Wow! Boys and girls, I can’t believe my eyes!

Excuse me…are you sure the price is right on those Ben Sherman shirts? The reversible pink Billabong bikini £5!!! Polo trousers and jumpers under a score and no questions asked. No way! Wherever I look bargains are jumping at me, non-stop.

Help! Please help! I mean help with carrying the bags (of course)! I am actually quite happy to take the virginity off this exceptional designer outlet village by being the first to write about its unusual place and what it has to offer. Oh the joy I get from rummaging through designer shops for their best bargains…unimaginable. Almost better than orgasm! I did say almost!

The Great Western Designer Outlet Village, aka McArthur Glen … well yes, to be found only in Swindon, the armpit of the UK, if it wasn’t for Brentford in West London.

As you can see I love shopping and well yes, I love writing about it.
Firstly I will tell you about its history and how it happened to be build right by a museum. I will tell you about the atmosphere, the shops, the food hall and the people who go there but will of course not be able to describe in every detail all the shops within the Village as there are far too many. I’ll be so good though to talk about my favourites!

Here we go guys:
What makes this a tourist attraction as well as a happy day out shopping is that the 20,000 square meter village was build on the former site of the Great Western Railway works by taking into account the site's historical context and the meaning of the railway.

It is not too obvious at first but as you walk along the massive halls you can see cranes and a strong focus on the cross beams that used to spin the original structure and were used to arrange large railway mechanisms. restored Grade II Listed buildings that once housed the Great Western railway works. The Steam Museum, which is located right next to the Village, opened on site in June 2000.

The Village offers some end of season and excess stock at up to 70% off the recommended retail price and puts a massive smile on my face if I think about how much money I can save if I take the drive one a month and do all my shopping there. There are well over 100 shops to choose from and they cater for everyone, boys, girls and kids, ladies gentleman or whatever else you choose to be. It is the largest outlet in Europe and has won the South West's 'England for Excellence' visitor attraction of the year award in 2002.

How super is that to shop in a place that has won awards and recommendations by people such as Prince Charles. Yes, that’s right! He once said about the Village: “What I can see here is a superlative example of how to stimulate the economy through redevelopment while preserving British royal heritage.”

Ok, let me look at the shops within now.
All items sold are stock superfluous to the high street or special buys and are sold here for much less to sell them faster and bring in the new stock. Things to find in the village include not only fashion, which is my weakness but also great deals on cooking and baking stuff, electrical goods, kitchen stuff, cosmetics for those raves out, toys for kids and babies, CDs, DVDs, books, videos…and much, much more.

The brands to be found are all well known names such as Armani, Aquascutum, Prada, Gap, Burberry, Billabong, Puma, Ted Baker, Ben Sherman, Hugo Boss, Calvin Klein, Versace, Nike, Gap, Polo Ralph Lauren and many more. And then there are those brands that make you feel right at home such as Marks & Spencer…

My favourite shop in the village is Billabong as I love the tiny bikinis in all colours of the rainbow and the casual sort of surfer, sort of hey-dude-attitude-clothes. I found stuff there for a fiver that cost me in their London Kings Road shop £45! Can you believe that?

My boyfriend loved all the sports shops and the footwear that was available at next to nothing prices. Some of those are Clarks, Nike, Caterpillar, Ravel, Soled Out, and his absolute favourite Timberland. He has those in all colours, now how sad is that!?

Eventually you get tired, yes even I do after 4 hours of non-stop shopping. You can have a rest in the food hall, which serves foods for different tastes. Jacket potatoes, Pizza, Chinese, Starbucks, McDonalds…what can I say? You’ll have to see and taste for yourself.
Was quite pleased with my quick tune and sweet corn Jacket Potato.

The best bargain I got on the day was actually from a shop called the Designer Shop…too funny I have to tell you. As I approached the till ready to pay for my blue really low hipster pants I saw this really wicked black top. It has a halter neck but has the elbows kind of exposed and continues to cover the arms half way.

Looked kind of odd on the hanger and I was trying to imagine what it would look like on me. This really lovely shop assistant at the till offered to try it on for me as she was just wearing a little top anyway …so she did. It looked gorgeous so I bought it for a staggering £10. Excellent value! Now that’s what I call customer service!

If you like a bargain and a fun day out, keep in mind you need at least 2-4 hours to see everything, then this is definitely for you. If that sort of thing scares you…well don’t even go there!

Thanks for reading
X
Aggapimou

For more information on how to get there and any other info see below for their contact number. It’s open 7 days a week and is only closed for Chrismas…how super is that?

Kemble Drive
Swindon
SN2 2DY

(01793) 507600
(01793) 507602