Looking for cheap snow gear? Take a day trip to Bicester shopping village. It has outlets of The North Face, Helly Hansen, Fred Perry and Quiksilver all selling quality clothing at a fraction of the high street retail price. I got a decent pair of salopettes for £25! It’s about an hour’s drive from London, near Oxford. The website (www.bicestervillage.com) has directions to the village and also details of national rail connections.