As a book lover, I saw this shop and ran inside. The smell of old books and leather was almost too…read moremuch to bear. I got all excited like a child in a sweet shop, wandering what I could possibly find here. It is only small but let me assure you that you can spend hours in here. They have old version of Pride and Prejudice and even some Winnie the Pooh books. In Tameside, it is rare to find book stores like these as there is only WH Smith around. So this is a great find. I love this place. So go and have a look at what surprises you may find.

This is such a cute little bookshop - I loved it. And Bay Tree has a surprisingly amount of variety…read morefor such a tiny space. You will find current, cult and classic fiction lining the right hand wall of the shop, various non-fiction and how-to books as soon as you come in to the left, including some on IT plus educational books at the back. I didn't feel like they had any chance of having a fair few books that I've been trying to track down and avoid paying too much for. This is such a small bookshop and they didn't advertise a book search service. So this is basically good for well known bestsellers and classics. Or if you are not sure what you want to read next and just need to stumble upon something. They stock a nice selection of cards - the usual landscapes and funny ones about being old and retired that we picked up for relatives on our visit. Giftswise, there are fancy candles and that sort of thing.

A relatively small outlet that stocks a good range of magazines and stationery. I love Astrology,…read moreand I'm glad to say they have a good selection of literature on the subject. Another impressive trait is the newspaper stand that has a few Irish editions. The staff is nice, and there is always a stream of regular visitors coming to shop for their daily reads, sweets, and pens.

What a lifesaver the Witzend Gallery on Trinity Street in Stalybridge has been. This small gallery…read moredisplays a fair number of paintings and offers a respected picture framing service but what I'm talking about is their amazing Book Search service. Whilst I was at university, they managed to find me various books for cheap including the weighty tomes of an Oxford Classical Dictionary and a Classical Atlas. Fair enough it wasn't as easy (for them) as a click on Amazon but, let's face it, with the ridiculous standard 10 days to allow for delivery on websites like that, I got them in the same amount of time if not quicker. I thankyou Witzend for your contribution to my esteemed education.

This is situated in the Greensway Shopping Centre in Shaw and has been here about 18months now…read more Bob Johnson is one of few independant bookmakers left and that makes it all the better that he has decided to bring an office to Shaw. Bookies have changed from how they used to be and this office typifies this, its modern, friendly and airy. Long gone are the smoke filled bookmakers we all have a picture of. The staff here are very friendly and helpful, they helped my grlfriend put a simple bet on the National last week. It is far from intimidating and encourages new people to come in rather than use the big boys. If you like a flutter then there are far worst places you could go than Bobby J's in Shaw. It is open everyday bar xmas day and it stays open for evening racing.

When I was little, I use to love going in this shop and getting one of the best ice-creams in the…read moreworld. Chocolate chip or raspberry ripple. For some reason, I feel a million dollars with this ice cream. Everyone in Uppermill will no doubt get one during their day out here! Also this shop has a fantastic tea-room downstairs that has allsorts on offer from tea and scones to sandwiches. It hasn't changed either over the years. It still has tubs of sweets lined up on the shelves and little presents to buy. Around the back they have newspapers, magazines and cards. It is a decent newsagent. But honestly, if you go here, Please please try an ice cream or even a bag of sweets!!