Nottingham has two large shopping centres, the Broadmarsh Centre and the Victoria Centre, situated at opposite ends of the city centre .The Victoria Centre is the bigger of the two, containing 120 shops (not counting all the various stalls in the market area.)

Getting there is easy - if you drive, there's parking for over 2700 cars . If you don't drive, don't worry - almost all the Nottingham City Transport buses stop either directly outside the Victoria Centre, or within a few minutes walk of it . Other bus companies from slightly further afield, such as Trent Barton , terminate at the local coach station within the centre . If you're walking, the centre is signposted from various points in the city centre, and at the end of the day when you're weighed down with shopping, there are 2 taxi ranks directly outside the main entrance on Milton Street - one facing each way!

In addition to all the convenience in getting there - they even have a creche, where you can prebook a slot from 1 hour to 2 and a half hours, so you can tuck your little terrors away and let them have fun while you do your shopping unpestered by all the demands small children make . I don't often use this, but have done at christmas when it's been a godsend - no nosy little people trying to see what you're putting into your basket!

And there are also toilets on all floors, including mother and baby and disabled facilities. As well as this, all floors are accessible by stairs, escalator and lift, and there are also lifts to the various car parks . Easy access and convenience all round then .

At all the entrances are also information points with touch screens to help you find your way around, and on the top floor there is also a customer help desk should you need further help .

Okay, so, onto the shops . Well with so many in one place, I can't possibly attempt to list them all, but I will mention some of the big names, and elaborate on a few of my favourites!

Well, the centre has two large department stores - House of Fraser, and John Lewis . I don't tend to spend much money in these as they tend to be out of my price range,but they're great fun to browse around and imagine how I'd spend my future lottery winnings . However, when the sales come on, they are well worth looking into for a good bargain - I managed to get my daughter a lovely doll from here, it cried , laughed, burped, giggled, and talked, had moving features, and even a range of accessories, and it cost only £12, reduced from £35, which I felt was a real bargain .

The centre is also home to the largest of the Boots stores in Nottingham - as well as stocking all your usual makeup and toiletries, many of the makeup companies have their own section where you can have a little make over and some handy tips . Some of these charge, but the charge is usually redeemable against their products . It also has an optitions, and a photography section where you can get film developed. I love this Boots store - I do love some nice bath smellies, and can spend hours in here sniffing at things to find the perfect potion for a relaxing soak, spraying myself with various perfumes, and playing with different make-up .

Leaving the Boots store, often smelling of a variety of combined perfumes, I'll often make my way along to the HMV store, to see what dvds or music catch my eye . Its not the largest HMV in Nottingham,but it still carries a decent range, and features listening stations for music. HMV often have sales or multibuy offers, although in most cases I tend to buy entertainment goods from Amazon . I do like to visit to get some ideas for my wishlist though!

If my daughter is with me, we'll probably have a look in a couple of the toy shops . Sadly woolies is no more, but we still have the Early Learning Centre, and the Entertainer to keep us busy, as well as the Disney store, which has a wide range of Disney branded merchandise, from soft toys to pajamas, as well as some lovely jewellery boxes . This store can get a bit crowded, and is particularly popular with tourists .

By this point, I'm starting to get a little hungry . If I'm in a hurry, I might pop into Victoria Markets fish section and get some mushy peas from one of the stalls in there . I I have a little more time, I'll probably pop into Druckers for a nice slice of cake and a cup of tea - the food in Druckers is lovely, although the prices aren't the cheapest .

Or, if I want some grease, I might nip downstairs to the KFC - although I tend to avoid this at weekends as it gets messy and overcrowded .

After a spot of lunch, I might have a little look at some of the clothes shops - Monsoon is out of my price range, but excellent for a little window shopping . Julianne Heath does some lovely plus size clothing, and although prices are fairly high, they do have a decent range of high quality products . And I might nip into Claires to pick up some accessories to compliment my outfit .

At the end of the day, I'll probably nip into Tesco's to pick of some food and other bits and bobs, and then head outside to clamber, exhausted , into a taxi home .

Overall, I really like Victoria Centre - I've only named a few ofthe many shops the centre has too offer - it's a great place to get all your shopping done, and particularly at christmas, is a lot of fun to shop in - they have a large grotto and lots of decorations around that time, as well as late night shopping. I highly recommend taking a wander around here if you get the chance- there are shops for everyone !