Littlestone wrote:
Well, putting jealousies and politics aside for a moment, imagine you’re one of the thousands of overseas visitors to the Avebury
World Heritage Site who go there each year. You’ve maybe arrived by coach and, after walking round a few of the stones, fancy a decent cup of tea or coffee, with maybe a cake or a sandwich to go with it. At present you have a choice of either the NT self-service ‘restaurant’ which imho is uninviting and offers poor quality, overpriced food and drink (it
was good when it was the Stones Restaurant) or you have the Red Lion. If it's just a beer you want then the Lion is great. The food ain’t up to much though and the loos are abysmal.
Still with your overseas visitor's hat on, imagine how nice it would be if you had a third option – a little tea or coffee shop selling proper tea and coffee with decent cakes etc to go with it. If the NT aren’t up to providing that (and it doesn’t look like they are from what’s on offer at their Avebury restaurant) then they could get someone else to run it. Maybe Polly’s Tea Rooms of Marlborough could open a branch there (they have branches in Salisbury and Wilton after all).
Bottom line is rembering that Avebury is a World Heritage Site. If we’re going to object to things being done there, that shouldn’t be done there, let’s object to new houses being built on Avebury’s doorstep, not to something (a teashop) which would add to the pleasure of a visit there.
Totally with you again LS. It is a reflection of the overpricing that hoards of 'regulars' that arrive at the henge these days do so with their own refreshments so the NT by it's own greedyness is not getting the revenure they could otherwise expect. It odd isn't it that whenever prices go up and the public won't play ball, they hoike the prices up even further in the misbelief that it is going to keep them afloat!
As to the RL, well I know it takes a hammering, but the fact is it's packed out in the summer and while it sells beer and snacks then that's good enough for most people. I've had plenty of main meals there and can't say I've had much to complain about...then again if I was taking the missus out to dinner it wouldn't be there!
