Barter Books

Barter Books is a proper destination bookshop set inside a beautifully restored old station. Inside you'll find open fires in winter, generous seating for "just five minutes" that turns into an hour, and a model railway linking the book columns of the central room like a tiny, determined commuter.

There's the Station Buffet serving good plain food, coffee, tea and cookies, plus Paradise, the newer ice cream parlour for reward-bribery (for children, dogs, and adults pretending they're only buying it for the children). Add in huge murals, restored station features, a children's room full of toys, and a whole room with glass cases showcasing fascinating antiquarian books, and you've basically got a place where everyone gets happily lost.

The owners have put real love into preservation and restoration over the years, bringing public life back to a building made for it. There's always more to do, but honestly, it's already the kind of place where your to-do list quietly gives up and you start browsing "just one more shelf".