Cotswold

Home from home, split over 3 floors Cotswold is one of my favourite places. With a good mix of every bit of outdoor kit you could need and friendly staff who will endure to go into minor detail of the pros and cons of a variety of equipment.
The basement has all your clothes, boots, climbing harnesses, DVDs (I’m just listing equipment). Additionally Cotswold invests time in its clients; because of this you have 20% discounts for university climbing members and the lark. All very nice of them. If you listen to recent weather reports anyway it would seem that alpine clothing is going to see a sharp rise in purchases. Long live Cotswold that’s what I say.

Manchester is surrounded by so much amazing countryside, with the great expanse of the Peak District just a few miles away. It figures that there should be some serious outdoor shops in Manchester’s city centre.
At first, you would think Cotswold was just a place to buy well made and nice-​looking hiking jackets, jumpers and fleeces. If you go beyond the small ground floor you’ll soon find that there’s an expanse of gear to be found in the basement and on the first floor.
Downstairs in the basement, they stock professional climbing gear with helmets, karabiners and ropes all on display. They’ve got a great selection of maps and videos as well. Upstairs is the place to buy a force-​10 gale storm proof tent, if that’s what you need.
On the stairs down to the basement I found a couple of notice boards, where staff had posted pictures and info about themselves and the outdoor activities they specialised in. It was a nice touch and goes a long way to prove that Cotswold is all about getting out and having real fun in the outdoors with great hiking and climbing gear to do it with.