Is anyone from or know the Tamworth area?

The town is very basic, but Ventura Retail Park is pretty much next door to the Snow Dome. The traffic gets rather grid locked around there but there is:

HUGE M & S, Boots, Sportsworld, Harveys, Next, Blacks, Hobbycraft, WH Smith, Rosebys, ASDA, Matalan, Mothercare, Toys R Us, Halfords, Homebase, Comet, Currys, Argos, TK Maxx, Brantana and Sainsburys. Foodwise, its pretty crap...KFC, Mc Donalds but there is Frankie and Bennys, Wetherspoons and a few pubs in the town.

Tamworth itself is a lovely town. The castle and its grounds usually have a bit of something going on - bands in the grandstand, playground, castle tours and ghost nights. Opposite the snow dome is the bowling alley (edge of the castle grounds).

If you fancy the 20 minute drive into Brum there is obviously fabulous shopping in and around the Bullring and of the course, the wonderful German Christmas market.

Solihul is about the same distance away with the lovely Touchwood shopping centre

I'm a Tamworthian.

Agree with Flaming Nora, except that Tamworth isn't a lovely town.

Personally, I'd go to Solihull if you want to go shopping.

Thank you! thats fab. those shops sound like just the thing we are looking for. and we love frankie & bennys!

I will have a look at solihul too. Thank you!

I live in Tamworth, about a 5 min walk from the Snowdome in fact. Also, Toys R Us is also a Babies R Us, so ideal if you have anything to buy for litlte ones. The ASDA is huge, it's a ASDA Walmart. So has a fairly large George section. The Matalan we have is quite large, TKMaxx is crap though, never have rated it. Down by Argos there is also a Pets At Home. Sainsbury's is going through a major refurb at the moment, and the road layout into that part of the retail area has undergone some major changes. Sainsburys has a petrol station, as does ASDA, but the ASDA one is a 'Pay At Pump' style, so unmanned.

Roseby's has gone from Ventura, went early this year.

Frankie & Benny's is about 5 mins from the Snowdome, just next to the Odeon cinema. If you are in that vacinity, it's a further 3 min walk into town to the Wetherspoons. There is a McDonalds in the town centre too. If you are in the town, there is a Roasters Cafe which sells hot food.

If you are in the town at all, there is a small shopping centre with, Argos, Boots, Bodycare, Iceland, Game, Lloyds chemist, Evans, Dunnes, Clintons, Thorntons, and some card shops and mobile phone shops. Outside of the shopping centre in the town, we have a Home Bargains, and a Wilkinsons just down from the town hall. The Castle grounds has a kiddies play area which has soft flooring which means the little ones don't get hurt if they fall over. You will find ducks, swans and geese on the river which runs through the town. On a Thursday, we used to have a tiny french market type thing going on by the Church, not sure if it's stil there as I tend to shop in Ventura now if I need anything.

If you come into town, try not to park in the Ankerside shopping centre multistory car park - £1.80 for 2 hours. Try and park down by the Castle, or the car park actually at the Odeon cinema as you will only pay £1.10 for 2 hours (I'm sure it's £1.10 by the Odeon - BF paid last time we went in, but I know it's £1.10 by the Castle)

HTH.