Where in the UK do you think has the best shopping?

[TheTurnOfTheScrew]

12yo DC1 wants a shopping trip for her birthday. We do actually live 15mins drive from the centre of a big city with decent shops, but to make it more of an occasion I'm up for going somewhere different - even doing an overnight trip if I can get a decently priced Premier Inn. Where do you rate?

I live between Leeds and Sheffield. I wouldn’t have days that the shopping was particularly good in either, but Leeds definitely better than Sheffield. Although Manchester better than both. I am not 12 though.

Glasgow is amazing for shopping.

Nottingham chain and indi shopd

I live half an hour away from Birmingham and it is a fantastic place to shop, however Brighton is my absolute favourite (big brand shops, the lanes and the sea, what more could you want!!) closely followed by Cardiff - I love Cardiff! Also enjoyed Liverpool which isn’t too far away from Cheshire oaks which is a great place to spend a day!

💞Leeds💞

York is fab but I'm a middle aged woman, not sure a 12 year old would share my love of Toast, Whistles etc . Stick to Manchester and Affleck's Palace.

Another vote for Chester. The shops are lovely. Lots of nice restaurants and bars. Beautiful architecture. Fab down by the river and in the parks.

Leeds

Nottingham! We have lots of independent shops and restaurants here. Hope you have a great trip wherever you choose.

Liverpool is certainly wonderful - but I'd say it has far greater attractions than shopping. Would be a criminal waste, on an overnight stay, to spend a single minute in a shop that could be spent in a Cathedral, gallery, museum, theatre, restaurant, or communing with statues on a pebbly beach ...

Glasgow has great shopping and lots of other things to do for that age too if you were making a weekend of it!

If you're in Manchester I'd go to Liverpool for the museums as well as the shops. Leeds or York are the other obvious choices and there's a good selection of independent casual restaurants in all the cities that I've mentioned.

But I also fancy Glasgow, Edinburgh and Birmingham for city breaks. It depends where you've been before and how far you want to travel really.

Not a fan of Manchester. I went to Brighton and Cardiff recently, both have fantastic independent shops. Another vote for Bath too and I also go to Bristol a lot.

Is there honestly any big or medium sized town that has markedly different shops than any other in the UK? I thought we were famed and ridiculed in Europe for having identikit high streets.

I like Birmingham, Leicester, Brighton, Nottingham, parts of London.

London!

Leeds has Trinity Kitchen which is a revolving selection of street food trucks inside the trinity centre which is good for lunch. But agree that the shops are mostly the same.

I always judge how good a place is for shopping by how many good independent shops there are.

I thought we were famed and ridiculed in Europe for having identikit high streets.

That's funny because most towns/cities in Europe have the same shops.

Is there honestly any big or medium sized town that has markedly different shops than any other in the UK?

Not really, as even most 'independents' buy stock from wholesalers, however:

I thought we were famed and ridiculed in Europe for having identikit high streets.

Is untrue and is a somewhat based on a romanticised notion of visiting abroad.

London. Followed by Leeds.

Followed by Leeds.

Ignore this, its the wrong side of the pennines, Leeds is just a bitter version of manchester

Chester and Cheshire Oaks. Chester has cool alternative shops for teenagers and Cheshire Oaks has loads of bargains. Chester is a beautiful city to walk around or if your bored of shopping or spent up after Cheshire oaks you can always do a walk round the city walls, a boat trip on the river or even a trip to the zoo.