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Cotswolds: A Guide to Local Shopping, Parking and Public Loos

Felicity Ausden (Felicity)

Banbury

Banbury is an historic market town famous for its Cross, Cakes and 'Ride a Cock Horse to Banbury Cross' Nursery Rhyme. It is the second largest town in Oxfordshire and as such is a mix of a traditional market town and a cosmopolitan town with many of the high street chains to be found here. Tourist information and shops at the Castle Key Shopping Centre. There are also lots of independent traders. Somerfields supermarket is in the Market Square and the "big three" - Sainsbury's, Tesco's and Morrisons are all on the outskirts of the town. Banbury Market is every Thursday and Saturday.

There is a special Farmers Market on the First Friday of Every Month.

Parking

The most central car park in the Market Square has time limited pay and display parking (£1 for I hour). There are lots of other car parks around the town: Short Stay at 60p/hour up to 3 hours and Long Stay.

Restrooms

Public loos near Banbury Cross.

Broadway

There is now a new very compact Budgens supermarket in Broadway. It is tucked around the back and hidden away! Approaching the main street from the Oxford Road end, drive almost to the end of the shops at the bottom of the street. Just after a pub there is a small turning to the right. Follow this and you will end up in a very very small car park (maximum waiting time 45 minutes).

Other shops: Some clothes shops focussing on country wear and outdoors stuff. A very good kitchen shop, a china factory outlet shop where some nice things at good prices are sometimes to be had (not always!) plus the usual mix of better souvenir and antiques shops.

Parking

There is free street parking with a limited waiting time of one hour. At busy times of year, these places can be difficult to find.

There is a long stay car park (a left turn after a church on your right, just as you are nearly to the main street coming in on the Oxford Road) on the edge of town. It is a little walk from here.

If you want to be closer in, there is a short term (pay and display) car park hidden away around the back of Broadway. To get to it, drive down the main street from the Oxford Road end and take the last left hand turn after you have passed all the shops by the Green. Follow this road for about 100 yds. There is a car park in on your left from which you can cut through on foot, coming out by the tourist office.

Restrooms

Public loos near the short term lot.

Burford

There are no supermarkets in Burford so you will only find small specialist food shops and the majority of the town is taken up with antique shops. There is however a very nice shoe shop (Rose Dodd) and some other clothing shops worth a visit. The jewel in the crown of shopping is the Burford Garden Centre just outside the town. This sells much more than just plants and it is the perfect place to find presents, cards, special food, lovely items for the kitchen and also has a nice self serve restaurant for coffee, tea, a snack lunch etc. This is also a fun place for children as they also sell aquarium fish and pet rabbits and have a small playground area. To reach the Garden Centre drive up the main street to the roundabout at the top and take the left, 2nd exit turning for Oxford, moving almost immediately into a right hand turning lane for Carterton. The Garden Centre is a left turn on this road about 500 yds along.

Parking

Parking in the High Street is free but it can be difficult to find a place at busy periods. There is sign to a free car park to the East of the High Street.

Restrooms

Public loos on the main street, near the road to the free parking lot. Also in the free parking lot.

Chipping Campden

Very good cheese shop and nice delicatessen (although more pricey than Shipston). Otherwise I would not say it was not overly supplied with food shops as it is mostly antiques, clothes, tea places, etc.

Parking

No restrictions on parking in the street (subject to yellow lines). 90 minute pay and display car park in the Square (part of the High Street). Updated June 2007: There are now further further parking places in Back Ends which runs parallel to the High Street. It is not exactly a parking lot, more some diagonal lines marked by the roadside giving room for about 30 cars in all at either end of Back Ends. It is free parking.

Restrooms

Public loos by the tourist office on the West side of the Main Street, about halfway along.

Chipping Norton

Two large supermarkets in the town. Budgens and Somerfields, both with fairly good sized car parks. Some specialist shops, in the main not geared to tourism - it's a "real" Cotswold town, vibrant and unpretentious, with "real" shops. There is a chemist, stationers, small bookshop and a few antique shops. There is also a fish and chip shop and excellent food and local ales in over twenty pubs and restaurants. Market day on Wednesdays is held in the square. A Farmers market on the third Saturday of the month. Early closing Thursdays.

Parking

There is lots of time limited parking in the town in the main square (except on market day) as well as a large town car park on the southwest side and the supermarket car parks.

