Newport

Love food, drink, shopping and the outdoors? Then you’ll love Newport! And its independent spirit, lively events calendar and pretty architecture will make you fall even harder for this historic market town.

There’s always something going on here, from Food Frenzy’s delicious stalls to the Newport Nocturne, when hundreds of cyclists rattle along floodlit cobblestones and lanes. Over 200 businesses and two leading agricultural and sporting centres call this town home. You can almost see the entrepreneurial spirit bubbling up through the cobblestones! 

Browse the grand indoor market and independent shops spilling out of the Georgian and medieval half-timbered buildings along the double-wide High Street. Café culture and local flavours are big in Newport, so sip a barista-brewed coffee as you sort through your shopping haul! 

Newport’s great for fresh-air fiends, too. Walking trails, bike paths and waterways wind through the surrounding wildflower meadows, Capability Brown-designed parkland and lush green farmland. Captain a narrowboat along the canal from Norbury Junction, summit the Lilleshall Monument for 360-degree views across quintessential villages, fields and woodland, or pedal National Cycle Network routes all the way to Ironbridge, Wales, Staffordshire and beyond.

The surrounding countryside is the perfect spot for growing flowers, which is why not one but two famous floral artists have set up shop here. Get hands-on with the blooms on one of The Shropshire Land Girls workshops. In the summer months, wander along pink, blue, yellow and white rows of delphiniums, cornflowers, sunflowers and wildflowers grown by Shropshire Petal Fields. The smell is divine!

From beautiful blossoms to sparkling frosts – in summertime, it’s hard to believe Newport holds the record for the lowest temperature ever logged in England. If you love seeing your breath billow in front of you as you stride across frosted countryside, you can’t go wrong with a winter break in Newport. Luckily, it’s nailed the cosy pub vibe too. 

5# Be Inspired by Newport 

1. Grab your friends and spend a day browsing the indie shops and quaint cafes of Newport High Street and the Market Hall. Pop in to the bright blue-and-white Italianate Indoor Market Hall. Built in 1860, it’s still packed with stalls selling everything from dungarees to duck eggs, and the bustle often spills out onto the cobbles of St Mary’s Street. While you’re there, take a seat in Society Public House. Its quirky, modern vibe works brilliantly in its Old Market Hall setting. 

2. Ramble around the ruins of Lilleshall Abbey, owned by English Heritage. Founded in 1148, this Augustinian abbey was badly damaged during the Civil War – although the elaborate stone carvings are amazingly preserved. Today, it’s the kind of place where history seems to ooze from the ancient walls. If only those walls could talk! Pack a picnic to nibble on as you soak it all in. 

3. Watch wildlife at Aqualate Mere. The largest natural lake in the Midlands is surrounded by a National Nature Reserve that turns purple with bluebells in springtime and glimmers with frost and starling murmurations come winter. Set up in the public observation hide and look out for hunting barn owls and buzzards, otters and harvest mice among the reed beds. You’re almost guaranteed to spot a heron – there’s been a large heronry on site for 300 years.

4. Go bouldering at Newport Rock Shropshire Climbing Centre. It’s one of the best indoor bouldering centres in the country. Master this stripped-back form of rock climbing here before you head out into the great outdoors. Try a taster session, book a course or go for one-to-one tuition. It’s great for kids, too. 

5. Book a table in a local restaurant. Foodies flock to Newport, and for good reason. The town has plenty of restaurants run by people who are deeply passionate about local food and drink. Try The Red House in Lilleshall. The food tastes and looks beautiful, and the contemporary décor vies for your attention, too. This place has serious wow factor.