”The nearest decent music shop is forty miles from my home. An eighty mile round trip - two hours driving - with petrol at £1.31 a litre, would make for an expensive, time-consuming set of strings (always assuming that they have the strings I want in stock, which is by no means guaranteed).”

Not only expensive and time-consuming, but also extremely ecologically-unfriendly. It’s a non-starter. quote back woodsman.

So why not, get them sent in the post, it helps to keep a music shop open and employs a post man