Junction 1 is all about managing your expectations. The first time I visited, I had just been to…read morethe US and been on a serious spree in one of the outlet malls there. I went to Junction 1 expecting the same kind of unbelievable bargains there, especially as Belfast's first Ralph Lauren store had just opened there. Big mistake. You just don't get those kind of crazy prices anywhere but in the states. So, with my expectations of bargains managed right down, I made a second visit and was very impressed with both the range of shops and the prices. The best buys are to be found in M&S and the Next outlets, as well as Gap, Levis and Mexx. You'll get prices which are about half of what you would pay in the high street shops, but you may be buying goods that are a season or two old. As long as you're not looking for high fashion, there are savings to be made. M&S underwear, Next shoes, Gap clothes for children and jeans are all good choices and sadly the Ralph Lauren store has closed down. Maybe it was too expensive to do any business? The whole environment at Junction 1 is really pleasant, beautifully landscaped 'streets' and lots of open space, very much in the style of my beloved US outlet malls. There are plenty of places to bolster your energy reserves for round two of shopping - M&S café, Starbucks, Subway and Moe's Cafe which does very good scones. It's not really a place to take the kids, although if you have to, you could bribe them with a visit to Adventure Island, an indoor play area. Sadly you can't drop them off there and collect them 3 hours later, you have to actually stay with them. Now there's a niche in the market if ever I saw one.

Junction One is my kinda shopping experience...cheap, easy to get around, and tons of wonderful…read moreshops all in the same area. Heaven for most girls, and even for some guys (my dad's a huge fan, but he doesn't like to openly admit it). This place has really taken off since its opening in six years ago. Us poor Norn Ironers now wonder what the heck we were doing paying full price for all those clothes / shoes / accessories / cosmetics / other bits and bobs when you can get up to 60% off such things in Junction One. I've gotten so many things here over the years, many from shops which are long since gone (RIP Logo...darn that recession), and for really genuinely good prices. Ones to definitely check out are Next Clearance (no changing rooms is the only let down here), All Wellan Good (*really* cheap makeup and toiletries), Cosmetics Company (top brands such as Bobby Brown and Elizabeth Arden feature here, but you'll get them for a good bit cheaper than on the high street), Mexx and Tom Tailor. Unfortunately, as I previously mentioned, a few shops have closed over the years, including the awesome Ralph Lauren store and Pilot. One other slightly negative note is that the cafes are really quite expensive...no 60% bargains to be had in these! All in all, a tremendous shopping experience, and one which you won't regret.

Two or three? Two or three? Two...or...three?!…read more Fine, it's three. Just. Multi-faceted, capacious and, well, just plain random, Castle Mall has the makings of a fantastic shopping centre. With plenty of decent shops, such as Dorothy Perkins and Burton, New Look, Dunnes Stores, Pound Stretcher Extra, Clinton Cards, and even a Post Office, it sounds good on paper. It's well-located, situated right smack bang in the town centre. So what's the problem? Castle Mall is tired, lacking in fervor, and it just hasn't managed to materialize its potential quite yet. There's the old problem of too many empty shop units, and despite one entrance of the centre looking fantastic, the other entrance leaves a lot to be desired...I think the mall has a few identity issues. There are worse, but there are definitely better. Three stars = piggy in the middle.

The Castle Centre has really gone downhill over the last few years. Dunnes Stores has closed and I…read moreheard a rumour that New Look was moving out to Junction One. There aren't really any places to eat and the number of shops has gone down a lot. Right now, Poundstrecher, Poundland and New Look are managing to keep everything together. I remember that they spent loads of money getting Woolworths and Adams to come to the centre only for them to fade out after a few months. If I'm in the area, I only use this place if I have to use the loo as the toilets in here are very clean. It has been really sad to see names like Dorothy Perkins, Woolworths and now Dunnes leave the centre and I fear for what will happen to it. Ballymena has really stolen all the trade from Antrim and I'm not happy.

Sadly more and more units have closed down here. But it still has the adidas shop. This means I…read morecan get my trainer fix and coffee fix at either Starbucks or Costa. So a win win for me.

