Cotswold Outdoor

I came looking for Wellington boots and at £10 that was for sure a bargain to me.
The staff here are for sure we’ll trained on up selling with me being offered the usual gloves and a torch at the till.
I was offered discount if I was a member of any club that was on their approved scheme but my coffee club wasn’t on that list so no discount.
This shop is well stocked with all your out door wear that you could ever need with a section up stairs for all your hill walking and foot wear.

I’m not an outdoorsy type by any stretch of the imagination (and my imagination is particularly stretchy) so it’s rare for me to find myself in a place like this, but I followed my friend in as she hunted for a new waterproof for her climbing exploits.
At first we were a bit disappointed by the apparently small shop and there wasn’t much besides coats at all (although not, that we could see, the kind she sought). Then we realised there was another floor, and when we ascended the stairs — oh my! An emporium of gargantuan proportions stocking just about everything I could think would ever be useful.
We made a beeline for the rest of the coats and were fairly promptly approached by one of the staff, who asked if she could help us. My friend, who had a very specific idea of what she wanted, tried to explain what she was looking for, but didn’t seem to be able to communicate the idea too clearly. I being a not-​expert in terminology was unable to assist! The girl was very helpful, though, and really knew her stuff. I stood by and let them exchange terminology and brand names for a bit.
Trying to figure out what the item being described was, she mentioned two things that we had missed downstairs, but said that one was definitely too large for my friend and the only one in stock, while the others were more expensive than my friend’s budget allowed.
When we went back downstairs and browsed again, she was absolutely right — the two items we’d missed on our first scout around were almost perfect except one being the wrong size and the other being a bit pricey! So we didn’t find what we’d gone in for, but there was a wide selection of brands and items available (beyond the oh-​so-​trendy The North Face) and the assistant was very knowledgeable, trying very hard to help.

I like this shop better than the others on Rose St as the staff seem more genuine. Helpful advice and as is always the case with outdoors shops bags of chat about where to use your kit too! Maybe not the cheapest but buying boots for example to go hillwalking in, is not something to tread lightly with…

Nerd alert! The staff are very friendly but do exercise caution when showing interest in the details of any products otherwise they become excited and you will be subject to obsessed monologues about equipment technologies. The best technique for diffusing this type of antisocial behavior is to ask a question they will be unable to answer, e.g. «What’s the best pro rain gear for cats? Do you sell moose pheromones in an aerosol can? Can you help me find your ultra-​lightweight fleece handcuffs?»