UK Retailers

[Tuckahoe]

For our UK and Irish members -- I'll be going to the UK later this year and wouldn't mind fitting a hiking/backpacking retailer into the itinerary and would appreciate having a few pointed out. I'll be visiting Dublin, Telford/Ironbridge Gorge, York, London and Canterbury.

[futureatwalker]

You could check out Cotswolds (http://www.cotswoldoutdoor.com/).

[4shot]

I backpacked 6 weeks in Scotland last year...I went into Nevissports, Tiso and Mountain Warehouse stores for fuel and sundry items.I believe these are some of the better known chains for outdoor equipment. This is just an impression so take it with a grain of salt..because (I guess) of the size of the UK, there are no AT's, PCT's, CDT's, etc.so their gear (UK and European) APPEARS to be made not as lightweight as the equivalent US gear.Construction appears to be more oriented to durability, shorter trips, and/or extreme weather (think Hillenberg tents). that is a good thing...as several times we experienced winds unlike any we have encountered on our trips here. (Make sure to add guylines to your tents if you don't already have them).

there is extreme interest in outdoor activity, especially day hikes and hill climbing. However, on our journey, we encountered very few people on trails who were backpacking and 'wild camping" as they say. A lot of people were walking town to town with day packs (and in some cases, having luggage transported for them by a luggage service). Slackpacking I would say is the norm on their more widely used trails.

You will see some US gear in stock (Osprey packs were quite popular). Bottom line, I would not want to depend on getting any major piece of backpacking gear over there...however for maps, fuel, incidentals, these places were great.

BTW, I cannot comment enough on how much I enjoyed myself over there. Great scenery, history, hospitality and wonderful whisky as well.I do not know how the rest of the UK stacks up in regards to weather but on our 6 week trip (Late May thru early July) we depended quite heavily on our rain gear (I think there were 2 days when we did not use them - meaning pants AND jacket). But I understand last year was an exceptionally wet and cold "summer" for them.

regards and enjoy yourself. i brought back several maps from Scotland I could loan you..PM if you might be interested.

[Tuckahoe]

You could check out Cotswolds (http://www.cotswoldoutdoor.com/).

Thank you! Looks like a store Canterbury, several in London and one in Shrewsbury.


I backpacked 6 weeks in Scotland last year...I went into Nevissports, Tiso and Mountain Warehouse stores for fuel and sundry items...

Thanks for the thoughts, but this isn't a hiking or backpacking trip. Just a history tourist trip with a pilgrimage to the Ironbridge Gorge.

[pauly_j]

Most cities have a Go Outdoors. They're big and you should be able to find any general camping wares.

[Jowy]

We have plenty stores that sell reasonable quality mid ranged gear, but in all honesty high end specialist gear like ultra-lightweight stuff is difficult to find, I've had to order most of my gear online. This is mainly because there isn't as much demand for specialist hiking gear since we don't have any LD trails or huge areas of the country that are completely remote. But like the other guy said, Cotswold's is alright.