Made a very fruitful stop into Kathmandu a few months back as I was prepping for my first…read moretransatlantic trip with a baby. I came looking for a rucksack. I left with a suitcase with detachable rucksack (a suitcase that can be carried as a rucksack, with arm straps!) and a huge duffel bag to stow the carseat in. I thought the prices to be competitive (the duffel bag only £14!) and the service top notch. The guy helped me with everything, took it to the counter while I looked around, helped me with the Summit Club membership and packaged it all up smoothly so I could get it back to my flat. The Kathmandu items are high quality and have already made many trips. They are durable and sleek, and high performance. Just what I needed. The last thing you want to deal with while traveling (with a baby or not) is crap luggage. Summit club membership is free and gains you access to great deals (most of the deals advertised, so...if you want 'em, you'll sign up). Sign up!

I've always been a bit suspicious of Kathmandu-type stores, due to the fact that I'm the least…read moreoutdoorsy person you could come across. I always believe 'outdoor' stores were specially for extreme snowboarders or wannabe Nepalese-mountain climbers. Boy, was I wrong. Set right next to Spitalfields Market and boasting some rather fit staff, Kathmandu has everything for the civilian to adventurer. Water flasks, jackets, thermals, little key ring things with torches on them, it has it all. I actually found heaps of stuff I wanted to buy - probably more in the way you deck yourself out with designer gym wear after only one visit, to realise you're not quite the gym junkie you thought you would become if in fact you had the correct gear. It was fun anyway.

This Halfords store is fairly large with two floors. The sell a great range of car products as well…read moreas in car entertainment, bikes, car manuals and pretty much anything car related! It is nicely laid out and has a spacious feel to it so it is a great store to browse around. The staff are very knowledgeable and helpful and you get served quickly at the checkouts too. There is a counter where you can order parts in if they do not have them in stock and I have used this service very successfully a couple of times. I also bought some car speakers from this branch and used their fitting service which was excellent. Some of the items are a bit more expensive than other places but the choice is really good. There is a car park for Halfords right outside. If you need anything for your car or are looking for a gift even, then this branch of Halfords is well worth a visit.

Convieniently located at Victoria Park in Wellingborough (near Tesco's), Halfords provide most car…read moreaccessories you require. Having used this one a few times, I can recommend it, plus the service inside is very helpful also. Prices are reasonable.

Superb shop for outdoor types! It's really well stocked with everything you need for a gentle…read morestroll to a full-on Everest expedition. The staff know their stuff, they don't sell any rubbish cheapo stuff. They have a good section for women and a separate shoe shop a couple of doors up the road. I have stuff I bought there in 1991 still going strong!

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.

Large and well-stocked outdoors shop with decent prices. It's actually quite a large chain, owned…read moreby JD Sports, and sells a wide range of well known brands. This store is on the market square just behind the church. It runs the length of the block, and is the largest outdoor store in Kingston. It has a cafe and soft-play area inside. I was on the look-out for a specific knee-high mid-weight sock, which I've been looking for, for ages, and was delighted that they had it in stock. It'll be a regular calling point for me from now on. Reasonably friendly staff, though I only needed to speak to them at the till.

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.

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.

Shop is fine. Prices are good so long as you pay for their membership card. Staff are pleasant…read more But oh my God pray you never have to deal with their head office customer service dept. They are completely incompetent and lazy. I ordered some jackets online for my family, in several sizes to try. Kept 4, returned 6. They processed the refund at three different prices - for the same jacket in different sizes. When I pointed out their error I just got a "we refunded this correctly" email. I'm now 12 emails in to this conversation and they're still doubling down. No attempt to explain why they're applied 3 different prices to the same jacket. No attempt to explain why the difference between my original payment and the refund is more than the cost of the 4 jackets I've kept. Just insulting "I've looked into this..." emails when they clearly haven't looked into it and can't be bothered. Lazy, rude and incompetent. It's terrible that their shop staff are being undermined by head office like this.

Go Outdoors is located just off the A45 and is an ideal location for me, but you need to know where…read moreit is because its out of the way a little bit. Store is absolutley massive and has a large range of goods. Has some great offers on coats and tents, which is ideal for family holidays as we love to go camping. I would recommend visiting here if your looking at buying tents or anything to do with the outdoors. Staff can be a bit useless but where dont you get that.

This shop should be re-named "The Joke Shop" The customer service is non-existant, the service is…read moreshocking and the price is too. The woman who runs this shop needs a personality transplant or a change of career....perhaps a lighthouse keeper would suit. Please do NOT buy anything from this shop unless you want to wait for your blinds or curtains for 2 months and still not get an apology. They wonder why shops on the high street cannot compete and encourage us to use them but why would you when you get appalling service like Martin Bros !!!!!!