I am not a huge fan of indoor shopping centres. Many of them that are cropping up at the moment are pretty much the same with very little character and the same selection of high streets stores.

However, when Silverburn opened within walking distance of where I live, it would have been silly of me not to give it a go.

It is located just off Junction 2 of the M77 in Glasgow so it is only around 5-10 minutes from the City Centre. It is very hard to miss, as soon as you turn off you can see the huge signs for Tesco and Marks & Spencers.

Beware however if you chose to travel there on a Saturday afternoon as there can be quite a tailback as you leave the motorway.

You can also jump on a number of buses from the City Centre including the 56, 57, 47 and the X8 which is the motorway express, all of which take you straight into the Silverburn bus station in around 30 minutes or less for £1.60.

Parking at Silverburn is fairly easy. There are a few car parks to chose from including a multi-storey, so you can usually find a space, however as I said, Saturdays are very busy and as the car parks are so big, you can end up quite a bit away from the centre itself.

Once you are there, Silverburn is a long avenue style shopping centre that snakes its way from Mark & Spencers at one end to the massive Tesco at the other, which resembles an aircraft hanger more than a supermarket.

I usually find these places to be clones of one another but I was pleasantly surprised at the layout and style. "The Garden" is one end of the centre which hosts a huge curved glass ceiling supported by large wooden arches. There are trees and a fountain surrounded by some nice eating places including Nandos, Wagamama and O'Briens. Slightly better than your average food court.

If you take a wander along the avenue of the centre would will also come across a Yo Sushi, Prezzo Italian restaurant, Frankie and Bennies and a La Tasca. Again, all an improvement on your usual shopping centre eateries. However if you are looking for something more simple, or just a quick coffee, you will also find a Coffee Republic, Costa, Starbucks or a Greggs just outside the back door for a quick bite. Tesco also has its own café which does a pretty good breakfast.

More importantly though, what are the shops like?

Well this is definitely the centre for the slightly more upmarket shopper while catering for those who love your more mainstream high street stores. The Next, Marks & Spencers and Debenhams are all very large indeed while the other familiar shops are there including Argos, Boots, River Island, Top Shop, Clinton Cards and TK Maxx. However there are also a lovely selection of jewellers including ROX and Lime diamonds. Other more upmarket stores (well upmarket to me anyway!) are Coast, LK Bennet, Kurt Geiger, Swarovski and United Colours of Benneton. These are just to name a few and there is also a Spa for those who wish to pamper themselves before or after their retail therapy.

Granted, the shops here are definitely for those with a bit of cash to splash but it is a nice place to have a wander around and a bite to eat. On a recent trip we were £40 for lunch, £30 in HMV and £50 in Tesco.

It isn't all good however. Despite having very good baby changing facilities there is very little here to keeps the kids entertained therefore this really is for grown up shopping trips. Most of the time you see Dad's sitting by the dancing fountain with the kids while the mums head round the shops.

The toilets are lovely and clean however they can be a little hard to find. There is also a great shortage of seats and you really need to stop at a coffee shop if you want to put your feet up for 5 minutes. I support that's the point!

The cash machines are few and far between with one at either end and a selection in Tesco. It might sound adequate but the centre is a considerable length so if one isn't working you have quite a trek to the next.

Also as it is an avenue style, it can become a little crowded but as the centre broadens where the three main stores are, this isn't a huge problem.

As there is a Post Office and a supermarket on site, it really has everything you need therefore you can do almost everything in the one location.

Overall I would say that this is an improvement on most of the shopping centres I have visited but definitely more suited to those with a bit of extra cash.