Shopping Local in Caldicot, Monmouthshire

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In the fourth blog post I’ve shared as part of my partnership with Visit Monmouthshire to promote Monnmouthshire’s Shop Local campaign, join me on a festive trip to the town of Caldicot, supporting independent local shops and small businesses in the run-up to Christmas.

A small market town perched around halfway between Chepstow and Newport in south east wales, Caldicot is well-known for its medieval stone castle, which some say is one of Wales’ best-kept secrets.

Set within 55 acres of country park in Monmouthshire, Caldicot Castle was built in the early 13th Century by the Normans. It was used as a fortress throughout the Middle Ages, before being restored as a Victorian family home in the 19th Century.

What to know before visiting Caldicot

Is Caldicot a nice place to live?

With a population of just under 12,000 (as of the 2020 Census), Caldicot has a friendly, close-knit community feel.

In 2014, the town was named one of the most attractive postcode areas to live in Wales, in a study carried out by the Royal Mail.

Did the Romans use Caldicot Castle?

Although Caldicot Castle was founded by the Normans, the land it was built upon had previously been used by the Romans in the early centuries AD, as Caldicot stood on the Via Julia roadway to Caerwent, the Roman town of Venta Siluru.

Is Caldicot Castle free entry?

Entrance to Caldicot Castle is normally free of charge.

During its open season, Caldicot Castle’s opening hours are 11am to 4pm from Tuesday to Sunday, with the castle closed on Mondays (except bank holidays).

However, Caldicot Castle is currently closed for the season, until April 2022. The surrounding country park remains open.

Shopping local in Caldicot, Monmouthshire

As awe-inspiring as Caldicot Castle is, however, the main reason for my visit was to meet with Caldicot Town Team to discover the great work they’ve been doing to improve their local community and get everyone into the festive spirit in the run-up to Christmas.

I also visited the popular local pop-up shop, Caldicot Goes Pop!, and got to know some of the other independent businesses thriving within the town.

Caldicot Goes Pop!

Based in the heart of Caldicot town centre on Newport Road, Caldicot Goes Pop! is Caldicot’s pop-up shop for small, independent local traders.

The pop-up shop is run by Aaron and Phillipa Reekes, who both volunteer as unpaid members of Caldicot Town Team, with Aaron being the Chairman.

Together, Aaron and Phillips work with a team of volunteers to organise activities and events within the community, including a lively programme of festivities for the Christmas period (more on that below).

Originally, the pop-up shop was set up six years ago, with each trader manning their own pitch. Since Aaron and Phillipa took over in May this year, however, they now rent out shelf space on six bookcases instead.

Phillipa keeps an inventory listing all the items available for sale in the shop, and she rents them out at a cost of £10 per week for three shelves. She keeps track of all the sales in a logbook, and lets each trader know when they need to come in to collect their earnings.

The pop-up shop can accommodate up to 30 different local businesses at any one time, with shelves regularly rotated to encourage visitors, and any empty shelves being filled with Phillipa’s own craft creations.

Little Bit of Wax

One of the success stories to have come out of Caldicot Goes Pop! is Little Bit of Wax. Run by Jayne Andrews, Little Bit of Wax offers bath bombs, body scrubs, bath dust, soap sponges, whipped soap and more.

As Jayne works full-time in another role, she wouldn’t have been able to run Little Bit of Wax, had it not been for the pop-up shop. However, since selling her Little Bit of Wax range in the pop-up shop, Jayne has managed to double her income.

AJ the Confectionist

Another trader currently working in partnership with Caldicot Goes Pop! is Llanelli-based AJ the Confectionist, who produces a variety of homemade flavoured fudge, including festive flavours like Baileys Irish Cream and Brandy.

They’ve been based at the pop-up shop for three months and also sell their fudge at local markets, but they wanted to have more of a presence in Caldicot town centre over the festive period, so they booked three shelves in the pop-up shop for twelve weeks.

CaldiKidz

As well as selling produce on behalf of small, local businesses, Caldicot Goes Pop! is also home to Phillipa’s own business, CaldiKidz, which sells premature babies’ clothing and accessories.

She tells me that, had it not been for the pop-up shop, CaldiKidz would never have existed. She had wanted to set up her own business for 16 years, but struggled to afford the rent and rates previously. So, she has been test-trading in the pop-up shop since May, to help her to decide whether it will be worth making the move to a permanent space.

