Secrets of stress-free shopping

My advice to anyone planning a shopping trip almost anywhere in England  by car, is to check the traffic! Especially if it involves a long distance on a motorway or major route in the rush hour or on a weekend. When we set off from Kent to Oxfordshire one Sunday morning on the first leg of our summer holiday,  we ground to a halt almost as soon as soon as we hit the M25. It’s no fun counting down shopping time you’re losing at your final destination.

I’ve always found journey planning websites like Via Michelin useful for estimating travel time and planning routes. Now, even I found myself fuming as my carefully planned schedule was having to be revised. Then I began to find out how you can beat traffic, even on busy weekends and unfamiliar roads …

Getting ahead with ‘augmented reality’

It’s a fact that Britain is a crowded island; and I thought little could be done about traffic, but I was wrong. My techno-savvy teenage son had the answer, gleefully explaining how he could see the jam coming before we hit it, in the form of a red line highlighting the affected part of the route. It was thanks to the latest TomTom GPS application he’d just acquired for his Iphone, which speaks out turn by turn directions. Luckily he’d also brought along a windscreen mountable docking station.

So now I’m converted to the value of  sat nav. (having always been a paper map planning type of person up to then). We  agreed to use the system to find our way from that moment on. The only downside is that network coverage isn’t perfect in hilly areas like parts of Devon and Cornwall, and phone screens can be illegible in strong light if your eyesight’s not perfect.

GPS based traffic information is part of new software developments that are collectively serving up ‘augmented reality’.  It requires a  smart phone like Apple’s  Iphone or Google Android. If you’ve got one it offers you a choice of downloadable functions or ‘apps’, many of them either free  or inexpensive. Already here, or coming soon, are  apps like ‘Primospot’ for locating car parks in unfamiliar places,  GPark for locating your car in a crowded car park, Parking App for texting you when your meter is about to run out, and ‘Urbanspoon’ that alerts you to the nearest eating places. I can already see the potential for life to be made a lot easier.

Is there an alternative to the car ?

It’s a lot less hassle and more environmentally friendly travelling by train, as I found out on other UK excursions this summer; but the only problem with rail, or air for that matter, is your  physical ability to carry about your belongings and all the stuff you’ve bought.

Taxis and wheels on your bag only go so far. Go mad in the shops and you have to allow for it to cost you even more in time spent hanging about, tips and excess baggage or shipping charges. So, unless you stick to small light purchases, or if you’re an A lister; if you’re planning a mega shop, there’s probably no viable alternative to the car.

Shop and stay in style within easy reach of London

Once we got there, Waddesdon Manor near Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire, was great. If you’re a wine lover you’ll love it too. It  looks just like a French  chateau, and has a superb collection of art and antiques. It’s also home to the Rothschild family, who just happen to own  Chateau Mouton Rothschild and Chateau Lafite. So I wasn’t at all surprised to find that Waddesdon has a fantastic wine cellar, a quality restaurant, plant centre and several shops including a wine shop with online purchase options.  The main shop  sells ‘The Collection’ of specially commissioned exclusive Waddesdon items. The estate also features a hotel, the Five Arrows, which regularly holds Sunday night gourmet dinners.

We stayed nearby at Shakespeare House a stylish boutique bed and breakfast in the village of Grendon Underwood. Get them to explain the Shakespearean connection, I won’t spoil the surprise. Stratford Upon Avon is a viable side trip, 40 miles away in Warwickshire.

Shakespeare House is highly convenient for Bicester Village outlet centre, which can be found just off the M40 at junction 9. Advertised as being only ‘one hour from London’ (perhaps by train), this is the only UK factory outlet centre I know that includes truly prestigious brands like Jimmy Choo, Aquascutum, Bulgari, Smythson, Tods, Mulberry and many more like them in its offering.   Somehow it feels easier to venture inside and browse here, rather than in London’s Bond Street or Knightsbridge. Perhaps that’s a contributory factor in its undoubted success.

Bicester Village trends and tips

The Times recently reported that Bicester Village is being actively promoted internationally, not only to Europeans, but also in the Middle East, China and other parts of Asia. The strategy is clearly working.Vistors from the Middle East are up by 73%, China is up by 25% and Russia is up by 87%, all in the past year.

When we visited in mid afternoon the place was absolutely packed, and I particularly noticed for the first time ever (I usually visit in midweek in winter), that I couldn’t find a parking place close to the shops, and had to park in the multi storey across the road. I also had to queue up to pay this time.

As with any outlet centre, you should probably try and keep focussed on making thoughtful purchases of classics that won’t date, rather than impulsively snapping up an opportunity to buy something in an unusual style or colour. On this ocasion I was ensnared by a casual blouse at Thomas Pink. Allow yourself plenty of time when you come here, as there are over 120 individual shops. Check the website in advance for details of opening times and the latest promotions. It pays dividends to be well organised if it’s crowded.

Further reading

If you’ve got a spare minute try Traffic: Why We Drive the Way We Do (and what it says about us) by Tom Vanderbilt.

Next week, I’ll be sharing my shopping experiences  in the Cotswolds  and elsewhere.

Until then…