A Day on the Road in Malpas–Newport 🚐

Malpas mornings begin with a cautious crawl down Malpas Road, where traffic feels more like a car park 🚗🚙🚗. I edge past St. Joseph’s High School, praying no one swings open a car door on me.

First stop: Malpas Court, a stunning old manor house that makes the van look wildly out of place 🏰. I haul a heavy parcel up the cobbled path and wonder if 18th-century architects hated delivery drivers on purpose.

By mid-morning, I’m navigating Hatherleigh Road, with its infamous hill that has the van wheezing louder than me 😅. At the top, I’m rewarded with deliveries that involve yet more staircases. I tell myself it’s cardio.

Lunch is a quick stop at a café near Malpas Cricket Club 🏏. A bacon bap and cuppa ☕ later, I’m feeling almost human again. The locals swap banter about last night’s rugby, and I nod along while pretending I wasn’t stuck in traffic the whole time.

The rain inevitably shows up 🌧️, making driveways slippery and cardboard parcels feel like paper mâché. Still, the kindness of residents—one even held an umbrella for me—keeps the day moving.

Malpas is a test of patience, gears, and leg muscles, but it’s never dull. By the time I hit the M4 junction, I’m ready for a nap.