please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Went for lunch today and it will not be repeated, the ales were okay but the god the food was awful. The item I bought was awful it should have been warm, and after talking to other locals and people who live very near to this pub the general feeling is that the chef needs replacing, it should be lovely, great setting full of tradition, what a shame. We will not return anytime soon.
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Dropped in again after seeing the pub on Tony Robinson's "Walking through History" program on Channel4. All I can say is 'Wiltsmans' report below is way off the mark. Either that or 'Spoons is more to his taste.The refit looks great and their own Croppie ale was well kept. The location right next to the canal is fantastic and probably gets very busy in summer with crop circle hunters, so good to visit this time of year to appreciate the decor.
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Formerly a fantastic pub. After a refit and feature on TV the pub has lost all it's character and serves very poorly kept and re-branded Stonehenge ales. Food is standard pub fare and pretty uninspiring but it's aimed at the adjacent camp site. Location is Fantastic.
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Just returned from a fantastic weekend here. The camp site is in beautiful settings, the pub was clean, welcoming and the food and beer fantastic. One of the friendliest pubs I have been to and the staff couldn't do enough to help.
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I'm told it had just re-opened prior to my visit after a new refit. Done a great job, just what a 'real' pub should look like. Noticed it's the local CAMRA "Pub of the year" and I would certainly concur with that, just wished it was close enough to be my local. Had a couple of pints of 1810 their own locally brewed ale, well kept and went down a treat.
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Now sympathetically tidied up and redecorated, beer and food standards still maintained
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Great food, Great beer, Lovely bar staff and very helpful, shame about the clientele ON THIS VISIT would have stayed longer.
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Best Pub in the world. Magic, Alchemic, Mad, and a safe place to be yourself. Check it out for yourselves, have a pint of 1810 (the year the K&A was first dug), and see the elves dance the skies with laughter in their eyes. :~) Catch a sunset there if you can and eat amazing locally sourced food from a talented Chef from Liverpool.
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cant recommend this place highly enough......
myself and 4 friends camped here for two nights whilst cycling the kennet and avon canal/wiltshire hills ( cheap camping by the way.......) and were made to feel very welcome....
the food was fantastic and VERY good value (commendations to the chef....the roast belly of pork and seafood pasta were both exquisite.....if you put a beef in red wine stew on the menu ill be down again tomorrow!)
good beers....croppie was my fave
lively, fun atmosphere...loks like theres regular music on
beautiful Wiltshire countryside on your doorstep
........the staff were excellent...friendly efficient and welcoming....our waiter was a youngish lad (20's) and was faultless'ly attentive..........the landlord even bought us all a pint! (thanks...)
....add to that and its a community owned pub......like i said at the top i really cant praise this place enough, and hope to return as soon as possible
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Dropped in early bank holiday Monday - nice pint of 'Croppie' - their own ale. Also had their own '1810' ale, London Pride and some real ciders. A regular told me the local group have just taken the lease with lottery cash but the pub is owned by a wealthy guy from London who has other pubs and is something to do with Ronnie Wood from the Stones. Long wait for my bacon baguette, but worth it.
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Visited a couple of weeks ago, place heaving with crop circle 'enthusiasts' apparently a whopper had appeared in a nearby field starting an avalanche of khaki/home weave/flowery dressed wierdos complete with their dowsing rods etc to the locality..... beer good and staff friendly. The local buyout never happened, but the pub is now under new management. Keep up teh good work.
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Local paper advised that at the time of my last visit the pub was threatened with closure, which would be a traversty if it ever happened. Fortunately the locals in the village of Alton Barnes were so angry that they raised the �300k odd to buy the lease from 'insert greedy pubco name here', so it looks like this very special pub's future is secured.
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We parked our coach up in the woodyard and turned up unannounced at this classic canal side pub deep in Pewsey Vale. Seems to be the headquarters of crop circle hunters, interesting painted mural of the same in the back room. Now doing its own beers, Croppie and another I forget brewed by Three Castles down the road. Have eaten here on previous occasions and not been disappointed. Can get very busy at weekends though. Well worth a visit.
