Bath: a perfect Christmas shopping experience

CAN there be a better place to spend the weekend before Christmas than the culturally and historically-rich city of Bath?

With the Roman built spa baths, the classic Georgian architecture and a spectacular setting at the heart of a River Avon valley, Bath is simply spectacular - and, dare I say it, very English.

When Mary Portas, the Queen of Shops, looks to save the High Street from the charmless pot pourri of traditional High Streets names, charity shops, and "anything for a pound" stores, then surely Bath should be the model.

Yes, the Usual High Street Suspects are there, but these powerhouses are hemmed in by a raft of independent outlets serving a range of products. With some of the best street entertainers plying their trade along the wide open thoroughfares, it makes the shopping experience a pleasurable one - even for a bloke!

At Christmas time, especially, it feels as if you are stepping into a Dickensian world, a very traditional English way of life.

And this was something which I came to reflect on during the weekend.

How, in our race to embrace multi-culturalism alongside the profit-at-all-cost mentality of big business, we have lost that rich English identity in the High Street which celebrates the crafts and trades of the wider community - the independent butcher, the cider-maker, the chocolatier, the chilli sauce producer.

Our High Streets are not longer vibrant, they are dull, same-old, same-old sweeps of stores - what you can find in Southampton, you'll find in Scunthorpe or Salford or Sunderland or Swansea.

Towns such as Bath, York, Harrogate, Norwich and Brighton, for example, are places where independent shops thrive and the shopping experience is a rich one.

Spending a couple of days in Bath was like being on shopping detox. You could rid yourself of the High Street poisons and embrace a very English Christmas shopping experience.