UKC

Hi

Not really sure where the best place the South East (ish) region is if you want to look at gear in the flesh. Based in Oxford. I've got by with using Go Outdoors to buy kit I'm familiar with, rainy day stops at Outside in the peaks, and years gone by had been to the shop in Stony Stratford but looks like that has shutdown. I do like having a look in the flesh and to make use of staff's knowledge of stuff, but don't even know what the options are now nearby-ish, happy to travel a bit, but not quite as far the peaks!

Any ideas?

Want to look at outdoor walking trousers, poles, and generally a decently equipped shop. London is another option, but not familiar with the shops where staff are good and know their stuff. Would like to have the option at looking at smaller cams too and generally get advice. 

Thanks

Liz

Hi Liz,

Perhaps a trip to Bristol?? Can't remember how far that is from Oxford, hour and abit??

You've got Taunton Leisure, Dicks Climbing, Ellis Brigham's, Snow and Rock and Banana Fingers there!

Or perhaps Cotswold outdoors at South Cerney?

Ok, just checked, it's slightly longer than an hour and abit!!!

How about Absolute Snow in Watford? They have a physical store you can visit. Abit Argos style but the staff and helpful and friendly.

Really not many specialists around this area. Cotswold isn't the outdoor retailer it once was, not that you have one; nearest seems to be Bicester.

It's interesting to see the rise of Mountain Whorehouse...

You've got a Decathlon.

Most specialists are now in 'outdoor capitals' or online.

Yeah I think I’ll probably end up doing a bit of shopping when I’m in N Wales, as have some time there next month. Probably easiest that way otherwise a special trip to Bristol which I probably wouldn’t do in reality. 

The Cotswolds near Bicester doesn’t sell climbing stuff at all these days, popped in there a few weeks ago. It did a few years ago.

Haven’t really thought of Decathlon but might be worth another look, for less specific things. I hear they do make good sewn prussicks, not sure about baby cams (Dragonfly’s) though which I kind of what to have a bit of a look at as well general outdoors clothes.  

Yeah; it's more 'outdoor fashion' these days.

Decathlon's climbing hardware is rather 'workmanlike'. Not even sure I remember seeing cams of any sort in store. But if they have them online, getting them delivered to store costs nothing. Oh, but returns on climbing gear aren't allowed. Hmmmm...

Not sure why I attracted dislikes; Cotswold fans, maybe...?

If happy with going to MK there's a big Go Outdoors, a Cotswold and a Decathlon all within walking distance of each other and the station.  Or go to a London climbing wall, they tend to have gear shops?  The MK Big Rock centres do too, though climbing, not walking gear.

As someone who, from time to time, made a pilgrimage from Oxford to Stony Stratford, I sympathize. What we need is for an independent to open up in Oxford - How about it, Hooked On Granite, trading as the Climbers' Shop/Joe Brown?

I'm old enough to remember when Oxford had three climbing/outdoor shops: YHA, the Scout Shop and Touchwoods (on St Aldates and at Redbridge), which were adequate, and the latter was helpful and always willing to order.

Went to Cotswolds at Bicester on Saturday: as someone else has posted, they are a long, long way from what they used to be, which was never particularly specialist. Not worth the journey.

 

I'm in the process of opening a new commercial wall in central Oxford, and we've briefly discussed including a shop, but the space (and capital outlay) that you need for stock is just astronomical.  It's possible that we might carry a very sparse line of basic gear but we're certainly not going to be able to stock full racks of gear, or multiple harnesses or - especially - many sizes of different models of shoes.

OP - whenever new members of the OUMC ask this, the answer is just to wait until club trip goes near Outside in Hathersage or the Llanberis shops.  Although, if it's of any help, I have small WC Zeroes, Dragons and Totems, if you want to compare them!

Great news, and I hope that the wall is a success. (I am also old enough to remember when Oxford had no wall - apart from a railway bridge or two!) Can you tell us where it's going to be?

Very sorry to hear about the hurdles in the way of opening a proper climbing shop, especially in a place like Oxford with its other shops and the – I imagine – relatively high per captia number of people who might use it.

I've always feel I've had a bad weekend away if I've had time to visit a climbing shop, but you are right, for many of us it's the only opportunity we get to visit a real gear outlet.

Crikey - you're pre-Iffley?  

The new wall is going to be on Marston Street, so it's very close indeed to Iffley.  Projected opening date of August 2023...

We could, probably, run a gear shop within it, and I dare say it would pay its way.  But space is limited and the room we'd need for stock is, in our opinion, better used for more routes!

I lived on Iffley Road for a year, loved that 80s era stone insert cruising. Sean Myles showing his talent.  Gear sellers dilemma, most big cities struggle to support a decent shop. If you’re going shopping on a trip you’re either not climbing enough or have got rubbish weather.

Can't remember there being a climbing wall when I first was in Oxford, but maybe I never got to Iffley at that time. When did it open?

1979.

I lived in Oxford in the 1980's and remember hearing about some facility on the iffley road, I thought it was something to do with the university and the iffley road stadium?  But I might have got that wrong, I never went.

Used  go bouldering on the old railway bridge out on the horspath road, as well as trying out various church and college buildings and walls.

It was that or the drive to the shockingly bad, by todays standards, outdoor wall at the high wycomb lesiure centre.

I no longer live in oxford but still visit regularly so will look forward to trying the new Marston street wall. 

Jamie, will it be just bouldering?

It is - it's in Iffley Road Sports Centre.  You need to be a member of OUMC to use it, but as the club accepts members from the community that's not a bar.  It has its own charm!

Horspath still exists; about every five years a new generation 'rediscovers' it and then reports back just how poor and terrifying it is.  I am advised that I could not possibly comment upon the buildering in Oxford.

There's much more choice now; Brookes is a decent facility, and now it has a booking system it's no longer overcrowded.  People certainly make the trip to Reading, Swindon or MK frequently enough.

I don't want to go into lots of details (not least because I'm genuinely not trying to snag free advertising!) but the building is too low to permit decent lead climbing.  It'll be mostly bouldering, with probably three autobelays at the highest point.  I'll be paying for proper advertising posts when we're a bit nearer the opening date, which is, optimistically, August next year.

Ah, so it did exist when I first lived in Oxford. And now it's been discussed, it is ringing faint bells.

re buildering: Things have changed since Arnold Lunn's piece on night climbing in Oxford. Taking inspiration from him, I said to a student, a keen and very capable climber, that I'd give her a bottle of whisky if she could get from Keble to Trinity without touching the ground. But then, realising that I was opening myself to being sued if anything went wrong, I had to retract my offer.