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Beautiful canal side situation, well kept beer and good simple food - however beer expensive e.g. �3.20 for a pint.
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Great location by the side of the Kennet & Avon Canal, with plenty of outside seating. Car park gets quite busy (guess people park up, have a meal then go for a walk) so it pays to get there early on busy days.
Three real ales on tap, Butcombe, Black Rat and Hobgoblin, all kept to a good standard. We had the Sunday Roast (beef) which as good - with an inspired selection of veg - certainly worth �7.95 each.
Quote convivial atmosphere, mix of holidaymakers, passing tourists and locals dropping in for a pint. Hope to return again soon - this time with a tent for a night stop over.
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Usually has Thatchers Cheddar Valley cider from Easter to October. Friendly place in beautiful surroundings. Offers camping (tents and caravans). Seems to be a rallying point for crop circle enthusiasts.
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One of the best pubs in the country - everything is either excellent or quirky.
Don't eat the food though
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Great place - scruffy, eccentric, friendly, with good beer (as listed by previous reviewer), excellent value food, and a nice warm fire too. What more could you ask for?
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Excellent pub by the canal - Hobgoblin, Butcombe and Black Sheep on offer. Food wasn't sampled but the menu looked good.
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Excellent pub, friendly staff & locals.
Well-kept beer and good unpretentious food.
Tucked-away along a private road from just South of the canal bridge, running past the timber yard. A much more obvious landmark from the Kennet and Avon canal!
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Excellent pints of Hobgoblin. Didn't sample the food -- but it looked good on other tables. Lovely pub inside, with newspapers available. Outside, frankly, ia scruffy despite the canal views.
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A pub full of character!
Decent Beer, Good Staff, well managed, great location, long may it stay the same
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A pleasure to find a pub that hasn't been modernised and hasn't been gastrated. Black Sheep, Hobgoblin and one other was available on the handle when I visited - the food looked as good as my beer which was well served and taste quenching.
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Characterful canal-side (K&A) pub, with large garden for camping/games.
Had Brakspear/Hobgoblin and Butcombe when I visted, all to a good std. Good choice of reasonably priced food and plenty of outside tables.
Pool room next to the bar and no-smoking area. Well supported by the locals (deservedly so)
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Okay it is a long time ago but I only just found this site. I went there in March 2005 and it was still good then. Beer - excellent. Food - a bit variable but not too expensive.
It was busy but not out of hand. Seems to be popular with people who live on the canal as it is handy for several moorings. What with that and the crop circles, it has a bit of a counter-culture flavour to it.
The campsite at the back is not always open - pays to ring ahead and ask. But good level ground and the toilets/showers are reasonable. Fees a bit rich for pitching a tent on grass maybe especially as you'll probably put a lot of money over the bar.
I found the other campers were very tolerant of dogs - there were a lot of dogs about besides my friend's.
Would I go back? Yes.
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Enjoyed a fine Hobgoblin bitter here, cask beer is well kept. Excellent simple menu. Ceiling has a painted mural of Sonehenge and Wiltshire white horses, and a view of the is visible outside carved on Milk Hill.
anonymous - 20 Jun 2004 10:16 |
visited for a balmy weekend in august in the mid-90s, had a wonderful weekend, a friendly welcome, excellent food & delicious cider & shared a 2-man tent with 2 men, Planning to re-visit this year, which i'm thoroughly looking forward to. Very recommended.
rhi - 24 Apr 2004 13:24 |
The Barge is situated beside the Kennet and Avon Canal. From there you can see the White Horse, and it attracts a lot of tourists. This is despite the fact, that you have to go through a lumber yard in order to get to it. The trouble is that it is too popular, and they do not have to please the public. Anyway this place is a mecca for crop circle enthusiasts. They have a crop circle room in the Barge - and this is the base for all those interested in this subject. It is right in the middle of a lot of strange creations, that happen in the middle of the night.
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