Swindon or bust…
Have you ever been to Swindon? Well, I still haven’t but I came pretty close today as I visited the largest indoor outlet mall in the UK. It just happens to be next to Swindon near junction 16 off the M4. It was really a ride along with my folks who decided along with my uncle and aunt that they needed to see what all the fuss was about. The fact that there was a Mountain Warehouse in the list of stores and I had seen a rucksack online from this very store that I was interested in AND I could possibly get it at 50% discount clinched the deal and off we set this morning….to Swindon.
To be honest, I do not like shopping or shopping malls, in fact I really dislike wandering round most malls and when I do venture into one it is directly to the store I need and back out again. After a cappuccino and an italian tart (or should I say cake) and a brief stop in a few random stores I made it into the West Wing of the mall and stepped into Mountain Warehouse. Being in the UK I should have known this was not to be anything like walking into Galyans or REI. If I had tripped up on the way in I would have fallen out the back door…this place was tiny. However, it did have some of the stuff I was interested in. The rucksack I had seen online was the same bloody price, no discount….arse! Every other rucksack they had was reduced in price but not the one I liked. Not one to get too upset I shrugged it off and decided that if I did get one here and it did not work out that I would not be happy driving all the way back to return it.
Therefore, I left empty handed. Back in London 2 hours and 80 miles later I have found a cheaper rucksack which I can get from the same store but in Covent Garden in the centre of London. I am looking at cutting out the expensive items for my trip and this goes for my backpack also. Should I lose stuff on route or have it stolen I don’t want to agonize over the cost of my loss so I want to go cheap. Cheapskate I hear you cry..! Well, if the shoe fits…
So, whats in store for tomorrow? I will be trekking into the centre of London and buying my backpack, sorting out my ticket with Global Village Travel and then off to Clapham/Battersea to visit my friend Alison who I have not seen even after having been back in London for a whole month! How I neglect my friends. Sorry Alison!
Don’t despair folks, It won’t be long before you will be reading some rather more interesting entries and viewing some exceptionally more interesting pictures. For now I am soaking up each day in England, quite literally today as it was raining. It is such a beautiful country and I am lucky to have the time to enjoy it.
Tags: Pre-Trip
