This is a real shop for outdoor stuff. Not a shop that has fashion stuff under the guise of a…read morespurious sport. In Cotswold you can get proper walking boots, real fell-running shoes, those ropey things that climbers use (you may guess that I'm not a climber), proper real coats, tents, hats... you get the idea. There's also gadgets like tripods for attaching to jungle branches and ways of finding your way in the desert. The staff know what Gortex and gaiters are. Not sure why it's called Cotswold as the stuff in here seems designed for ground that's a lot more challenging and rugged than the tame Cotswolds.

I must admit, I always thought Cotswold Camping was a bit twee, a bit cheap and a bit middle-aged…read more How wrong I was. This is a big, modern store with clothes and equipment for people of all ages. I was very tempted by their women's clothing, which ranges from outdoor casual to normal casual. It's maybe not the best place for highly technical clothing, but it's great for general hanging around the park type clothing, and fantastic for entertaining bored friends who've been dragged along with no interest whatsoever in the outdoors. Sadly the prices are the same as those for more technical clothing, so I couldn't justify buying one of their pretty skirts. I went to look at tents. They've got a selection of all sorts from lightweight to giant family jobs (for the families of giants, of course), but not a huge amount in each category. There was a very helpful shop assistant who took me outside and helped me assemble 3 tents. He didn't know much more than me about them, but was very polite, honest and keen to help as we fumbled around in high winds. I was especially impressed as he didn't look older than 15.

From the owner: At the Bicester store we are keen to help a variety of people whether it be finding boots for…read moregeneral walks around the local area or preparing your kit for a trek up Kilimanjaro. Our staff will be with you every step of the way to help you find exactly what you're looking for and at the same time making you feel as comfortable as possible and offer varying knowledge from their own experiences. This store is set in a prominent position on the outskirts of the ever growing and developing market town of Bicester. Access is simple with direct access through to London and Birmingham and by passing hotspots such as Silverstone on the A43 and the Heritage Motor Centre, Junction 12 on the M40. There are regular direct links through to London and Oxford by train and coach. Parking is free and there is a selection of other shops available to satisfy your shopping needs including a delightful cafe and restaurant with an adjacent indoor play facility for the younger explorers.

A great store for people who like to go outdoors, climbing, fishing, camping, hiking. Whatever you…read morelike to do outdoors, you will find what you need here. Friendy people, great gear! Have fun, be safe!

I love this place. Excellent range, reasonable prices, and absolutely fanatical but friendly staff…read more Even better they have all the little twiddly accessories that a lot of other places don't have - the kind of things that are small, but can make a big difference. Very often specialist shops can have staff that think they are über cool for working there - not here, eager to help without being intrusive, and they chat to you about the product without trying to get you to buy - which is great - they provide the info and let you come to your own decision. This doesn't seem to be an exclusive to the Birmingham store - the Manchester one is similar. I'd thoroughly reccomend 10/10.

This is the best place to go to if you're looking for high quality hiking gear. You can trust…read moreeverything you by from this shop - just ask for a bit of advice. The shop staff are highly knowledgeable and helpful but you'll be lost for awhile first in the treasure trove of hiking and climbing gear. Absolutely fantastic and worth every minute you spend in this shop.

A great place to buy your quality/premuim outdoor kit. If they don't have your required piece of…read morekit, they will happily find an alternative or order an item in for you. A very pleasant shopping experience, with some great advice (rather than sales talk). You don't need to be an adrenaline junky to shop there.

Ironically, this ugly warehouse-style building by the side of an urban road contains everything you…read moreneed to enjoy the great outdoors. It's recently been taken over and the new manager is really friendly and has introduced some new ranges, so it's well worth a visit. As the name suggests, the focus is on outdoors clothing and equipment, so expect fleeces, walking trousers, raincoats and walking boots. There's also a good range of camping equipment, ranging from tents to caravan gear, camping stove and dubious looking mountain food. Think Millets, but bigger. If you're not used to outdoor shops, it's great fun looking at the gadgets like 'sporks' (half spoon, half fork) and 'platypuses' (water bladders in backpacks with a giant straw). If you are used to outdoor shops, you'll be bound to find something here. I must confess to being a bit of an outdoors snob, but there are some really good bargains here, especially with waterproofs, and you can't go wrong with generic camping bits and bobs. There's even a new and improved rock climbing section with all the basics. It's probably the best place for rock shoes and harnesses in the area and the manager can give some very useful advice. There are sections for fishing, running, cycling and even skiing, and whilst this is in no way a specialist shop for any of them, it's big enough to have a reasonable range of basic items to satisfy the enthusiast's immediate needs. Go and buy lots of fun gadgets and look forward to your holidays, when living in a tent suddenly seems like such a fun idea.

A great place if you like the outdoors as the name implies. They have a great range of products and…read morealso offer a price match policy and they honour it. They offer a discount if you purchase one of there discount cards and it can amount to considerable saving for just £4.00 per year.

As an outdoor lover I think Oswald Bailey has high quality products and beats the high street…read moreprices for outdoor equipment needed for things like camping and hiking. I came in during a sale and thought the original prices were a costly but worth it and it was great to see high quality products at more reasonable prices. When visiting independently owned stores (especially outdoor specialists) I often find that the products aren't good quality and the shop is often cluttered and messy. Here it felt like they had a lot of things happening but store is very spacious and looks much more professional. Rather than piling things up on the floor, like many other stores of its kind, the staff have smartly attached items to the walls. The staff were polite as they greeted me and offered help soon after I walked in. They were also helpful by giving any information I wanted to know about the products.

Osawald Bailey is an outdoor specialist, located on station road in Solihull. I often find that…read moreindependently owned outdoors stores like these can be really horrible shops to try and use, they often seem to be very cluttered and unorganised. However, Oswald Bailey's is much closer to a professional chain such as Millets or something similar. They've laid everything out very clearly and have a lot on show without making it confused. Most importantly, they've got great prices, more than competing with the big chains, and always have loads of deals on. I recently bought two fold up camping chairs for just £20, and they're significantly better quality than similar ones I bought from B&Q last year. Highly recommended.

There's a few sporting shops that have carved out a little enclave for themselves on Whitchurch…read moreRoad, and this one has to be my favourite. It is a really large outlet that is incredibly well stocked, with all manner of gear. You can even buy archery equipment here!!! (Not that this is what I come here for... I'm lethal enough without needing to resort to using something like a bow and arrow! My car is the only potentially dangerous piece of machinery that I'll allow myself to use... I give everything else a wide birth!) My needs that Cardiff Sportsgear meets are of a much more mundane variety. I come here for my swim suits, as I tend to call in at RatRigs, the surf shop just down the road, whilst I'm about it.. (RatRigs have a sale on a the moment, and so I called into both last week to scoop up a couple of bargains. Sadly, Cardiff Sportsgear didn't have what I was looking for in my size on this occasion, (a Speedo with long legs, like the type of suit that competitive swimmers wear... something that is proving nigh on impossible to find)... The staff were really helpful, and said that if I knew exactly what I wanted, then they would happily order it for me. Great service!

Wowee! Whatever sport you're into you will undoubtedly be incredibly impressed by Cardiff…read moreSportsgear. They offer: racquets, cricket gear, pool table, gym equipment, riding helmets, wetsuits, and so much more! Whenever I come in here with friends we like to play a game of how many sports we can count (at least 25 last count). The staff are all incredibly friendly and know their stock well (surprising considering how big this place is). The only thing they don't have much in the way of is, gym clothes, which is ironically the only thing I need.