Wistow Rural Centre comprises a number of shops and attractions in a lovely countryside location…read more During the summer there is a huge maze to go round, which is good depending on if you like mazes and the ages of children etc. It's a little pricey to get in considering you can only get an hours entertainment out of a maze max. There is a miniature town type thing to go round, a well stocked farm shop, lots of little gifty, antiquey type shops, an aquatics shop and a bistro which used to be cheap cafe but is now very sophisticated (and expensive). I would recommend as a one off, but it's not somewhere we go back to again and again. Though, good for walks and pottering around if you don't have children with you who get bored easily.

Wistows great. The cafe's very good with fresh, well made food (although not much for the gluten…read moreintolerant) you can sit inside or out. The garden centre bit has some of the best plants in Leicestershire and Eden the garden shop always has good things for presents. The other little shops are interesting as well. The big bonus is that it can be the start and finish for walks around the local countryside as all the fields are open to rambling and dog walking. So go for a bracing walk then have a cake in the tea shop. Job done.

This is a really great store for an amazing variety of goods for the garden, for the home and much…read moremore including seasonal goods - it is THE place to go for Christmas decorations for example and the very best Christmas Trees. An enormous variety of goods ranging from souvenirs and neat gifts in the Gift Shop, all sorts of outdoor clothing - not just for in the garden but raincoats, casual gear for men and women and all the seasons, plants, turf, trees, fish, parrots, rabbits and more - and all your needs for your pets. Then organize day trips to a wide variety of places - and not to forget the REALLY good restaurant that does breakfast, lunch, afternoon teas (High Tea) and bargain dinners. Indeed today Mrs G and I had 2 two course dinners for 12 pounds ($16-17 for TWO!!). I had beef bourguignon, while Mrs G had a Quiche Lorraine with chips and peas/salad, and then I had apple pie with custard while she had lemon meringue pie. Served promptly in the clean and bright restaurant - we sat "outside" so that Ricky Martin could sit with us and share in a little with my beef :). Will we be back? Hell yeah!!! Review #44 2018

I love indoor markets and for a really good indoor market this side of Birmingham you can forget…read moreabout Harborne (although the cafe is still going strong) - Bearwood is definitely where it's at. Outside, signs promise a dazzling array of stalls - including 'bags 4 u' and my favourite 'smokers paradise'. Inside there are one or two shops that deserve a special mention: * The Sewing Box Sells ribbon by the metre, lovely wool - included textured yarns, buttons, hair accessories, buttons and thread. It's really cheap and the lady who works there is lovely * DJ Pet Supplies Sells dog treats, toys, bedding, leads and the ever popular pigs ears at a good price - the staff are funny and if you don't get called 'bab' at least three times during your visit you're obviously doing something wrong * Andy's Cafe If you're vegetarian you may struggle a bit, but if you like a hearty English breakfast washed down with tea then this is the place to come. Also offers OAP specials!

Yardley residents have more than their fair share of garden centres. There's the all-singing,…read moreall-dancing Ripe 'n' Ready up the road and then this, too. Here there are more display racks and shelves with house plants like yukkas and palms, and vegetable plants such as tomatoes. There's a whole separate section clearly marked 'Bedding Plants' so if you are buying one for a gift then you don't have to look a fool by asking if what you have in your hand is suitable. They have a good line in Asiatic plants including the bizarrely named Mount Duckling. Inside is a modest array of pets including budgies, and some toys and feed for pets too.

You can't miss this store at the Yew Tree; There's an array of seasonal, brightly coloured flowers…read moretaking up most of the pavement at the shop front. I've bought my fair share of lavender plants, marigolds and chrysanthemums from here, and they're still growing steady in my garden. Lots of gardening shops I've been to sell plants that look unhealthy and weak, but Pets & Gardens makes sure that it only sells strong and multi-flowering plants (which is exactly what every gardening shop should do!) The inside of the shop is a little small, and very few people can fit in at one time. There's a few cages at the back which contain small pets. I nearly bought a hamster from here last year, but the staff didn't know which cage was for males, and which was for females, which I found a little worrying. Pets & Gardens is great to buy bird seed from, and costs as little as 60p for £250g. I always buy the seed from here for my outdoor feeders.