Although Caldicot Goes Pop! will be moving to a new industrial unit in the New Year, as the current unit has been let out from January, Phillipa tells me that the pop-up shop has “done its job” in helping both CaldiKiz, and many other local businesses, to get their feet off the ground.

Wye Valley Studios

Besides the pop-up shop, the town of Caldicot is home to numerous other small, independent businesses, many of which are family-owned, like Wye Valley Studios.

Also based on Newport Road, Wye Valley Studios is run by Tracey Clements (formerly ‘House’), who inherited the shop from her father, Glyn House, who ran it alongside his brother. This is a truly family-run business, and the family photos you can see below have pride of place in the shop.

Wye Valley Studios stocks a vast range of decorative ornaments and gifts, ideal for the festive season.

In particular, the Edge Sculptures really caught my eye. Crafted entirely from clay by sculptor, Matt Buckley in Shropshire, the sculptures are available in a variety of designs.

Personally, I loved the red Welsh dragon and the giraffe; they’d make for truly unique Christmas gifts that would no doubt mean a lot to the recipient.

Refuelling at The Ladybird Craft Centre, Caldicot

After browsing the independent traders in Caldicot Goes Pop! and marvelling at Wye Valley Studio’s extensive selection of gifting options, I popped over to The Ladybird Craft Centre for a bite to eat.

Run by two friends, Jo and Deb, The Ladybird Craft Centre was originally based within the pop-up shop unit that now houses Caldicot Goes Pop!, but they moved to their new home at 62-64 Newport Road after going from strength-to-strength and developing a reliable team of staff.

Ladybird Craft Centre comprises of a coffee shop and cafe serving snacks, light meals and hot and cold beverages. I can certainly vouch for the lemon and blueberry cake – just one of a range of homemade cakes baked by Jo – and the chocolate orange hot chocolate made for a comforting festive treat.

Besides the cafe, The Ladybird Craft Centre also houses a crafting space, which visitors are welcome to use whenever the building is open.

Run from their ‘party room’ on the second floor, The Ladybird Craft Centre’s pottery painting classes are a big hit with children in the local community, and they also run adult classes from time-to-time too.

Christmas in Caldicot, Monmouthshire

Together, the Caldicot Town Team organises, coordinates and delivers a varied schedule of activities and events throughout the town, with the aim of improving community life for all.

For Christmas this year, the team has arranged several different events, including a Christmas raffle and Christmas pantomime, Cinderella, both of which took place earlier this month, alongside a Nutcracker Trail for children which took place last weekend.

Caldicot Town Team have also held a number of Christmas markets in the town over the festive season, with another one planned to be held on 18th – 19th December, although this has sadly now been cancelled due to rising concerns around the new variant. However, please consider visiting the market traders’ websites directly to source your Christmas gifts and help them to sell their stock. Many of the traders are listed on the Caldicot Town Team website.

Working closely with Caldicot Town Team, the Ladybird Craft Centre and Cafe hosts a number of Christmas events within the community, including the popular Zoom with Santa event, scheduled for this Friday 17th December. To book, please contact Ladybird Craft Centre.

For more information on what’s on in Caldicot this Christmas, check out the Caldicot Town Team’s website.

I enjoyed my festive afternoon in Caldicot and I’d love to return to the town to see Caldicot Castle when it’s open again, perhaps in the summer next year.

Getting to Caldicot, Monmouthshire

Caldicot is accessible by road via the M4 and M48 motorways, with additional access across the Second Severn Crossing and Severn Bridge to Bristol and England.

To travel to Caldicot by public transport, you can catch a train to/from Caldicot train station via cities like Newport, Cardiff, Gloucester and Bristol.

It’s also possible to travel to Caldicot by bus, although you may need to catch a few different transfers, dependent on where you need to get to, or from.

Visiting Monmouthshire

Planning a visit to the county of Monmouthshire in south Wales? Be sure to check out my other blog posts on the area:

• The best independent Chepstow shops & businesses to support this Christmas
• Visiting Abergavenny Market & shopping local in Abergavenny, Monmouthshire
• A festive trip to Usk, Monmouthshire: ‘Town of Flowers’
• Abergavenny Food Festival: an essential guide

Have you ever paid a visit to Caldicot? Comment below to let me know what you got up to and what you thought of the town.

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