Istead Rise is a village outside of Gravesend.<BR>It has a few shops - a mini-supermarket, Indian restaurant, bakers, butchers, hairdressers, dentist, dry cleaners and hardware store (you won't be needing that!).<BR>In Gravesend - five minutes away - are all the main shops you would need but ten minutes down the road is Bluewater, one of Europe's largest shopping centres. Well worth spending a day there. It has cinema, restaurants, and all the retail therapy you would need. http://www.bluewater.co.uk/<BR>If that's not enough, go through the Dartford Tunnel to Lakeside shopping centre (http://www.lakeside.uk.com/) or take the train and in 15 minutes you can be at Westfield shopping centre. (http://uk.westfield.com/london/)