The Barge Inn @ Honeystreet

Wiltshire’s a beautiful county and it’s an idyllic Friday evening at the Barge Inn, Honeystreet. Boats are moored on the canal that runs past the pub, there’s a White Horse etched into the chalk just down the road and in the pub’s back room the ceiling is painted with images of Stonehenge, errant cherubim and crop circles. ‘It is,’ one local tells me, ‘the Sistine Chapel of Wiltshire.’

The Barge indeed is Crop Circle Central – there’s even Croppie ale for sale – and circle aficionados arrive to camp here from all over the world: in the visitors’ book Kerry from Australia has written: ‘Great crop circles! Great people!’, while Miranda and Trond from Norway say: ‘Great to be back at Croppie HQ!’ No wonder an official at the Wiltshire Tourist Board tells me that they love crop circles; together with the numinous delights of Stonehenge and Avebury Rings they’re the county's biggest draws.
(Sunday Telegraph)

The Barge Inn at Honeystreet, probably the best known pub in the universe. The easiest way to get to the Barge Inn is by UFO. Exit intergalactic space at the Milky Way, follow the signs to the solar system, hang a right at Mars, and over Wiltshire zero in on the cluster of crop circles. (If you are coming from Earth, follow the canal west of Pewsey and it is the ninth bridge on the left.) You can't miss the pub. It is the one with the earthlings wearing Jesus sandals and Grateful Dead T-shirts.
(Daily Telegraph)

I love watching the hills from the haven of The Barge Inn. This old pub in the hamlet of Honeystreet on the Kennet and Avon Canal has a garden where I recommend supping a glass of wine or a pint and watching the sun set on the ridge to the north, while swallows skim over the water and narrowboats chug by slowly. ...the Barge Inn is the epicentre of crop circle activity in the area.
(BBC Country File Magazine)

Come down off the hills of the Vale of Pewsey, cross the little canal bridge, down a little lane to the pub; in front of you is the Kennet and Avon canal, while carved into the hillside beyond is one of Wiltshire's white horses. As if that's not enough, this is the HQ of the crop circle fraternity: pick up the latest crop circle magazine and chat about last week's geometric design with enthusiasts at the bar. We love the landlord because Adrian Potts provides a meeting place for a truly disparate bunch. Meet the locals. Some are campers from the field behind, others have hopped off a narrow boat, still others are here to discuss the Mayan prophecies and alien messages contained in the area's crop circles. Allegedly.
(The Guardian)

Last summer as I was walking west along the Devizes-Newbury stretch of the Kennet and Avon canal, I came across quite a peculiar pub perched on the bank. Situated in the heart of the Wiltshire countryside, overlooked by the White Horse of Alton Barnes, is the Barge Inn: the ‘crop circle centre of the universe’. The walls and ceilings were crammed with an array of pictures and murals of recent crop circles, all appearing within a 10-mile radius of the pub. The pub is as old as the canal itself and offered a fascinating and charming rest stop with a refreshing pint and an interesting conversation.
(www.ivebeenthere.co.uk)

The British pub is unique, it is an iconic institution as much loved at home as it is admired from abroad. This makes it rather tricky to select the top hundred or so. But, undaunted, here we present our favorites. The Barge Inn Honeystreet: Unofficial headquarters for croppies (makers of crop circles) decorated with pictures of the circles, with fine view of the Alton Barnes white horse and well kept ales.
(Jamie Oliver magazine)

Expecting a traditional canalside pub, we were somewhat surprised to find a quirky den of hippy, retro folk at Honeystreet’s The Barge Inn...
I chose sausages with mash, onion gravy and mixed vegetables. The mash was delicious – it had a lovely peppery taste...
All of this was washed down with a lovely pint mug of 1810, a traditional cask ale from the Honeystreet Brewery. It’s fruity and malty, with a bitter aftertaste.
This is a delightful setting if you want something completely different... soak in the atmosphere and enjoy it with an ale...
(Wiltshire Gazette & Herald)