A Day on the Road in Pillgwenlly–Newport 🚐

Pillgwenlly, or “Pill” as everyone calls it, wakes up fast. By the time I’m rattling down Commercial Road 🚛, market stalls are already being set up, and the smell of spices and fresh bread drifts through the air. My first drop is squeezed in near St. Michael’s Church, where parking is more “artform” than science.

The side streets here are notoriously tight 🚗🚗. One wrong move and you’re reversing half a mile with everyone watching. Add in delivery spots with three-storey staircases, and it’s a full-body workout.

Mid-morning, I take a break by the Pill Millennium Centre. Locals chat in a mix of Welsh, English, and Somali—Pill is one of Newport’s most vibrant patches 🌍. A quick coffee from a corner café ☕ keeps me moving.

Of course, chaos is never far. At one point I’m boxed in by a delivery lorry and a line of parked cars. I sit there, hazards blinking, while two drivers argue in the street. Entertainment included.

Later, a drop near the Riverfront Arts Centre gives me a view of the Usk 🌊—a rare moment of calm before diving back into the bustle.

Pill is gritty, colourful, and unpredictable. You leave with tired legs, a full stomach (thanks, samosa from the market 🥟), and stories worth telling.