It's run bt HH stalwarts!

Wht more dtu you ned to koe?

> did think of there, but have heard some not so nice stories for people who've visited
whats it really like?

I've never stayed there, but the pub itself is really nice. Any bad things you may have heard are possibly outdated, cos since Lesley and Tim took over management of it, I can't really find fault! Lovely roaring open fire, decent beer and the food's excellent! In my opinion, anyway... :o)

G x

I stayed at the Red Lion in summer 2004 and enjoyed the pub, the breakfast, and the dead-on Central Location. And I've got to preface the rest of this post by saying that Scousemaiden has been very gracious to me on the forum and as a hostess, so I hope she can take this as constructive criticism.

I've got three complaints about the Red Lion, though, two for guests and one for visitors. One's the curfew. After hours, guests can't leave their rooms unless there's a fire. I believe this has to do with the bar being between the rooms and the front door. But please, if I'm overnighting inside the main ring of Avebury, I want to be able to come and go at any point in the night!

The next is the shower. I can only speak for the Swindon Room, as it's the room I stayed in. It's got the most aggravating shower I've ever encountered. What's the type called, Scousemaiden?

The last mark against the Lion is a minor one, and that's that the dining room is only for guests. It's a lovely room and it would be great to be able to use it as a mere visitor.

None of these points kept me from stopping in for lunch and a pint when I returned to Avebury this past summer. I love the pub and the people I meet there.

Clint

Hmmm. I've had nothing but bad experiences of the Lion, and I've met many others who feel the same way. I really want to like it.... I mean it's a pub in the middle of Avebury! But once bitten....

Anyway, I noticed someone mention in this thread that the pub's changed hands recently. I was heading to Avebury today, and I thought I'd give the Lion another chance. I wanted some lunch, so I thought I'd drop in and see if the food/service had improved any. I was even (foolishly) optimistic.

Well, I never got to sample the food. They'd stopped serving because they were too busy! I suppose it's just as well I never got to order really, as some people had been waiting for 90 mins for their food to arrive. The staff couldn't even agree on when they'd start serving food again - I heard three different versions (all stated as fact, not estimates).

As if this wasn't bad enough, the place was a midden. Tables were piled with dishes, glasses and bits of food (some on the plates, some off) that appeared to date back over more than one meal. When the staff finally got around to clearing them, the sighs and general noises of discontent could be heard from a distance. I've never seen such miserable service.

Honestly, the place was dump. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. I'm sure whoever runs it has the best of intentions, but that isn't always enough in the hospitality trade. Good intentions alone do not translate into good service and good management. More effort needed, really.