A visit to Cheshire Oaks 🛍️

Last Tuesday I went to Cheshire Oaks, the big outlet village in Ellesmere Port. I had to spend a few days psyching myself up for this shopping trip as a couple of things were bothering me.

Firstly, the parking. I drive an SUV and parking spaces in this country in general are not spacious. Cars have got bigger but parking spaces haven’t. Thank heavens for power steering!

My next challenge was trying to find what I needed. Cheshire Oaks is a large complex and I’m only going to park once. I’ll need to find the best spot so that I don’t spend my time clocking up steps. Under normal circumstances this is a good thing but not when I want to get finished as soon as possible.

The reason why I’m going shopping in the first place is because I’m on a five week holiday in a few day’s time. For twelve days the weather will be hot, for the twenty odd remaining, the weather will gradually change from summer to winter. Every packers nightmare!

I needed a few shirts for layering, shoes for a wedding we’ll be attending in October with a matching handbag and other bits and bobs not worth sharing.

I had the parking area planned and a shopping list. I did the early exercise class on Tuesday morning, had breakfast and was about to set off when my phone rang. It was the travel agent in Chester letting me know that the holiday pack had arrived. My initial reaction was to ask her to post it.

‘The travel company have sent a large box with different goodies inside, gin, chocolates,’ she explained. ‘Posting will be difficult. Would you be able to collect them?’

Under normal circumstances this wouldn’t be a problem. My husband and I would go together. He’d park the car in the Tesco car park and I’d use this as an opportunity to visit Boots, M&S and perhaps pop into Zara. I’d get a chai latte from Costa before heading back to Tesco to spend £15 so that we got four hours free parking. It’s never a waste. We always need groceries!

My husband had another idea. Because I would be in Ellesmere Port, just down the road, I could pop to Chester on my way home. Really?

Yes, I know on the surface this makes perfect sense, but please let me explain. I really dislike shopping so want to get it over with as soon as possible. I struggle with parking so only want to do it once. I hate trying on clothes. Nothing ever fits properly and I seldom find what I want. I get very impatient when battling my way through browsing crowds intent on holding me up. It’s school holidays so was bound to be busy. And then, can you believe, people bring their dogs? Now why would you want to bring your much loved pet to Cheshire Oaks? They are restricted by tight leads, get knocked about by passers by looking in shop windows and not where they’re walking. Some dogs are tiny enough to fit into handbags, then yap at me as I push past.

By the time I was finished shopping at Cheshire Oaks I’d have to get onto the M53, with its roadworks and restricted speed limit, have another parking challenge, collect a large box and walk back to the car to deposit it. Spend £15 in Tesco to pay for the parking and drive home in peak hour traffic.

I voiced my concern to my husband who didn’t ‘get it’.

‘Take the other car,’ I told him. ‘It could do with a run’.

‘I need to mow and you’re almost in Chester so it doesn’t make sense!’

‘It made perfect, logical sense to me.

I did over ten thousand steps in Cheshire Oaks alone. In Chester I did another three thousand. I felt exhausted by the time I got home. It had rained for most of the day so had to include holding an umbrella on my parcel laden trek back to the car. There were two little bottles of gin amongst other goodies in the large box containing the travel documents. One went down very well with a fever tree tonic.

Sometimes, however, one just has to bite the bullet and get on with it. I did that last Tuesday. I found what I needed, achieved a really good reverse parking manoeuvre and enjoyed a chai latte and chocolate brownie while sitting people watching.

Luckily I very rarely have to do big shops. Christmas isn’t that far away so will begin psyching myself up to pay Cheshire Oaks another visit. Perhaps I’ll be able to convince my husband to join me. That way he can park the car, carry the parcels and keep control of the purse strings! Win! Win!👠