Oxford Street runs from Marble Arch (near the site of the former Tyburn gallows) down to the junction with stately Regent Street. It should be a shopper’s delight, a long street lined with department stores and smaller shops that range from the elegant Selfridges to some decidedly scruffy shops at the Oxford Circus end. However, unless it’s very early or very late in the day, Oxford Street is much more likely to be one seething mass of irritable humanity jostling for limited sidewalk space. The best ploy is to work out what shops you wish to visit and hop on a London red bus in between. It may not seem quicker, but it’s a lot less fraying for the nerves and kinder on the feet. Start at Marble Arch and walk to Marks and Spencer for those little essentials, such as a warm jumper or underwear. Then, hop on a number 10 bus and whiz down to Selfridge’s; all buses stop outside its elegant black and white façade. Inside, escalators will whisk you from designer to designer concession without even pausing for breath. From here, either brave the crowds, or dive down St. Christopher’s Place and walk along the parallel Wigmore Street to reach the department stores via their back entrances. Debenhams is shedding its cheap and cheerful image, and its designer range is very good value indeed. John Lewis exudes comfortable charm, and the restaurant does excellent food fast, including fresh grilled fish and lobster. The non-department store fan should cross over the road and spend a happy half hour in the HMV record shop. Then, grab a croissant from the shop next door, and wander past a bewildering assortment of shops on the south side of the street. Few will be able to resist a peek down Bond Street and its amazing shoe shops. For those still on Oxford Street’s straight and narrow, the approach to Oxford Circus tube station is lined with youthful clothing chains such as H&M and Topshop. Once past the first block of these trendy shops, Oxford Street rapidly declines towards its shabby, smelly junction with Tottenham Court Road.