Moreton in Marsh

Budgens supermarket.

On Tuesdays the biggest street market in the Cotswolds is held in Moreton and takes up most of the main street (9 – 4). Food, hardware, clothes. Traffic jams sometimes! Other shops mostly geared around local needs although there are a few antique shops and a couple of charity shops where treasures may be found. "The Corn Exchange" is a good shop for presents.

Parking

Budgens has a car park which is free if you are shopping there but may make a charge on market day. There is another car park round the back (left turn in the middle of Moreton) near the station which makes a small charge (pay and display) and there is also free street parking.

Restrooms

Public Loos on the West side of the main street, down a little alleyway near the Reasdale Hall.

Shipston on Stour

There are two supermarkets, the Co-op and Somerfield. The latter stocks most of the everyday things you need although it is not super large. Shipston is a really good old fashioned town with lots of small shops. There is a greengrocer, hardware shop, a fishmonger, baker and a butcher as well as several charity shops where you might just find an overlooked "treasure". There is also a pharmacy, an antiques shops and other assorted useful shops as well as pubs and a tea room. There is also a lovely shop, "Taste of the Country" which seeks to provide fresh local and predominantly British food. They stock a large range of British cheeses (from cows, ewes and goats) and sell homemade "meals to go". You can buy a supper meal of say, lazagne or fish pie and bring the dish back later - reasonably priced and ideal if you don't feel like cooking on holiday.

Parking

Several small car parks and street parking. All of the car parks are free except for the Telegraph Street one. Street car parking in the main square (not square but rectangular) restricted time.

Restrooms

Public loos at Telegraph Street car park.

Stow on the Wold

Some nice small specialist food shops and a Tesco (a turning to the left at lights just before you enter Stow town from the north).

Wonderful antique shops and a very good "seconds" china shop.

Parking

The town car park is at the same turning as Tesco's but you can sometimes be lucky and get parking in the main square (restricted time, 2 hours (?)).

Restrooms

Public loos situated in the High Street.

Stratford-upon-Avon

Central – in Bridge Street Marks and Spencer's Food department.

On the Birmingham Road (on the way out going North – you have to go over the bridge for this) Tesco. Open late and some days 24 hours. Very big with clothes and electrical goods as well.

On the Alcester Road - straight on after the bridge and keep going straight, through roundabout at the top of Bridge Street and several lights, turning right at first roundabout past the station – Morrisons (formerly Safeway).

Farmers Market held on the first and third Saturdays of the month in Rother Street (9 – 2). Normal market every Friday in Rother Street.

There is an excellent cheese shop in Wood Street.

Other shopping: All the high street chains including Debenhams department store, health food shops, some very upmarket clothing shops, shoe shops and an antiques centre worth a visit.

Parking

If you are going to explore Stratford coming from the south, I suggest you follow signs for Stratford (two roundabouts, straight at first and at the second roundabout turn left). Just after the roundabout there is a sign on left to parking (Recreation Ground) by the river. This avoids taking the car over the bridge and into a one way system for big car parks but you have to know how much time you want to buy in advance. You can walk over a pedestrian bridge straight into the centre.

Alternatively there are other pay and display car parks and street parking in the town and in Bridge Street you can park for only 30 minutes (remember to get your 20p ticket from the machines). There is a large multi-storey car park opposite the Leisure Centre.

Restrooms

There are public loos by the river on the town side but also (nicer!) in Debenhams on the first floor.

Woodstock

No big food shops here but a good Traditional Butcher and a 90 year old Newsagent's shop which also sells snacks and a few food items. Lots of pubs and restaurants and a tearoom which now gets mixed reviews. The Craftsmen's Gallery sells work by contemporary British artists – paintings, etchings, ceramics and lovely wooden carvings.

Parking

There is ample free street-parking (limited waiting time) in the town plus a large free long-stay car park which is a left turn in the town just after the pedestrian lights if you are driving in the direction of Oxford.

Restrooms

The public loos are situated in the car park.

Felicity has lived in the bogs of Ireland, Dublin, Brussels, London and the Cotswolds. She has lived in the same village for 27 years but escapes as often as possible to go travelling. She rents her vacation cottage near Chipping Campden - Sansome House Cottage - www.sansomecottage.co.uk.

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