, most shops closed and full of beggars and homeless people. It's incredibly rough and has a drug problem. Welsh definitely compulsory in school to GCSE, but allowances made. Sure, there are some nice areas, but if you value shops all you've got is the out of town shops, so the usual M&S, H&M, Boots, George at Asda, not much more. I wouldn't move back there if you paid me.

Definitely concentrate on areas West of Newport: Rogerstone, (Bassaleg, High Cross, Mount Pleasant), Rhiwderin/Machen, Marshfield/Castleton.

Be careful heading further West into Cardiff- St Mellons, Llanrumney/ Rumney, I'm sure have their nicer bits but hit and miss.

Can I throw in a wild card! What about Rhondda Cynon Taff, in particular Pontyclun, Brynsadler, Miskin, Llantrisant areas. You are right by the M4 so great links for Cardiff, Newport and also Bridgend, Swansea. Prices slightly cheaper so potentially getting more for your money

I am wondering if many of the posters on this thread have ever actually lived in Newport or know anything about the house price differentials between Cardiff and Newport. We moved to Newport from Cardiff a few years ago with a young family, and we are happy here. We have a lovely period house with a great garden, walking distance from loads of parks and other activities, near to beaches and the brecons for weekend visits, in a good primary school catchment, made up plenty of local friends, and find both Cardiff and Bristol to be easily commutable. We lived in Cardiff for 10 years before moving, and despite earning decent professional wages we could not have afforded family sized house in any of the areas with good school catchments (particularly secondary) and the areas we could have afforded were further away from Cardiff city centre than we currently are living on the edge of allt-yr-yn! Our story of how we came to move here is far from unique as well, house price increases in Cardiff and Bristol are just insane nowaday and are driving people out.. I’d add also that Usk has become very expensive, and Abergavenny is lovely but you’re quite cut off from the M4 etc which may or may not be useful. Cwmbran and Machen secondaries are no better than Newport as far as I can see.

I live around 15 mins from Newport. Do not move there!

I've lived in Newport, and Pontllanfraith/Blackwood. That was pre children. I'd never move to Newport, but Blackwood/Pontllanfraith are fine.

Newport is one of those towns where I felt the violence just walking through the town centre. Its not a nice feeling.

Celtic horizons is a nice housing estate close to where your husband will be working but is near to Duffryn which is a large council estate. I lived there 10 years ago and had no problems but i would probably not return. Marshfield is nice and not too far. Basseleg/Rhiwderin/Machen are all ok. Pontprennau is a modern estate to the west of Cardiff, which might suit. Otherwise Rogerstone/parts of cwmbran would be ok too.

What’s wrong with the valleys? And you’ll find it is Oakdale. Not Oakwood.

Second Celtic Horizons. Marshfield, Bassaleg, Rogerstone all good for where your DH is working. East Cardiff hit and miss. Do you drive? Try St Brides.

Hi op sorry for late response, I didn’t see your question. My family has lived in the valleys for all of there lives and majority of my life and never had any issues. However, I have friends who moved to valleys from England with children. They had real problems settling the kids who were bullied quite badly in local schools for being English and for accents etc.
She and her husband struggled for a long time to make any friends and felt quite isolated. They left in the end.
I also feel conspicuous whenever I walk into local places having lived away for well over a decade.
it’s hard to explain really but there is a real sense of not belonging because you sound different.
Who knows maybe it gets better over time…

So - one of the houses we are thinking about is in Caerphilly. Any insight?

Hi OP. Never lived in Caerphilly but we aren't far away and I'd certainly consider living there. Seems like a nice small town, decent range of everyday shops and facilities, with Cardiff close by for more. Nice park, green spaces etc. People I know who live there seem to like it. I don't know much about the schools though.

Grew up on the other side of Caerphilly mountain. Don’t mind visiting, but the town is quite run down these days.

I think post pandemic and internet shopping all town centres are run down now, other than the touristy shopping centres towns. Bridgend, Swansea, Newport, Caerphilly, Port Talbot, Chepstow. All have run down town centres. Everyone I know goes to Cardiff or Bristol to shop, or does it online.

I wouldn’t move to central Newport. Rogerstone or parts of East Cardiff but I can’t comment on schools. Don’t go to Barry unless you want to spend your entire life sat in traffic.

There’s several lovely villages along the A48 between Celtic Manor and Chepstow- the bits just east to Celtic Manor Langstone look very nice. Caerleon is a decent little town. Caldicott I find a pain to get to by car.

Caerphilly looks nice enough but I’ve never lived there.

Also agree to others - I wouldn’t move to the valleys personally, I think you’ll find it hard moving from England. Nice people but tend to be a bit insular and not like the English.

I cant imagine there being that much anti English feeling in Caerphilly to be honest. It's not prime Welsh nationalist or Welsh language territory really. And it's too far south and therefore too much of a popular commuter town for Cardiff / Newport to be as insular as some valleys towns I think. Disclaimer - I don't live there, but not far away. In fact I popped to Caerphilly to the bank and a few shops recently (because it's quicker and easier than getting into Cardiff city centre for bank) and commented to Dh how I noticed how friendly and helpful people were in every shop. he agreed he'd noticed same when he had been there. I'm Welsh but don't sound it and he's English. Admittedly that's talking about customer service not neighbours etc though. It does make me sad that wales gets such an insular reputation on here sometimes.

Some of the villages north of Cardiff e.g Rudry or Draethen are nice and commutable to Newport.

Hi OP, I've lived in Caerphilly, Hengoed, Risca and Rogerstone. All decent places but obviously get some rougher areas, but looking at the links of the houses you're sharing and your budget I'm sure you won't be in any of the rougher areas.
Caerphilly is lovely but the traffic can be very busy as used for a cut through for commutes to Cardiff. Blackwood is decent. Rogerstone/Bassaleg would be the best options. Very safe and lots of nice countryside around. Both are a short commute to Cardiff Road, the M4 and supermarkets etc.

as someone who has lived in Newport all my life and also worked very close to where your husbands new job is, i would say AVOID Newport like the plague if you can, but if you can't then don't go anywhere near the east, such as new developments in glan llyn (old llanwern steelworks) because every single night of the week its bottle necked from there all the way over to the SDR road.
When the motorway is shut or when the rugby or any concerts are on in cardiff then forget leaving your house unless you plan to walk everywere.

Chepstow/magor/caldicot is nice but again, you are going to get stuck in the traffic getting to the west.

The lovely pictures that some people have posted are occupied by travellers a lot of the time because newport council and gwent police are scared to death to do anything about it. So the lovely country pub has to shut at least 3 times a year for weeks on end because each time the travellers turn up the landlord is threatened to have the place burned to the ground. This isnt a traveller bashing post by the way, I am just highlighting that even the nice places aren't nice anymore.

Also the roads in those lovely places are taken over by boy racers who spend their free time driving as fast as they can through the lanes and then dealing/doing drugs in the picturesque spots, but again newport council and gwent police won't do anything about it.

So yeah, sorry if that has offended the Newport lovers but as i said i've lived here my entire life and watched it disintegrate into a hole.

I've lived all over newport and there are not any nice places left sadly.