How do you know it's the smoking ban and not changes in drinking habits (including more negative attitudes to drink driving) that are the cause?
Having grown up in a rural US county with no public transportation outside the county seat (where the bus came once an hour on each of two routes), I don't see how you can drink much in a public rural setting without driving drunk.
Just heard on the radio (so obviously can’t link) that they’re rowing back on it due to worries about the hospitality industry. Still likely to include outside schools and hospitals, but not pubs, restaurants, clubs.
Local CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale) groups sometimes organise pub crawls by bus and/or train, to make the point that it is possible to visit good pubs without having to drive to them. The routes and times have to be planned carefully in advance, of course.
Local CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale) groups sometimes organise pub crawls by bus and/or train, to make the point that it is possible to visit good pubs without having to drive to them. The routes and times have to be planned carefully in advance, of course.
But of course there are plenty of good pubs that can't be so reached.
Attitudes to drink driving have definitely changed. When I was growing up people talked about how not to get caught. As a young adult we asked how many we could drink and still be under the limit. Now people are more likely to abstain completely if drinking.
This is going to be a mixed bag for rural pubs - the mark up on soft drinks is huge (they cost pence and sell for £3-£4 a pint) but that has to be balanced against people not bothering at all. I'd also be surprised if many viable rural pubs are wet sales led - how many people going out for a meal are basing their decision on whether they can have a fag with it?
Local CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale) groups sometimes organise pub crawls by bus and/or train, to make the point that it is possible to visit good pubs without having to drive to them. The routes and times have to be planned carefully in advance, of course.
But of course there are plenty of good pubs that can't be so reached.
Attitudes to drink driving have definitely changed. When I was growing up people talked about how not to get caught. As a young adult we asked how many we could drink and still be under the limit. Now people are more likely to abstain completely if drinking.
This is going to be a mixed bag for rural pubs - the mark up on soft drinks is huge (they cost pence and sell for £3-£4 a pint) but that has to be balanced against people not bothering at all. I'd also be surprised if many viable rural pubs are wet sales led - how many people going out for a meal are basing their decision on whether they can have a fag with it?
IME a rural wet pub can do very well if it’s the last one standing locally. Unfortunately you can’t plan to become that unless you are it already.
The pub in our village serves food, but limited menu and primarily exists to serve the early evening custom of the local tradesmen, the staff of the hunt kennels, farm workers, and anyone else who wants a pint/pints before going home for a meal.
The people who drink there (me included) are very clued up on which other pubs are worth visiting for drinking purposes rather than eating in the local area. Round here they tend to be about 6 miles apart, either interspersed with food led pubs, or these days villages with no pubs.
The problem is that - funnily enough - wet pubs in rural areas become social hubs for quite a wide area. A wide area with potentially no public transport at all… I reckon my village pub caters to a radius of about five miles, and is rammed Thursday-Sunday with drinkers.
In the Chlterns walking groups (and individuals) rely on pubs with gardens as places to stop for refreshment and relief. Not many publicans are keen on muddy boots indoors. A smoke-free unch stop would be pleasant.
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Precisely my point.
But of course there are plenty of good pubs that can't be so reached.
Attitudes to drink driving have definitely changed. When I was growing up people talked about how not to get caught. As a young adult we asked how many we could drink and still be under the limit. Now people are more likely to abstain completely if drinking.
This is going to be a mixed bag for rural pubs - the mark up on soft drinks is huge (they cost pence and sell for £3-£4 a pint) but that has to be balanced against people not bothering at all. I'd also be surprised if many viable rural pubs are wet sales led - how many people going out for a meal are basing their decision on whether they can have a fag with it?
IME a rural wet pub can do very well if it’s the last one standing locally. Unfortunately you can’t plan to become that unless you are it already.
The pub in our village serves food, but limited menu and primarily exists to serve the early evening custom of the local tradesmen, the staff of the hunt kennels, farm workers, and anyone else who wants a pint/pints before going home for a meal.
The people who drink there (me included) are very clued up on which other pubs are worth visiting for drinking purposes rather than eating in the local area. Round here they tend to be about 6 miles apart, either interspersed with food led pubs, or these days villages with no pubs.