Camden’s famous markets are a permanent fixture in London, spreading all the way from Camden Town tube station up to Chalk Farm.
My first experience of Camden Markets was when I was 16 and visiting my cousin who lived in London. She took my sister and I to the markets on the weekend and we were instantly overwhelmed and bewildered by it all.
Many years later and I still felt overwhelmed when I touched down in the bustling heart of Camden. The amount of stalls spread across the area with all the different types of things on sale is a shopaholics dream come true! Every time you go back, you discover something new.
When you come out of the Tube station and head our right towards the markets, you are immediately confronte with stalls selling t-shirts with cool and funny slogans and other clothing.
Once you cross the canal though, and over to the actual wooden stalls you find a bit more ‘one of a kind’ type goods with jewelers and print stalls — although these can also be repetitive. Across the road towards the old horse stables is where you find the most variety and here is where you can really discover some treasures.
Camden Markets are so much more then just stallholders selling clothes, jewelry and other goods — it’s a whole experience of discovery. It wasn’t until maybe my second or third time visiting that I stopped to grab some food from one of the many choices of vendors and sat eating it beside the canals on the funky seats. From Asian to Mexican to hotdog stands, whatever kind of food you are in the mood for, you will most likely find.
A shop not to miss is Cyberdog: a futuristic Mecca for ravers featuring insane outfits and crazy neon accessories – but for a place like Camden, its just a part of the furniture.
There’s a heap of vintage clothing and antiques in the Horse Stables market. It’s easy to glance over these sections but if you have time to spare it’s worth meandering through clothes racks looking at vintage Levi denim jackets, fur coats and old fashioned leather suitcases.
Long term home to London’s ‘punk’ scene, Camden is a great place if you want a tattoo or piercings or just a great pair of Doc Martin boots, fishnet stockings and a corset.
There are antique traders, next to musicians, next to a coffee house, next to a fish pedicure stall, and yet it all just somehow mixes together and works.
The Camden Markets are a bit of a London institution, but the best part about it is that it is ever changing which means that there is always something new to see and discover.