Ebbw Vale, Wales
Roundabout Valley
"Where Shopping Centres Go to Die"
Official Coat of Arms
A shield divided quarterly: first quarter shows a perpetual roundabout with cars driving in eternal circles; second quarter displays a shopping trolley abandoned in a car park; third quarter features the noble Ebbw River flowing beneath a dual carriageway; fourth quarter bears a 'To Let' sign rampant on a field of empty retail units.
TripAdvisor Review
★★★☆☆ 3/5
"Visited Ebbw Vale expecting Welsh valley charm but got a masterclass in urban planning confusion instead. The town centre feels like someone scattered a few shops around a car park and called it a day. The Festival Park retail complex is impressively large for a place where half the shops seem to be having a closing down sale. Still, the surrounding hills are lovely if you can find somewhere to park that isn't a roundabout."— RoundaboutRanger from Birmingham
Property Listing
Discover this vibrant valley town boasting MULTIPLE retail opportunities and excellent transport links via an innovative circular road system! The town centre offers a unique open-plan shopping experience with abundant natural lighting (no roof required), while the surrounding dramatic Welsh landscape provides stunning valley views from every car park.
Twinned With
Milton-Keynes — Both places prove that you can have too many roundabouts and not enough soul.
Supporting Evidence
Ebbw Vale was once home to one of Europe's largest steelworks, employing over 14,000 people at its peak, but now its biggest employer is probably the person painting double yellow lines around all those roundabouts.