If you need anything in Hardware, Gardening, Decorating, Homewares and Toiletries and want value…read morefor money then this is the place to visit. It can get very busy and parking can be a problem, especially at lunch time. The staff are generally helpful.

Large store offering a wide range of household and garden items. Everything from baby care items to…read morea new garden rake. Friendly staff and fairly well set out.

Yep, another indoor market - much better than Harborne's offering (but not as good as Bearwood)…read moreWeoley Castle Market has a rather baffling selection of stalls - as you first walk in there's a nail bar and facing you a computer repair shop - complete with chap whacking a hard drive with a hammer - still, it beats the usual 'turn it off and on again' technique I suppose. There's a pet shop selling frozen pet treats - which sounded intriguing, a Caribbean food stall which was sadly closed when I went (it looked nice) as well as a couple of stalls selling cheap birthday cards and the like. It also has a cafe and is handily placed by the 448 and 29 bus stops as well as an array of recycling bins.

a market hall that prides itself on helping the community and providing free educational booklets…read moreand anti bullying training for local schools!

This is the "same" store as the Planter's (very) close to our home - only much bigger!! Great…read moreselection of everything for your garden from plants and flowers to hardware, decorations, gadgets, clothes, boots and everything in between. Nice (big) restaurant with daily specials and even a pet section... Also frequent tours to local sights, fairs, markets, theater and more (including London, coastal resorts and even Scotland) Since we are SO close to Bretby we only visit this store once a year - to buy a TALL Christmas tree (12 feet at least) to decorate our drawing room with it's 15 foot ceilings. It gets you in the Christmas spirit to witness everything at this great store.... Review Number 97 2018

Living in the UK arouses my curiosity about some English habits such as drinking in the pubs,…read morewatching some football matches ( also in the pubs!) and obviously, gardening! I have to confess that I didn't succeed at the last subject yet! Meanwhile, I am visiting some garden centres around and it has been a great experience. Planters Garden Centre is a perfect place to research about gardening. The facility offers a large range of plants, shrubs and trees and what should have been very confusing for an amateur like me, turned into something very educative day. Thanks to the leaflets offered to the customers with all basic information we need to start to understand more about this very English hobby. According to my auntie kate- a personal gardening adviser that day- the prices of some plants are reasonable for a big garden centre like that. Planters has also a huge and comfy restaurant that deserves to be visited, opens seven days a week and the parking is for free!

Actually a really lovely garden centre with a good range of goods and little shops inside. I hadn't…read morebeen for a while until I needed to go to the aquatic centre to buy some gifts for a fishy friend (Koilie Minogue, Koiffer Sutherland and Koi George are all very happy in their new home) I love the little farm shop outside too, although a couple of the items I was overcharged for on one occasion. I bought lots from here to do up my Granddad's planters, and everything stayed well and healthy

I started to understand some traditional English habits that didn't make sense at all before for me…read moreuntil I moved to the country. Gardening is one good example. We like our gardens in Brazil but here people are really fond of it. And it can be spotted in the raise of visitors to the garden centres spread through the country. Especially during the spring and summer. I like visiting garden centres as well and I just can't avoid my annual visit to Hollybush, one of the largest garden centres in the country. HollyBush is an independent gardening centre with more of three decades of service. Luckily it is not just a pace for gardening experts and people like me can also visit and learn something more about seeds and bulbs. Or just appreciate it anyway. I just adopted a Bonsai tree which I call Alice and I hope she survives my lack of experience in the garden issues anyway. By the way, I just love the Japanese and oriental garden area at Hollybush. It's a piece of Japan right in the middle of this gardening centre. If you are looking for garden tools and furniture, this is a perfect place to have a mooching around. And it's definitely a great way to put you in the mood of summer, if you don't even have a garden like me. The range of benches, fountains and barbecue tools are just an invitation to start planning all those special meals outside the house. The aquaria is another great feature at Hollybush. Fish tanks and species of all kid, plus fishing equipments make this space pretty popular. The kids can't get enough of watching the fish and there are even some piranhas there. Indoor bonsai and cactuses are also something that always bring my attention. I always bring a new adding to the family every visit. Hollybush has a huge shopping area with candles, sweets and cards and gifts. And if after visiting you feel like need some cake and a cuppa, it's compulsory to pop to their café and restaurant before leaving this place. The entrance is free and here is a parking space for over 600 cars.