In the next Saturday Guardian mag - the 'Let's move to...' features Swanage (Sat 1st Oct)
Do you have a favourite haunt or pet hate?
Please write, by next Tuesday, to:
After the event there's a forum/debate at www.guardian.co.uk/letsmoveto
Thanks to Antonia Phillips for noticing this.
Thanks to Antonia Phillips for noticing this.
Posts
29 comments:
lets hope it doesn't turn out too negative
Why would it be negative, Swanage is a great place to live !!
I agree, but just having come back from Normandy a marina would be nice, fish stalls and restaurants on the seafront, free parking on the quays and in the squares. More locally train link to Wareham, sports centre, and a good restaurant would be nice too.
Don't forget to email a response by the end of today (Tues) to the link above. Suspect the main article has been written already but we have a chance to tell the world (or at least all guardian readers!) which aspect of living here is the best in your opinion. It can only help!
Antonia
Swanage already has two good restaurants.The Corner and Chilled Red.
niether achieve even 1 out of 10 in the good food guide
Really?Well, The Corner certainly should.And it's as good a restaurant as a town the size of Swanage deserves.
wrong. why put Swanage down so? Why should we be also rans. Ludlow for eg. Same size as Swanage. Two Michelin starred restaurants.
I'm not putting Swanage down,Some of the meals I've eaten in The Corner are as good anything I've eaten anywhere.I don't think you can judge everything by how many stars someone gives it.But lucky old you if you can afford to punt out a hundred quid+ for dinner for two and imagine that there are enough like you to sustain such a place.
Anyway,Swanage is hardly Ludlow, thank god, for a start Ludlow seems a lot more pretentious,and perhaps appeals to a different kind of visitor.Strange you choose to live here,though, and not there.
accident of birth I'm afraid to say
wrong. why put Swanage down so? Why should we be also rans. Ludlow for eg. Same size as Swanage. Two Michelin starred restaurants
If you think Swanage can support one Michelin star let alone two I should change your medication:)
And as the poster say chilled red and the corner seem fine for Swanage.
It is an accident of geography.
Ludlow can be approached by car from all 360 degrees.
Swanage has two main roads by land and one via ferry entering it. It is mostly surrounded by fish...and fields and quarries.
STC once discussed placing certain signs informing folk about something. A councilor expressed concern over the cost. The deputy mayor replied 'It is only three signs!'.
That is why we do not have a Michelin starred restaurant. Indeed, the Bournemouth-Poole conurbation is rather lacking in this regard.
Sadly Swanage isn't featured in today's Guardian magazine - it's Stratford upon Avon! I assume not enough people contributed to the research. Or because Swanage didn't have a swanky, expensive eatery.
Actually, it's next week Swanage is featured - 8 October. Comments to the Guardian by Tuesday, as per original post.
Thanks I spotted that, sorry - wasn't my fault! Never believe what you read...
Look forward to next Sat, it can only help us gain a few more off-peak visitors.
The online version has links to restaurants mentioned, so flag up whoever you recommend
"It is an accident of geography"
and Rock, Padstow, Watergate Bay, Salcombe, Sidford? even Burton Bradstock and Weymouth get a mention in the GFG. Swanage pick yourself up by the bootstraps and get some more rich peoples down here spending their money!!! 10% of people who live in London earn more than £100,000 a year. The advert in this weeks advertiser offering steam locomotive trips to London in November should be in the London Evening Standard offering trips to Swanage!!!
Let's be honest. The folk with money do not come to Swanage just for an expensive evening as a rule, at least not often enough to support a Michelin starred restaurant. The last ferry to Sandbanks is 11 p.m. and that means finishing a three or more course dinner at 10.30, which is early for many. When you are laying down 100 quid for a dinner with wine, you do not want to be staring at your watch while deciding whther or noyto to crack open another bottle of wine.
Most of our visitors come by day and leave before dinner or have something quick and easy, and the most they spend money on are (in order) car parking, ice cream and crab nets. Those who stay the night tend to aim for cheap and cheerful accommodation, and fish and chips along the pierhead makes it all the experience they desire. Ther' nout wrong wiv tha'!
Considering the money there is in Poole, it confounds me why there are no Michelin starred restaurants there, or Bournemouth. I think the nearest is in Dorchester, or maybe Christchurch, or Wimborne, or Winchester,the latter three nearer to the Home Counties and London. With at least one London media type living in town, you would think the Jamie Olivers of the world would have considered Swanage before Devon or Cornwall (being closer to London) but they haven't. There must be a good business reason why not.
Don't forget Jamie was practrically begged to open 15 in Watergate Bay (by the local council) and Rick reopened as the famous Seafood Restauarant in Padstow only when the police closed down the nightclub he was running. If you want to see the standard of fish and chips Swanage should be aspiring to see "Steins fish and chips" in Falmouth or "Rockfish Seafood and Chips" in Dartmouth. Why run Swanage down so?
"There must be a good business reason why not" Well probably because we have a lunatic planning department that allowed a third of a marina development to take place without any marina, or waterfront dining, or accommodation or shops; and they gave us a sewage works slap bang where they should have been.
There are a couple of hoteliers in Swanage really trying very hard. Restaurants too. Looks like the Mowlem may kick off. It isn't really helping them if you keep saying the only people who are attracted to the town are looking for cheap and cheerful. A bit of polorisation would not be a bad thing.
If Lyme Regis can attract Mark Hix and Rock Nathan Outlaw surly we deserve a destination restaurant too. And folk don't have to drive home after dinner because we have good b&bs which would thrive further.
Just been in the Co-Op. Half the shelves are empty or filled with tins of chocolates for Christmas because the manager obviously thinks it's a good idea to have a big change round at 10 in the morning rather than the evening.
Do you think that's something The Guardian would be interested in?
The shelves were empty after a very busy weekend due to the lovely weather we had , and the change around happened at the weekend. Plus as we all know thou we don't like it coming early , but Xmas stock does hit some shops now. But then I am not an idiot to relize this;)
Me? Work in Co-op? Afraid not.
Just seemed that the decision to send in something critical to The Guardian for their piece on Swanage would be detrimental and idiotic.
It was probably sold out and partially empty, because, as MR Furmage says the weather was so nice this weekend we had a sudden influx of tourists.
And knowing a few people who provide accomodation for holidaymakers, apprently most people coming down only booked on Thursday and Friday.
Still, flippin' grockels buying my Daily Mail and Kingsmill 50/50.
Just seemed that the decision to send in something critical to The Guardian for their piece on Swanage would be detrimental and idiotic.
My comment was a joke, as it happens.However,in case you hadn't noticed the weekend finished on Sunday and the shelves were still half empty on Tuesday and contrary to Mr Furmage's comments the change round was still happening at 10:30 on Tuesday morning.So,two days to refill shelves after a busy weekend - perhaps my comment was rather less idiotic than the management of the Co-op.
Change is good , out with the old in with the new ;)
Returning to restaurants - I have never been disappointed eating in The Cauldron. Great food and service.
It seems Tom Dyckhoff has changed his mind (again) about moving to Swanage (Lets Move to... Guardian mag today 7th). How annoying (in the smaller scheme of life).
I shall be emailing to ask him why not.
Mr furmage, if only the majority of swanage were as forward thinking as you and I.
Unfortunately most are adverse to change.
Would all the negative people like to get off their butts and do something positive ??
Stop wasting your energy and stop complaining, you sound like a load of whingers in Swanage !!!
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