Outdoor shops in Ambleside

Ambleside is a great base for walkers since it is in the heart of Lake District National Park. The little charming town has a lot of hotels, bed and breakfasts, guest houses, restaurants, pubs and cafes serving delicious food using mainly local ingredients. When the sun is shining you will be up the hills to admire the magnificent scenery of course, but when it's raining...well some still enjoy walking but others spend the day... shopping!

 Ambleside has so many outdoor shops that you can spend whole day wondering around them, you will surely find the best of outdoor clothing and footwear including The North Face, Paramo, Jack Wolfskin, Berghaus, Norrona, Scarpa and Meindl, camping and climbing equipment from Deuter, Grvel, Camp and many other. Most of the sales advisers are also keen walkers themselves so you can get valuable advice where to walk and what you can see, plus they are really friendly and helpful. In a word, shopping in Ambleside is a great experience!

The outdoor shops in Ambleside can offer you a wide range of specialised clothing, footwear and equipment. There are always bargains as well since the competition is so huge, great for customers ;)
Here is a little guide to some of the outdoor shops you can visit in Ambleside:

The biggest outdoor shop in Ambleside is Gaynor Sports. If you enter from Compston Rd you will find yourself on the first floor where you can find all the bargains. Stairs lead to the second floor where is all the men's, women and kids clothing and you will surely find something suitable for our wet climate here, the diversity is great and prices are good. If you are with a buggy you can enter directly from Lake Rd, very convenient. Third floor is all hiking shoes and boots, again men's, women and children.

Just next to Gaynor's on Compston Rd you will find Blacks - another huge outdoor shop which is part of a big UK chain and has been recently expanded and refurbished. 2 floors of outdoor clothing, footwear and camping equipment from leading brands.
Across the road from Blacks is The Epicentre - 3 floors of fashionable outdoor clothing and footwear plus some camping equipment. The bargains are on the top floor.

Another good outdoor shop is Adventure Peaks on Lake Rd (just opposite Ambleside Central).
It has a really good indoor climbing wall, another interesting idea when the weather is bad. They are offering climbing courses and different expeditions.
There is also a cafe on the top floor and you can watch the climbers while relaxing with a cup of tea (for those not so keen on physical efforts ;)

If you've been to Ambleside, you know where is The Bridge House, known as the most photographed building in the area. Just across the Bridge House (on Rydal Rd) you will find another outdoor shop worth visiting. Cunninghams Outdoors is a smaller shop compared to the previous listed but you will find a wide range of the best known high quality outdoor brands here. Except the outstanding quality of the products you are sure to receive exceptional customer service here, the sales staff is very well trained and will give you all their attention and explain how to choose the best fit for shoes or recommend you the right camping equipment or clothing with specific characteristics. Definitely worth the few extra pounds when you know you are getting the right stuff.
These are only a few of Ambleside outdoor shops. There are many others, all good and not to be passed by. The best of all is that most are literally next to each other so you can organise a great shopping day and get some really good bargains without too much effort, who cares that it rains ;)