About 12 years ago, Antrim's town planners stumbled across an empty space on the outskirts of town…read moreand thought "Hey! This is the perfect spot for a cheap and nasty retail park! Let's build it here, next to the derelict Kerr's Tyres building to improve the area!" The end result created Junction One, a retail park with outlet stores. So think Next Clearance, M&S Outlet (2 levels), Nike Factory Store, Adidas, Antler and Toytown. All of those are located here. The layout is a bit weird, as it is two triangles of shops back to back which is a bit inconvenient if you are trying to find a shop only to find that it is on the other side of the triangle. In a way, it reminds me of Glasgow Fort but on a much smaller scale and with shops that are dire. Don't get me wrong, I do love a bargain but with the amount of empty units and the fashion actually in the outlet stores, it does feel slightly limited. It does have its positives like a Starbucks, a big Asda and a cinema with an "IMAX" screen. (Screen 1 of the Omniplex is 23m wide and is the largest cinema screen in Ireland.) I do miss the café that was in M&S, and there was a decent little ice cream parlour at the back but both have sadly gone to make way for more emptiness. The former M&S Café is now the extended lingerie department. But M&S here doesn't even have a food hall so what is the point of calling it M&S! But Starbucks, Asda and the cinema do keep me coming back when I'm over in Antrim and Redz, Moe's Grill and the Antrim Park at the edge of the place are also pretty good.

Some real deals to be had here in Clarkes Factory Shop at the Junction One Outlet Centre. Prices on…read moresome lines are cut massively, I have came away with two pairs of shoes at £15 for the two pairs. Lines are generally reduced by 33% at least but as I said some items, probably old stock end of line stuff can be massively reduced so always worth a call to be sure you don't miss a bargain.

I LOVE THIS SHOP!! If you love Clarks shoes then this is the place to be because they are so much…read morecheaper in here. Don't be put off by the outlet label - very often these are just last seasons shoes but they are still so very on trend. The savings can be massive - Springers that were originally £50 could be £15 in here. They often do sticker deals on shoes 'BUY ONE GET ONE FREE' deals or even 'BUY ONE PAIR AND BUY ANOTHER FOR £1'. Sometimes their shoes are as low as £5. They have men and womens shoes but unfortunately no kids. They have an extensive styles in various sizes.

Antrim Arcade is surprisingly not an arcade in the sense of amusements, but rather a pokey little…read morecollection of completely random and unrelated shops. Mmm... According to the sign on the door there's a wallpaper and paint shop called Decoflair, a recruitment agency known as Workforce Ireland Ltd., Jeffanie PC Solutions which specialise on computer sales and repairs, and a pub called the Galleon Bar. There was also a chip shop at the very front of the Arcade, entitled Arcade Chip Shop. Novel. When my sister and I wandered in, I actually thought we were in the wrong place. There were a couple of mums sitting on seats, playing with their kids, and a man wandering around with some paper. I felt a bit awkward, and since I had no requirement for wall paper and paint, nor did I need a computer seen to, or indeed a job (the pub option was debatable, but I'm fairly sure I didn't particularly need a drink), we decided to skedaddle. The chippie wasn't an option either, as we'd just had lunch, but it was exceptionally busy for 3pm on a Wednesday afternoon. Probably the best aspect of this strange little arcade...

The Arcade is a bit weird. All the shops here are run by individual people and it is more of an…read moreindoor market than an arcade. At the entrance, there is a chip shop on one side and a Morelli's sweet shop on the other. If you walk to the other end of the place, there is a café and a bar up a steep flight of steps. It is a bit run down but it brings back a lot of nostalgia from my Antrim days.

i'd never heard of this store before going to junction one, but its worth a visit if you are up. A…read morelot of the range of shoes feels like its aimed at older people but if you hunt through the store you'll find loads of different ranges not just the pavers range. I've seen quite a lot of hush puppies and sketchers at half price which is a bargain. Plus they put every purchase in a free navy cloth bag for life which impressed me.

If you love Pavers shoes then this is the place to be because they are so much cheaper in here…read more Don't be put off by the outlet label - very often these are just last seasons shoes but they are still so very on trend. Very often you will find other designer labels in here such as Hush Puppies, Fly, Fly Flot etc at low prices. They have men and womens shoes and i'm not sure but i don't think they do children's shoes in here. They have an extensive styles in various sizes. They also do pieces of luggage and ladies handbags - some leather. Located at Junction Once outlet retail park so free easy access parking.

This is a great sized store and the only place you can buy any decent clothes in Antrim. Good…read moreselection in each department and have very good sales as well. Best clothes shop in Antrim

New look is the best shop in Antrim. CLothes are gorgeous, and they are good value. Spacious…read morechanging rooms and friendly staff too. Queues can get rather big at weekends and during sales though.

This is a great shop for the older lady! It offers fantastic trendy clothes (without being too…read moreyoung) at low prices. The store is located in Junction One Outlet retail park and is a good sized store that does clothes, handbags, jewellery, shoes and gifts etc. They often have great deals on the clothes. The staff are friendly and always willing to offer advice. When its sale time you can get some fantastic bargains. I would highly recommend this clothes shop especially for the older lady who likes to be trendy. Easy parking as it is located within the Junction one retail park.