BEST DAYS OUT FOR SHOPPING ON THE GREAT WEST WAY

In the towns, villages and cities along the Great West Way route you’ll find an abundance of antique stores and independent shops as well as super-handy shopping centres and malls. There are also some marvellous markets selling everything from local crafts to artisan delicacies. Here are some ideas for a great shopping day out…

SPEND THE DAY AT MCARTHURGLEN DESIGNER OUTLET SWINDON

McArthurGlen’s Swindon Designer Outlet is housed in the beautifully renovated Grade II listed buildings of the Great Western Railway Works and is one of the largest covered designer outlets in Europe. There is a mixture of high-street and designer brands with reduced prices of up to 60 per cent. Stores include Guess, Reiss, Joules, Kurt Geiger, Ted Baker, Calvin Klein and bringing out the inner child in all of us, new for 2022, a HARIBO Store is due to open before Christmas – the ninth store of its kind to open in the UK.

Swindon Designer Outlet has a variety of restaurants around the centre, open until late most weeknights, including Five Guys, Wagamama, Pizza Express, Giraffe, Patisserie Valerie, Krispy Kreme, KFC and Subway. As well as many dining options, Swindon Designer Outlet also houses a great selection of cafes including Starbucks, Soho Coffee and Costa.

The on-site STEAM Museum of The Great Western Railway offers families the chance to learn about the men and women who built, operated and travelled on the Great Western Railway and National Trust has its own café and shop.

Other shopping centres you might enjoy…

The recently rebranded Town Centre inSwindon is home to many top retail names as well as local and independent stores – it has been re-modernised with many new remarkable makers, designer, artisans and pioneers.

The Guild in Wiltshire is set in a rural and historic setting of regenerated carpet factory buildings. Here you’ll discover a distinctive mix of independent and national brands and don't miss their creative workshops, including Christmas Wreath making and Tumbleweed Gig and Christmas BBQ.

Fisherton Mill is a shopping destination, gallery, cafe and artist studios based in Salisbury, within easy reach of the Great West Way – originally built in 1880 as a grain mill. At the west end of the route Kilver Court Designer Village, a short distance south of Bath, is home to an array of luxurious lifestyle brands including Liberty London, known for its iconic floral prints.

SPEND A DAY SHOPPING IN THE UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE CITY OF BATH

The golden city of Bath has been welcoming visitors for over 2,000 years and is a shopper’s haven, with a reputation for fashion that goes back to Georgian times. Set within a compact city centre Bath has a large range of independent and well-known stores as well as some off-the-beaten-track finds too.

Whether it’s 40s glamour or Edwardian furniture you’re in to, you’ll find some lovely, preloved treasures in the city of Bath. Bath Vintage & Antiques Market, on the last Sunday of every month at Green Park Station, has a good mix of everything – mid-century furnishings, jazzy retro frocks and one-of-a-kind antiques.

Elsewhere, Vintage to Vogue can style you in top quality fashion, from the 1900s onwards, then have it tailored specifically to your shape. Shopping in Bath is a real treat, high street fashion gurus, book worms and art collectors alike will enjoy the buzzing city and its eclectic selection of unique gifts.

Designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, Bath is home to some of the most impressive architectural sights in the world such as the Royal Crescent, the Circus and Pulteney Bridge.

At the heart of Bath city centre, next to Bath’s imposing Abbey is the Roman Baths Museum, which gives a fascinating insight into the original bathing complex and the great Roman temple of Sulis Minerva. Above the Museum in the 18th century Pump Room you can taste the waters, enjoy a meal and listen to music from the Pump Room Trio.

Bartlett Street, a picturesque pedestrian side street in Georgian Bath’s favourite shopping district

Bath has a wide variety of museums and galleries including the Holburne Museum, No 1. Royal Crescent, the Jane Austen Centre and the Musuem of Bath Architecture. There are stunning gardens and landscapes a-plenty – don’t miss the stunning Palladian bridge at the National Trust’s Prior Park, just outside the city.

Don’t forget to stop off at the Roman Baths and pick up a souvenir to share with friends and family. When you are feeling hungry or thirsty there is a mouth-watering selection of restaurants, pubs, cafes and delis to choose from or a number of places to stay in Bath to settle down for the evening.

SPEND A DAY SHOPPING IN READING, THE LARGEST TOWN IN ENGLAND

The Oracle, Reading

Reading is located near the centre of the Great West Way, making it a great base from which to explore the many delights of the route. Located in the heart of Reading, The Oracle boasts more than 80 stores to cater for all your fashion and lifestyle needs – including Next, House of Fraser and Zara. There’s plenty of choice on Riverside with flavours from around the world in more than 20 restaurants.

VISIT NEWBURY AND THE PARKWAY SHOPPING CENTRE

Parkway Shopping Centre

Alongside the Kennet & Avon Canal, Newbury has a bustling high street with many interesting shops, which include unique stores such as family-run department store Camp Hopson. Located in the heart of the town centre, Parkway Shopping is anchored by M&S and NEXT and includes a number of essential shopping needs from fashion such as H&M, Superdry, Fat Face, New Look, The Entertainer and more, with many cafes and restaurants to choose from.

Great West Way signage at Parkway Shopping Centre

Other Great West Way towns you might enjoy…

For a spot of souvenir hunting or Christmas gift shopping head to our smaller Great West Way towns including Marlborough, Malmesbury, Chippenham, Bradford on Avon, Pewsey, Marlow and Tetbury. Plus, don’t miss pop-up boutiques such as We Make Bristol in Westbury-on-Trym, which only stocks products by local artists and designers, or head to the gift shops at top tourist attractions or tourist information offices, Stonehenge gift shop, for instance, sells striking lino prints of the stones by local artist Caroline Day.

TAKE A DAY OUT SHOPPING IN CREATIVE BRISTOL

Cabot Circus is the ultimate shopping destination in the heart of Bristol, with over 120 high-street and designer brands, including Harvey Nichols, House of Fraser, Zara, &Other Stories, H&M and Apple. Covered by a unique shell-shaped glass roof, Cabot Circus is also home to a Showcase Cinema de Lux, Escape Hunt and crazy golf venue, Jungle Rumble.

Bristol is known for its alternative outlook, making it a go-to place for vintage and offbeat fashion finds. For quirky places in Bristol head straight to Stokes Croft and adjoining Gloucester Road – the longest street of independent shops in the UK. There you’ll discover artfully curated charity shops alongside intriguing second-hand stores (with lots of hip cafes in between for when you need a coffee break). For award-winning fish and chips with a view head to Salt & Malt at Bristol’s historic harbourside. If you’re a guy or gal who likes Americana, Uncle Sam’s on Park Street is the best place to find a pair of cowboy boots or classic Levis you can cherish forever. The Christmas Steps Arts Quarter is a hiddenaway haven for one-offs including musical instruments, herbal remedies and fine spirits (the medieval steps themselves make the perfect Insta-snap too). Plus, be sure to visit St Nick’s Market in Bristol (every day except Sunday).

Bristol's historic harbourside, Salt & Malt at Cargo is part of a bustling new food hub in the newly regenerated Wapping Wharf

Looking ahead…

Set to open in Autumn 2023, Bristol Beacon, Bristol’s largest concert hall (formerly known as Colston Hall) has undergone a complete refurbishment and redevelopment. The £48.8m transformation will turn the venue into one the best performance and music learning spaces in Europe – a modern, accessible, state-of-the-art facility.