This shop is absolutely heeeaauge! Upon entering you immediately see a semi-realistic rock face with mannequins concentrating hard mid-climb! I like it when shops go all-out with their displays! The entrance area is dedicated mainly to rucksacks...but it's downstairs where the fun starts! (There is a lift for wheelchair access). Downstairs is a huge open space with different areas helpfully signposted in Flintstones-esque type on giant wooden boards. There is a tent area with a small group of erected tents and nearby the sleeping bag area features a mannequin trying to catch forty winks while shoppers pass. They really do love their mannequin displays in Cotswold! If you're the kind of person who gets slightly creeped out having apologised after backing into someone, only to see a blank shiny plastic face staring back...then beware! There is a wide range of products here from waterproof climbing attire and ice axes to plastic crockery, kids' wellies and baby carriers. It's great for climbers, skiers, snowboarders, campers, hikers or just general travelers -it even includes a sizable section dedicated to travel books. I'd say prices are about average for outdoor shops and the staff are very helpful and knowledgeable. read more

Cotswold Outdoor - Outdoor Gear Near Me - Leeds, XWY

What with Millets disappearing from our highstreet, there are few places for camping gear in Leeds, it seems. Well, fortunately, Cotswold Outdoor saved my bacon (and my potentially cold bum) when I needed to source out something for Beacons Festival last weekend. I ran in, in quite a flurry, and found a member of staff. My basic words were thus: "I need a sleeping bag, a tent, a chair and an air bed. All really cheap." His response: "No problem." And he was telling the truth. To be fair, I probably could have sourced out cheaper than I got, but that would have involved pre-planning and buying online. This was not an option. Nonetheless, within about 10 minutes we had all the things I needed for a few nights in a field, and all for just over £100. Pretty good. The stand out experience here though was the staff; both chaps who helped me (they even let me store my items behind the till whilst I nipped elsewhere for further shoppings), were extremely friendly, helpful and patient. All in all, I'm definitely a fan! As for what they stock? I'm sure you know the deal. Pretty much everything you need with regard to camping, active life, sports and so on. They appear to have semi regular sales on stock, so do pop in if you're in the business of festival-ing, climbing, camping and the rest! read more

WooHoo another outdoorsy shop. I am a big fan of these, if it's got waterproof and practical clothing in it, I'm there. Plus the quality of brands in stores like this are really rather excellent. Cotswold Outdoor is a fairly new addition to this end of town, technically situated within the new Core shopping centre, but facing out on to the high street, it's a little bit daunting approaching the shop, as there is no shop to look at, you have to go downstairs to get to the good stuff, and the stairs are wooden, and they creak a bit, and people look at you from the bottom end up so it's a bit weird at first. But sod it. More important things to discuss. What's here? Pretty much everything you could ever want if you're an outdoors sorta person. Camping equipment, climbing equipment, ski jackets and salopettes, casual clothing, waterproof shells, tents, rucksacks, sat navs, maps, footwear, sport related gadgets so on and so forth. Brands wise, there's definitely a hearty selection to choose from, Helly Hansen, The North Face, Merrell, Weird Fish, Oakley, Kahuna, Columbia, Berghaus, Animal, and many more I have forgotten to mention. All staff are easily recognisable by there combat pants, t-shirt fleece/gillet combo. Very fetching. But the refreshing thing here is, that all staff know what they're on about, they're all clearly very passionate in their chosen field, and can offer actual sound advice from personal experience or spec sheets, and they understand what it all means. Plus, after going to them with a description of a jacket I wanted to order, they narrowed it down to the jacket style name, they didn't have it in, but it was ordered into the store from the head office as there were 3 left in the country. Excellent customer service, helpful and attentive without being overbearing. read more

This Cotswold store is slightly dissapointed considering the recommendation I got from The North Face Leeds store (owned by the same company) - yes this store is bigger but it still fails to amuse me, Yes I like some of the coats this store stocks but still the store could be much better. They is a staircase to get down to the main, larger floor but they also is a lift, however this lift is extremely slow and you have to carry on pressing the button or you will stop, and open the door at the end, I admit they is someone to help you at the top, but certainly not at the bottom, making a lift designed for disabled people, a hassle for them. The coats here were the main point of my visit and still the range of all brands, were pretty poor and they were quite expensive. The staff I spoke to were nice, but they could of done more hence were nothing above average. This store is quite hidden, being on a small cut off point, near Waitrose, but still is in Leeds City centre. I feel 2 stars is fair as it is probably worth a look in, as long as you are not disabled but still I would advise to go elsewhere, hence I feel 2 is fair. read more

I have had the same pair of walking boots for nearly a decade and this winter my toes really started to freeze when they let water in so I thought it was high time to invest in a new pair. I went to the Cotswold Outdoor shop as they are the largest specialist outdoor shop in Leeds city centre and a reliable source (walking boot enthusiast) mentioned they had the best range. So I went all ready to spend a good amount of time trying on every single pair they had. It wasn't too busy so I had my own shop assistant - a very nice young man who knew about all the brands and what they are good for. We went through exactly what I would want them for (ie no extreme mountain walking but some Yorkshire hill-climbing) and patiently brought out several pairs and sizes until I found the ones for me. He emphasised how important it was to have the correct boot for my feet as there is nothing worse than walking for hours in uncomfortable shoes. So with each pair I diligently walked up and down the makeshift hill they had in the shop. I came away with a pretty good pair that will definitely do the job, even if they were a bit expensive! But I did get a student discount. read more