The Barge Inn

We had a relaxing evening by the roaring fire on a cold night. The food was excellent and arrived quickly, and the service was attentive. There’s a very good menu, plus loads of ales, lagers and ciders to choose from. The Barge is cosy, good value, and we’ll definitely stop in again.

We moved to the area over the summer and were trying out local pubs. One sunny day in August, after visiting another pub in nearby Avoncliff, we drove to The Barge Inn. We parked in its car park, bought two pints, and told the bar staff we were new locally and had come over from Avoncliff. We were there for only 28 minutes, and nobody mentioned that we needed to register the car. I have the bank statement showing we paid for the drinks. A week later, Smart Parking sent me a £100 penalty notice for breaking its parking terms. I hadn’t seen any clear signs or a parking meter. I sent proof that we’d been customers, but the “appeal” only brought the charge down to £20. That’s a disgusting way to treat people who came in to support the pub. Calling this hospitality is hard to take; it feels like a cash grab attached to parking enforcement. There are plenty of genuine pubs nearby that won’t sting you for having a pint. If this is how The Barge Inn treats people, it doesn’t deserve our support. Steer clear.

For £140+ without breakfast, our room felt like very poor value. The grubby marks on the old towels and the general state of the place were the main problems for me. The upstairs stairs and hall carpets were tatty, and the whole area smelled damp. Our room needed refurbishment as well. It had a strange smell, perhaps from takeaway food left there before, or possibly cooking smells coming up from the kitchen. Either way, it put me off. The pillows felt old and cheap, and the mattress was old too. The en-suite looked nice from a distance, and may have been done fairly recently, but the work seemed cheap and sloppy. We stayed one night during a weekend in Bradford-on-Avon. The staff were really friendly, and the pub itself seemed fine, if unremarkable. Service and location were fine too, but nothing special. I might usually have rated it two or even three stars, but the cleanliness issues and the price brought it down to one.

Really welcoming, with lovely pizza and a big range of ciders. That should be great in summer.