Newport State of Mind
I can fully guarantee
that everyone reading this article has, at some point, visited
Newport. You may not have stepped out of the train station, or gotten
any closer to the finest city in South Wales than the junction 24A on
the M4, but you’ve definitely been there. So here’s my round up
of the most amazing things to see in Newport – otherwise known as
Zooport, The Port, or even Casnewydd.
- Newport Train station: Broadly known as one of the coldest places on Earth outside of the Arctic Circle, Newport station is a treasure to behold. From the air, it looks like a metal armadillo gone wrong and is home to the world’s most inappropriately placed Upper Crust cafĂ© and a miniature WHSmiths. On a Friday and Saturday night, you can sit on the platforms and watch the groups pop off to Cardiff for a sensible drink. This usually involves being serenaded by a fat valleys man and giving a statement to the police after you’ve watched a fight.
- The Transporter Bridge: A little further out of the city centre for those who want to experience the ‘real’ Newport, this is the most loved bridge in south Wales. For the mere sum of £1, you can drive your beloved car onto the wooden platform that you’ll pray for the entire journey doesn’t collapse into the River Usk flowing below. You can see the natural beauty of Newport in all its glory, with its mud banks filled to the brim with shopping trollies and odd shoes. It’s a cracker that you can’t afford to miss.
- The shopping centre: As a previous employee of a store on Newport’s main high street, I can fully vouch for the sheer lack of hope that it embodies. You can regularly see those families practising for their debut on The Jeremy Kyle show gathering outside McDonalds and screaming the most intimate details of their lives to the entire street. Poundland is the equivalent of the department store here, with their selection of fine homewares and fashion all under one roof. Here you can also play the fun game ‘Why is That Man Looking so Shifty?’ The possible answers are: he’s a shoplifter, he’s a drug dealer, or his face is just unfortunate in that way.
- The Roman Amphitheatre, Caerleon: Don’t think that Newport neglects its history buffs! Just a little way out from the centre, Caerleon is home to the fantastic Roman Amphitheatre, fortress and museum. If you lived anywhere near here as a child, you’ve undoubtedly already been bored to death here on school trips, but if not, I’m going to let you into a secret. Across the road from the museum is one of the nicest pubs I’ve ever been in. After ten minutes of staring at Roman coins and pieces of broken pottery – it would be rude not to visit, it’s free entry after all – I can fully recommend you go in there and have a nice pint to forget why you ever decided to visit Newport in the first place.
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