Saturday, November 26, 2011

Durlston Castle






14 comments:

Anonymous said...

Great views from that upper terrace - come on summer! Thanks for posting.

SillyWhim said...

It looks great.

Too bad the parking is so expensive, though.

Anonymous said...

And pricey restaurant. You couldn't really call it a cafe for passing families and walkers, with soup at £5, cup of coffee at £2.50 and a sandwich at £6.50. Though undoubtedly a lovely venue for a special restaurant meal (mains starting at about £17). Can you imagine the chaos when a coach party arrives as well as bunch of walkers?

Anonymous said...

I
Retaurant and parking have to be pricey to pay for the(undoubtedly) obscenely expensive walkway/wheelchair approach ramp. Why oh why? The roadway is hardly the M1 and could easily have been used just as it is. Cost - Nil. Instead this formidable structure must have cost 10s of thousands of £££££s. I thought money was in short supply...........

Robin from Swanage said...

The restaurant is too expensive.It should be serving good value meals like the Avon Forest Park also run by Dorset County Council. Diners should get a parking refund.The list of every species found at Durston covering all the restaurant walls was a bit overpowering.

The Belvedere needs to be developed with a telescope and pictures with descriptions of the view by day and night.

Otherwise the restoration is excellent. I am glad the coastal path is open again.

Anonymous said...

The glass edge-lit panels listing species found at Durlston
are indeed rather overpowering in the restaurant. However, great fun can be had by looking for the numerous spelling mistakes. Hyphenation utterly distressing.

Anonymous said...

A word of warning. Do not expect to be able to sit in the restaurant with a warm drink at lunch time. If you are not eating you will be asked to sit outside. Brrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

Anonymous said...

Hang on Robin, this restaurant is privately run not a soup kitchen. Your comment is typical of the running down of Swanage, which happens all too often on here. Let this be the most magnificent of restaurants, so expensive that the car park is full of Rolls Royces, and let it employ dozens of young people and source from local farmers, cheesemakers and fishermen. Amen.

ethel said...

I agree, but is local produce used?

Anonymous said...

Well said 10.44am!

Robin from Swanage said...

Enjoyed the exhibition about George Burt. I liked the picture of the model railway at Durlston with the train going past the airfield. Perhaps we should have another model railway at the castle to attract visitors to Durlston.

The Postman said...

Robin, you could pursue that idea .. they're looking for ideas for the belvedere ....

Anonymous said...

it is a shame that 99% of people do not realise the cost involved in running a restaurant especially when using local farms for the produce they serve and the sheer commitment and dedication to the business they are in. the sad thing is that the cafe/restaurant at the castle will probably end up ditching its sustainable local ethos because of the winings of the locals and end up as it has before being very average using poorer quality produce which does not support local farms and food producers. Considering the amount of money spent on this refurbishment you would think it warrants something special and not ordinary and average. Perhaps Swanage is happy with average???

Anonymous said...

well said that person that has stopped the wingers in their steps.
unfortunately i moved here without realising the neandethal attitude of some of the locals