Monmouthshire, South Herefordshire, South Powys and The Forest of Dean Regional Information

Cardiff, the capital city of Wales since 1955 is a cosmopolitan, thriving centre.  Based around a Norman castle, the city centre offers a vast array of shopping, museums, eateries, entertainment and sport.  Whilst a water bus will take you to the redeveloped dockland area of Cardiff Bay, now home to the Wales Millenium Centre and the Welsh Assembly.

Newport, gateway from England to Wales is a multicultural City. Here, traditional industries survive alongside electronic and financial sectors.  Recent regeneration projects have encouraged relocation to this area.

The historical Vale of Glamorgan, to the west of Cardiff, boasts a rich agricultural area with rolling countryside meeting a rugged coastline. The market town of Cowbridge offers top notch shopping and dining and Llantwit Major is a coastal town haven to surfers.  Whilst the busier tourist towns of Barry and Porthcawl provide beach based holidays for families.

The county of Monmouthshire boasts a choice of towns, primarily the market town of Monmouth which has seen an influx of relocators over the last decade, who have wanted to ‘move to the country’ but have not wanted to loose touch with luxuries such as theatre, cinema, fine dining and shopping as well as extensive private and state school provision, aided by easy access to major road networks. Other popular towns include Abergavenny, Chepstow, Usk and Raglan.

The Forest of Dean is part of Gloucestershire and a triangular plateau running alongside the River Wye.  Historically, industrial coal mining and iron working areas now provide extensive areas of forest and a laid back approach to life.  The forests’ administrative centre is the town of Coleford, but there are also two other principal towns of Lydney to the south east and Cinderford to the north.

The M4 is the main east-west road link through the region, giving quick access to / from England via the two Severn bridges (toll charge currently £5.70 going westwards) with J24 providing dual carriageway access northwards via the A449 / A40 to connect with the M50 and then M5. The A40 is a good scenic east-west link, while the A465 (Heads of the Valleys road) is a busy trunk route with major improvements in hand.

Cardiff and Newport are the major train stations, with Abergavenny, Lydney and Chepstow amongst others also offering rail connection. Cardiff International Airport just to the west of the city offers a good choice of national and international routes, with Bristol Airport also reasonably accessible for those living in the east of the region.

If you’re looking for value for money the Forest of Dean is a good place to start.

Monmouthshire has become increasingly expensive in recent years but the main towns of Chepstow and Monmouth do provide excellent schooling, shopping and transport links with a good choice of executive property. You need to head towards Abergavenny and beyond to gain the most value from a rural acquisition, while those seeking the ultimate address will still head for the Vale of Glamorgan, just to the west of Cardiff.

A substantial (circa £1.5 million) period property in one of the Forest of Deans prettiest villages for an entrepreneur who was selling up his business

A £600k property for redevelopment on an elevated south-facing site in the Wye Valley for an eco-enthusiast and his young family.

A sub-£500k rural property with 8 acres of land, conveniently close to the M48 bridge, for someone commuting daily to the Bristol area.

The economy of the area is as diverse as the geography, ranging from the commercial heartland of Cardiff, industrial areas of Bridgend, Newport and the Rhondda Valley, to widespread agricultural communities in market towns such as Abergavenny. The excellent road links have encouraged many a self-employed entrepreneur to set up base in Monmouthshire, while the Forest of Dean has attracted a wide range of arts & crafts activities.

Education is well served throughout the region with an excellent choice both in the private and state schools.

The small friendly village primary can still be seen and most secondary schools do well, which is backed up by their Ofsted Reports.
Private schools are located at Monmouth, Chepstow, Brecon, Porthcawl and Cardiff.  They have good transport networks and further details can be obtained from our office.

There are golf courses throughout the area to suit everyone from the enthusiastic amateur right up to very top, the Celtic Manor just outside Newport being host to the last Ryder Cup.

The area is renowned for its riding and walking, with major footpaths like Offas Dyke and the Wye Valley Walk, while the more adventurous fell walkers and climbers will head off to the Brecon Beacons and the Black Mountains.

There’s excellent walking in the Forest of Dean too, which also has many cycle trails. For watersports enthusiasts there’s everything from canoeing down the Wye to excellent surfing off places like Porthcawl. Wales is, of course, first and foremost a nation of rugby enthusiasts, but Cardiff Centre FC are currently riding high in the Championship so there are good prospects of Premiership football coming to the region.