Real Retail Therapy

Freeport Hornsea Outlet Village
Shopping
in/near Hornsea, Yorkshire,
England Yorkshire

Recommendation added: 09/09/2006 08:48
By: krispy13 (YSUK rating +25)

krispy13 has been thanked 5 times for this contribution

"We recently made a visit to this little gem of a place whilst on a visit to my folks in Flamborough. We had such a pleasant day I thought I should write a review to let others know what they are missing.

Where is it?
*****************************************************

Now most people coming here will be coming by car, if this is the case then your best bet is to head for the M62. Once on the M62 you need to get to junction 38 and then pick up the sighs for Beverley. From there you will see signs for the A1035 to Hornsea. Then you will pick up the Brown tourist signs for the Freeport and hey presto there you are.

Transport Links
*****************************************************

I f you don't have a car you could always get the train or bus to the nearest main place which would be Beverley. From there you can get the bus to Hornsea bus station and then catch the number 550 bus. This runs every 40 mins from 9am until 17:50 and takes around 15 mins to get there.

So nobody has the excuse that they can't get there, and it is well worth it.

What is there
*****************************************************

A fter you have parked in the ample parking facilities, You walk into the complex as it opens up into a massive courtyard Filled with seats and tables. Around this area you will find Various food outlets to choose from, not a macdonalds in sight though. Instead you have a choice of:

Burger and hotdog shop
Fish and Chips (well it is the seaside)
Pizza outlet (not pizza hut thank god yeuch!)
Fresh Jacket Potatoes with fillings
Rather expensive posh typeo cafe
Ice cream and treats too

Shops (My top picks)
*************************

The Sports Mill, Here you will find all varieties of sports clothing, although mainly footwear there is a good selection of well reduced clothing and accesories for both sexes and all ages.

Regatta and Tog 24, These are your outdoor wear outlets, all your top quality rainwear and winter woolies here. You will notice that they are so much cheaper than your high street store, however there is a certain amount of hitting it lucky involved.

Ice Jeans and Wrangler , Here you can get all your denims at such cheap prices, although they are mainly classed as factory seconds I struggle to find the problems. All I can say is they must be perfectionists.

Other Menswear
********************
Arkwrights Mill
Double Two(mens)
Giorgio
Edinburgh Woolen Mill( Incorp Pringle)
London Leathers Direct
Mexx
Nicklebys
Sports Mill

Ladieswear and teen fashion
**********************************
Direct Design Studio (Pilot)
Double Two (ladies)
Alexon
Arkwrights Mill
Giorgio
Klass
Roman Originals
The Designer Room
Wrangler
Mexx
Select
Nicklebys
Camille (ligerie)
Laura Ashley
Sports Mill

There are plenty of childrenswear ranges amongst these outlets,

Footwear
***********
Charles Clinkard
Famous Footwear
Lilley & Skinner
Ice Jeans
Giorgio
Sports Mill


The House And Home
***************************
Edinburgh Crystal
Hallmark
Laura Ashley
Ponden Mill
Waterford Wedgewood
The Book Depot (inc Arts & crafts)
Coloroll
Nicklebys

The Layout
*****************************************************
Th e best thing about the Freeport is the setting, you see it is not just row upon row of shops. They are set out in a way that makes it like shopping amongst nature, There are well kept flower borders and shrubbery. But it is not just put in slap dash, no there has been such thought put into the arangement. This makes it so much more of a relaxing and pleasant day out, it's retail with therapy not just retail therapy. The shops are so well laid out that you can have a really relaxing long distance stroll without even noticing how far you have actually walked.

For the kids
*****************************************************

Ye s this place has been developed with children in mind, so you know they don't just want your money. This is yet just another example of why it is a day out place.

Neptunes Kingdom
***********************

This is a great place for the toddlers, it has a large ball pool for them to play around in. There are also snake slides and other activities, as well as this there is a seperate soft play area for the younger less stable toddlers.

They even cater for parties, for a set price per head, over a two hour period they get around 1 1/2 hours in the play area. They also get party food and drink and pre organised games with prizes for the winners

Sharkys Club
****************

For a fixed fee of 5 quid per year you can join your child up to this club, this will entitle you to a reduction on the above facilities. As well as this they will recieve a free t-shirt and ball cap and regular newsletters from sharkey.

Adventureland
*****************

Here you will find a wide range of activities for even the most hyper of children, which most of them are on a day out. So there are plenty of other activities for the slightly older ones to help them on the way to knackerdness.

>The crazy golf course
>Go karts
>The model village (which my son even though only two seemed to find it really fascinating)

Star Attraction for me
************************

Butterfly World, This is like an indoor rainforest with ever variety of butterfly possible to fit under one roof. Amongst all this you will find waterfalls and pools and such amazing plant life only substainable in this enviroment. This means that it's not just like nipping to the local gardencentre, this is a must for those horticultural enthusiasts but asthmatics should be aware of the humidity levels within this area. But all in all it is a trully remarkable sight and a must see if you go, I just loved it and my son was fascinated with the flutterbys.

NOTE the above activities do cost extra and prices may vary, but it is not overpriced at all.

Facilities
********************************************* ********
>Toilets, There are two sets of toilets situated top and bottom of the Freeport. They both seemed to be kept very clean and hygienic and pleasant smelling, and it does include bog roll.

>Disabled and Baby change, These unfortunately are a shared facility which does seem to be the case at most places. So you could end up waiting a while for people to finish if it is busy, which is a problem for both cases. But I suppose you can't have it all

>Cash Machine, This is situated next to the entrance to the Freeport, you will not be charged for your transaction as it is a proper bank one. Although all the shops accept cards the cafe and extra activities require cash payments. So don't end up having to walk back to it whilst the child waits (impatiently) make sure you have it on you.

> First Aid and Lost Persons and Goods, Pretty much what it says really, never needed this facility thank God.

Conclusion
********************************************* ********

Well need i say more than I have, if I haven't persuaded you by now then nothing will. Even though it is a freeport with shops, it kind of lets you know that there is more to life than just shopping and the settings just enhance the fact even more. So get yourself there and shop,relax,eat,drink and have a jolly good day out and spend as little or as much as you like.

Further Info
*****************************************************
Web address: www.freeportplc.com

On the above address you will find all the neccessary extra info to make sure it will make a great day out for you and all the family too."