Too spread out (Department Stores in Cambridge)

Member Name: ahenry

Product:	Department Stores in Cambridge
Date:	19/01/01 (67 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Close to my place of work is the only advantage I can think of

Disadvantages: Poor planning, design and implementation of the shopping areas

The problem with shopping in Cambridge is that the main shops are split into two seperate areas. In the centre of the city, near the market place, you get M&S, Woolworths, Boots and the John Lewis Department store (called Robert Sayle). Half a mile away, there is the Grafton Centre, which has BHS, Debenhams, Mothercare etc.

There are free buses between these two areas and it doesn't take that long to walk between them. It is really inconvenient if you're with small kids though.

The John Lewis is in an old building at the moment which is really claustophobic. They are planning to move to a new site near the Grafton Centre. The M&S is split across two sites, which is annoying when you know about it, and completely baffling when you don't because it has one of the worst maps I've seen in a long time to tell you how to get from one to the other.

Parking in the centre of Cambridge is a pain, but its no worse than a lot of other places this size. Its just that you can't park anywhere that ends up being convenient for both shopping areas.

If you know exactly where you want to go, or if you don't care exactly which shops you get to see, then Cambridge can be OK to shop in. However, there are so many other places which make it less of a chore, so often its easier not to bother with it.


BTW, if you have young kids a good place to stop for a cup of tea is the cafe in a church on Regents Street, on the left hand side of the road as you come from the train station towards Robert Sayles. Its easy to get to with a pram (unlike a lot of Cambridge tea shops), and there is a good play area.

Summary: