Rogerstone
CRADLED on the north-west fringe of Newport, Rogerstone blends village character with city convenience. Long associated with the ancient parish of Bassaleg, it’s often described as a gateway to the Sirhowy Valley and sits between green hillsides and the Ebbw river, giving it a leafier, more open feel than many suburban districts.
Heritage runs right through the middle of Rogerstone – literally – via the Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal’s Crumlin Arm and the celebrated Fourteen Locks. Completed in 1799, this remarkable ‘Cefn Flight’ climbs 160 feet in just 800 yards, and today the Canal & Heritage Centre is a friendly springboard for waterside strolls, wildlife watching and weekend coffee stops.
Modern Rogerstone is well connected. The Ebbw Vale line’s Pye Corner station brings half-hourly trains towards Cardiff and Newport, making commuting simple while taking pressure off local roads and the nearby M4. The station opened in December 2014 and was planned with future expansion in mind, reflecting the area’s steady growth.
There’s a quietly confident food-and-drink scene, too. Most famous is Tiny Rebel’s brewery and taproom on Wern Industrial Estate, where award-winning Welsh craft beers are poured a few hundred metres from where they’re brewed – an easy local favourite for relaxed lunches and lively evenings.
Add in easy canal-towpath cycling, family-friendly green spaces and quick escapes to the valley trails above, and Rogerstone makes a persuasive case as a base: close to Newport’s culture and shopping, yet with big-sky horizons and heritage on the doorstep. It’s this balance – industry and ingenuity in the past, calm and connectivity today – that gives the community its appeal.