By: Blonde One
I am a very naughty Blonde as I haven’t blogged for a while – sorry about that – but as always there is a very good reason/excuse! I have once again been on a weekend away and I think I will have to start some sort of rating system for the shopping opportunities in any given location. No matter how many places I visit there will always be Tavistock at the top of the list of places to shop as it has the Kountry Kit shop. This is my favourite walking shop and is an Aladdin’s cave full of goodies that will tempt me. Next on the list of top shopping spots has to be Exeter as I love the Cotswolds at Darts Farm and the Moorland Rambler in the city. Moorland Rambler gives the best advice on anything that you can think of to ask. Next on the list is my latest jaunt – Cardiff. It is a beautiful city, especially in the snow, and has a very good selection of walking shops, large and small. I imagine that the close proximity to the Brecons means that there was a good range of lovely items in all of their outdoorsy shops. Lastly I’m afraid will have to go to Hatfield where I found that the shops were just filled with snow stuff (although I understand why now) and not much to tempt a walker.
So, in summary I can recommend:
1. Tavistock – Kountry Kit
2. Exeter – Cotswold’s and Moorland Rambler
3. Cardiff
4. Hatfield
Feel free to recommend any locations that need to be added to the list but remember Tavistock will never to dislodged from the top spot!
By the way – still no Haribo jacket 🙁
The best in the nation has to be Llanberis, for its dinky high street with a nevertheless very high outdoor shop:muggle shop ratio. My favourite being Joe Brown’s, for its independentness and great range of proper kit. Mnd you Betws-y-coed is pretty good too, with again a top ratio, including the Cotswold Rock Bottom shop…always a bargain, no excuses needed!
Variations on the Haribo theme (if you want to extend your mortgage a couple of years):
http://www.cioch-direct.co.uk/waterproofs/nikwax.html
http://www.hilltrek.co.uk/acatalog/copy_of_Cotton_Analogy.html
If you’re coming round to the idea of bad weather clothes that are designed to leak don’t rule out this lot (starting to sound like a stuck record…). They aren’t really waterproof but this is my second winter of cycle commuting in one of the Teclite tops and I can’t fault it, it having cope with most weather in that time. The Special 6 shirt is going strong despite being bought in 1998 :
http://www.buffalosystems.co.uk/products/
It sounds like you have been doing a whistle stop tour of the country!
I have visited Tavistock many times but a visit is now long overdue. I know Exeter as My wifes family live in Axminster and I have an auntie who lives in Sidmouth.
Cardiff I know very well as I was brought up in the area.
If you ever pay a visit to North Wales then the Alladins cave of outdoor clothing shops has to be Betws Y Coed and also Capel Curig which are the best places they
You beat me to it – I was going to say Betws Y Coed. I challenge any outdoor enthusiast to leave there without making a purchase.
Oh yes Betws Y Coed – so much in such a short length of road!!! Nearly came back with a kayak from there!!! x
Harder to take a kayak up Snowdon but not impossible I guess. Coming down would be fun.
hit the wrong button again!……as I was saying they are in the right place. If you want the best nearest city that would be Chester.
You didn’t mention Plymouth for walking shops.Any good?
I am disappointed you didn’t come back with a Haribo jacket !
I now have some more excellent suggestions for trips – thank you. Poor Mr Blonde One will have a fit when he reads all of this!
Plymouth isn’t bad, raydavieswalks, there’s quite a big Cotswolds but I haven’t found too many independent shops – yet. I won’t give up the search though.
The more I talk about this Haribo jacket, the more I want it. I’m almost convinced that I ‘need’ it now!
I can recommend Ambleside – the outdoors mecca of the Lakes!!!! Spent a very happy rainy day trawling through the numerous outdoor related shops which resulted in purchases of trousers, jackets, maps, books and even a nice new lead for Charlie!!! Field and Trek were particularly wonderful. On having a chat with one of the assistants we talked about our plans to do a spot of climbing and how we’d forgotten the girls climbing harness so did they have any available to purchase??? The lovely asistant then said, if we popped in the next day he would bring his kids in and we could borrow it. Then someone else piped up that they had one we could borrow too – now thats what I call service!
Unfortunately the weather was never quite climbing weather except for the day we went up Scafell Pike which was an amazingly beautiful day, so we never took them up on their offer, but have bought many an item from Field and Trek since!!! x
It can take a bit of searching but Gaynor Sports there often has a few bargains.
Ooo yes – went there and bought myself a new pair of waterproof trousers – couldn’t remember the name of the shop. Huge range of kit – great shop!