We’re mid-way through January, so you’re probably dreaming of escape: a sunny beach with a cocktail in hand, a European city with hundreds of years of culture, or at the very least a hotel with a decent breakfast. At this point you’ll take anything to give you something to be excited about to get you through the cold, dark mornings.
The other week price comparison website Go Compare crowned the best places in the UK for a family-friendly staycation – and you can find the full list of destinations here. Notable about Go Compare’s study, however, was its list of the ‘lowest ranking’ staycation spots, with Newport in Wales placing dead last.
Poor old Newport. According to the research, the Welsh city achieved its abysmal score of 1.4 out of ten because of ‘limited selection of family-friendly accommodations and activities, as well as soaring price hikes during the holidays’. Overall, it certainly wasn’t a flattering portrait of the town.
But is that really fair? Whilst it’s true that Newport is small, and it certainly doesn’t have the amenities of nearby cities like Cardiff and Bristol, it really isn’t all that bad. You can explore Tredegar House, a 17th century manor house set against a 90-acre park, or use it as a base to explore the various access points to the Welsh countryside such as the Newport Wetlands National Nature Reserve or even, slightly further out but worth the journey, the Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons).
There are also multiple castles and historical sites very close to the city, all of which are available to visit. If you’re not much of a history buff, you can also enjoy a day of shopping at the Newport market, a grade II-listed Victorian market which has been regenerated for the modern age. To top it all off it’s very easy to access by road or rail – that’s worth way more than one-and-a-bit stars out of ten if you ask us.
So maybe Newport isn’t quite as bad as it seems. Don’t believe everything you read online – unless it’s on Time Out. Then definitely believe it because it’s very reliable, we promise.
Planning your 2025 staycations
If you’re currently on the hunt for a perfect 2025 getaway and don’t fancy Newport (go on, give it a chance), here’s our favourite family friendly holiday digs. But you deserve to have fun too – here’s some tree houses you can rent out for something a little different. We’ve also got guides to the country’s cosiest cabins, and the coolest castles you can stay overnight in.
Did you see that 6 British cities are officially the best in the world right now, according to Time Out?
Plus: These are the UK’s 10 worst cities for traffic and congested roads.
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